HDR1012000170051113961500FARM LABOR Farm Labor National Agricultural Statistics Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. Released November 13, 1996, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Farm Labor" call Eddie Oaks at (202) 690-3228, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. For assistance with general agricultural statistics, information about NASS, its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 1-800-727-9540 or E-mail: NASS@NASS.USDA.GOV. Hired Workers Down 2 Percent, Wages Up 6 Percent There were 1.23 million hired workers on the Nation's farms and ranches during the week of October 6-12, 1996. There were 935,000 workers hired directly by farm operators. Agricultural service employees on farms and ranches made up the remaining 291,000 workers. Migrant workers accounted for 11.1 percent of the hired workforce. Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $6.97 per hour during the October 1996 survey week, up 39 cents from a year earlier. Field workers received an average of $6.58 per hour, up 39 cents. Livestock workers earned $6.57 per hour compared with $6.17 a year earlier. During the survey week of October 6 - 12, 1996, heavy rains from Tropical Storm Josephine saturated Florida's citrus groves and slowed fieldwork across the Southeast. Wet weather in the mid-Atlantic States saturated fields, prevented some farmers from entering fields, and delayed small grain seeding and row crop harvest activity. Elsewhere, precipitation was limited to showers from the Great Lakes to the Central Plains early in the week, and rain in the Pacific Northwest at the end of the week. Row crop harvest activity in the Midwest was slightly affected by showers early in the week. Warm, dry weather in the Western States allowed small grain seeding to advance, with some reseeding reported in the Pacific Northwest. In California, seedbed preparation and planting of small grains was ongoing in a few areas. Rice and pumpkin harvests and cotton defoliation were in full swing in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys. Raisin grape harvest is virtually complete while table and wine grape harvest was active. Crop and vegetable harvests were delayed in Florida because of heavy rain early in the week. Fruit harvest picked up later in the week. In Texas, small grain seeding and cotton and sorghum harvests were active. Cotton defoliation activity increased while harvest activity picked up in the Plains. Early citrus harvest was active. A new quarterly data series on the percent of the U.S. hired workforce that are migrant farm workers begins with this publication. Also new to this report are annual employment data for self employed and unpaid workers for the U.S., regions, and selected States. Farm Labor: Employment and Wage Rates, United States, October 6-12, 1996 with Comparisons 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : October 8-14, : July 7-13, : October 6-12, Farm Employment : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : Hired Workers : 954 1,015 935 Expected to be Employed : 150 Days or More : 607 652 625 149 Days or Less : 347 363 310 : Agricultural Services : Workers Working on Farms : 302 331 291 : Hired Farm & Service Workers : 1,256 1,346 1,226 : : Percent Migrant Workers Percent of : Hired Farm & Service Workers: 11.6 13.1 11.1 : : Hours per Week Hours Worked : Hired : 41.9 40.9 40.4 : : Dollars per Hour Wage Rates for : All Hired Workers 2/ 3/ : 6.58 6.55 6.97 : Type of Worker : Field & Livestock Combined : 6.19 6.17 6.58 Field : 6.19 6.16 6.58 Livestock : 6.17 6.20 6.57 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes AK. 2/ Benefits, such as housing and meals, are provided some workers but the values are not included in the wage rates. 3/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. Hired Workers: Number and Hours Worked by Region and United States, October 6-12, 1996 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hired :--------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. : : Expected to be Employed : and : Number :-------------------------------: Number Region 2/ : of : 150 Days : 149 Days : of Hours : Workers : or More : or Less : Worked -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : Northeast I : 52 39 13 30.7 Northeast II : 38 28 10 40.1 : Appalachian I : 42 23 19 35.3 Appalachian II : 33 16 17 29.5 : Southeast : 36 28 8 34.6 FL : 45 40 5 37.0 : Lake : 67 40 27 37.7 : Cornbelt I : 50 32 18 36.9 Cornbelt II : 40 26 14 33.9 : Delta : 42 32 10 50.7 : Northern Plains : 47 31 16 47.3 : Southern Plains : 63 42 21 41.2 : Mountain I : 23 17 6 50.6 Mountain II : 23 18 5 45.0 Mountain III : 19 17 2 45.1 : Pacific : 101 51 50 44.0 CA : 206 138 68 40.9 : HI : 8 7 1 39.7 : US 3/ : 935 625 310 40.6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Wage Rates for Type of Workers and All Hired Workers by Region and United States, October 6-12, 1996 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Type of Worker : U.S. :--------------------------------------------: Wage Rates for and : : :Field & Lvstk :All Hired Workers Region 2/ : Field : Livestock : Combined : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast I : 7.21 6.28 6.92 7.36 Northeast II : 6.91 5.57 6.58 7.10 : Appalachian I : 5.98 6.35 6.04 6.38 Appalachian II : 5.84 5.73 5.82 5.97 : Southeast : 6.54 5.71 6.45 6.82 FL : 6.31 6.65 6.35 7.35 : Lake : 7.56 6.47 7.13 7.41 : Cornbelt I : 6.48 7.19 6.58 7.02 Cornbelt II : 6.34 6.58 6.43 6.74 : Delta : 5.57 6.02 5.65 5.78 : Northern Plains : 7.02 6.46 6.93 7.22 : Southern Plains : 5.38 6.00 5.56 5.85 : Mountain I : 6.16 7.31 6.60 6.57 Mountain II : 6.11 6.95 6.34 6.98 Mountain III : 5.94 6.37 6.11 6.53 : Pacific : 7.29 7.28 7.29 7.58 CA : 6.67 7.25 6.74 7.22 : HI : 8.60 3/ 8.65 9.73 : US 4/ : 6.58 6.57 6.58 6.97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Insufficient data. 4/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Number and Hours Worked by Region and United States, July 7-13, 1996 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hired :--------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. : : Expected to be Employed : and : Number :-------------------------------: Number Region 2/ : of : 150 Days : 149 Days : of Hours : Workers : or More : or Less : Worked -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : : Northeast I : 49 34 15 39.1 Northeast II : 43 31 12 41.9 : Appalachian I : 57 26 31 32.4 Appalachian II : 37 15 22 28.6 : Southeast : 30 18 12 39.6 FL : 43 38 5 37.5 : Lake : 81 51 30 35.5 : Cornbelt I : 54 31 23 31.8 Cornbelt II : 46 24 22 37.5 : Delta : 40 31 9 45.2 : Northern Plains : 43 24 19 49.8 : Southern Plains : 70 50 20 45.9 : Mountain I : 30 22 8 48.3 Mountain II : 21 14 7 47.8 Mountain III : 20 17 3 50.9 : Pacific : 109 55 54 40.6 CA : 235 165 70 44.7 : HI : 7 6 1 36.1 : US 3/ : 1,015 652 363 40.9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Wage Rates for Type of Worker and All Hired Workers July 7-13, 1996 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Type of Worker : U.S. :--------------------------------------------: Wage Rates for and : : :Field & Lvstk :All Hired Workers Region 2/ : Field : Livestock : Combined : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : : Northeast I : 6.80 5.97 6.55 6.98 Northeast II : 6.28 5.94 6.16 6.51 : Appalachian I : 5.36 6.09 5.53 5.73 Appalachian II : 5.35 6.04 5.46 5.90 : Southeast : 5.62 5.25 5.58 5.85 FL : 6.35 7.10 6.45 7.40 : Lake : 6.51 6.02 6.31 6.57 : Cornbelt I : 6.70 6.65 6.69 7.09 Cornbelt II : 5.97 5.48 5.84 6.34 : Delta : 5.96 5.75 5.91 6.13 : Northern Plains : 6.30 5.78 6.20 6.46 : Southern Plains : 5.17 5.84 5.36 6.01 : Mountain I : 6.06 5.75 5.90 5.94 Mountain II : 5.88 6.05 5.92 6.27 Mountain III : 5.80 5.99 5.87 6.39 : Pacific : 6.30 8.20 6.43 6.78 CA : 6.33 7.27 6.42 6.82 : HI : 8.74 3/ 8.74 9.85 : US 4/ : 6.16 6.20 6.17 6.55 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Insufficient data. 4/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Number and Hours Worked by Region and United States, October 8-14, 1995 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hired :--------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. : : Expected to be Employed : and : Number :-------------------------------: Number Region 2/ : of : 150 Days : 149 Days : of Hours : Workers : or More : or Less : Worked -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : Northeast I : 49 30 19 41.7 Northeast II : 37 25 12 39.1 : Appalachian I : 46 26 20 38.2 Appalachian II : 28 15 13 30.7 : Southeast : 38 25 13 36.5 FL : 60 53 7 35.5 : Lake : 76 38 38 40.2 : Cornbelt I : 55 35 20 38.8 Cornbelt II : 37 25 12 39.6 : Delta : 46 31 15 51.3 : Northern Plains : 44 29 15 46.5 : Southern Plains : 64 50 14 42.1 : Mountain I : 37 23 14 52.9 Mountain II : 14 8 6 44.0 Mountain III : 21 17 4 46.9 : Pacific : 74 40 34 39.8 CA : 220 130 90 44.5 : HI : 8 7 1 37.4 : US 3/ : 954 607 347 41.9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Wage Rates for Type of Worker and All Hired Workers October 8-14, 1995 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Type of Worker : U.S. :--------------------------------------------: Wage Rates for and : : :Field & Lvstk :All Hired Workers Region 2/ : Field : Livestock : Combined : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast I : 6.70 5.98 6.47 6.87 Northeast II : 6.47 5.33 6.15 6.54 : Appalachian I : 5.92 6.39 5.99 6.25 Appalachian II : 5.61 5.83 5.67 5.94 : Southeast : 5.52 5.50 5.52 5.99 FL : 6.02 6.40 6.06 6.98 : Lake : 6.70 5.92 6.51 6.88 : Cornbelt I : 6.52 5.97 6.40 6.70 Cornbelt II : 5.85 5.91 5.86 6.06 : Delta : 4.97 5.46 5.04 5.23 : Northern Plains : 6.49 6.49 6.49 6.64 : Southern Plains : 5.15 6.22 5.53 5.83 : Mountain I : 5.61 6.12 5.71 5.78 Mountain II : 5.87 5.46 5.76 6.31 Mountain III : 5.61 5.96 5.72 6.08 : Pacific : 7.28 7.47 7.29 7.59 CA : 6.32 7.40 6.39 6.94 : HI : 8.40 3/ 8.39 9.43 : US 4/ : 6.19 6.17 6.19 6.58 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Insufficient data. 4/ Excludes AK. Field and Livestock Workers Combined: Wage Rates, by Type of Farm, by Region and 48 States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : October 8-14, 1995 : October 6-12, 1996 :--------------------------------------------------------------- Region 2/ : Field : Other :L'stk &: All : Field : Other :L'stk &: All : Crops : Crops :Poultry: Farms : Crops : Crops :Poultry: Farms -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast : 6.01 6.77 5.90 6.34 6.19 7.36 5.96 6.76 Appalachian : 5.44 6.23 5.87 5.89 5.83 6.39 5.85 5.93 Southeast : 5.42 5.53 5.43 5.49 5.75 6.25 5.59 6.11 Lake : 6.72 6.97 5.69 6.51 8.09 7.89 6.08 7.13 Cornbelt : 6.09 6.49 6.11 6.17 6.53 6.36 6.62 6.52 Delta : 4.87 8.39 5.59 5.04 5.50 6.24 6.12 5.65 Northern Plains : 6.44 6.60 6.53 6.49 7.07 6.67 6.44 6.93 Southern Plains : 5.09 4.99 6.06 5.53 5.27 5.76 5.76 5.56 Mountain : 5.55 6.08 5.93 5.72 6.12 5.99 6.91 6.37 Pacific : 6.78 6.56 6.88 6.61 6.58 6.97 7.03 6.93 48 States : 5.81 6.38 6.05 6.14 6.26 6.83 6.34 6.54 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All Hired Workers: Wage Rates, by Economic Class of Farm by Region and 48 States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : October 8-14, 1995 : October 6-12, 1996 Region :---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2/ : Gross Value Sales-$1000's : All : Gross Value Sales-$1000's : All : <40 :40-99 :100-249 :250+ :Farms : <40 :40-99 :100-249 : 250+ :Farms -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : N. East : 6.53 5.78 5.84 7.26 6.73 6.63 5.83 5.90 7.85 7.25 Appal. : 5.30 6.41 5.84 6.35 6.15 5.98 6.13 5.85 6.48 6.18 S. East : 5.04 5.01 4.92 5.95 5.70 5.08 4.42 6.12 6.47 6.31 Lake : 4.22 5.30 6.03 7.50 6.88 4.78 6.30 6.87 7.94 7.41 Cornbelt : 5.79 6.55 5.98 6.70 6.43 6.97 6.08 6.27 7.43 6.91 Delta : 5.29 5.23 5.15 5.25 5.23 6.04 5.22 5.58 5.86 5.78 N. Plains: 6.31 6.72 6.00 7.03 6.64 6.38 5.43 7.15 7.49 7.22 S. Plains: 5.67 6.22 5.43 5.92 5.83 5.66 5.49 5.24 6.27 5.85 Mountain : 6.94 5.87 5.61 6.01 5.96 5.81 5.83 6.47 6.86 6.71 Pacific : 7.61 7.97 7.07 7.02 7.09 5.74 7.98 7.55 7.37 7.34 48 States: 5.90 6.39 5.95 6.65 6.58 5.89 6.32 6.51 7.14 6.97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Regions consist of the following States. Northeast: CT, DE, MD, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT. Appalachian: KY, NC, TN, VA, WV. Southeast: AL, FL, GA, SC. Lake: MI, MN, WI. Cornbelt: IA, IL, IN, MO, OH. Delta: AR, LA, MS. Northern Plains: KS, NE, ND, SD. Southern Plains: OK, TX. Mountain: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY. Pacific: CA, OR, WA. 48 States: All States, excluding AK and HI. Field and Livestock Workers: Distribution by Type of Farm, 48 States 1/ 2/ 3/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Type of : October 8-14, : July 7-13, : October 6-12, Farm : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Field and Livestock Workers : Field Crops : 26 26 27 Other Crops : 50 48 48 Livestock, Dairy, : & Poultry : 24 26 25 : 100.0 100.0 100.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hired Workers: Distribution by Economic Class of Farm, 48 States 1/ 3/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gross Value : October 8-14, : July 7-13, : October 6-12, of Sales : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Hired Workers : Less than $40,000 : 9 11 13 $40,000-$99,999 : 10 10 9 $100,000-$249,999 : 17 16 17 $250,000 and over : 64 63 61 : 100.0 100.0 100.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hired Workers: Distribution by Category, United States 1/ 3/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : October 8-14, : July 7-13, : October 6-12, : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Hired Workers : Employed on Farms Hiring : 1 Worker : 11 14 10 2 Workers : 9 11 10 3-6 Workers : 18 24 21 7-10 Workers : 10 9 10 At least 11 Workers : 52 42 49 : 100.0 100.0 100.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ 48 States, excluding AK and HI. 2/ Field and Livestock Workers combined. 3/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. Agricultural Services Crew leaders and custom crews provided 291,000 workers for the Nation's farms and ranches during the week of October 6-12, 1996. Service workers in California numbered 88,000 compared with 98,000 during the October 1995 survey week. Florida's number of service workers was 7,000, compared to 5,500 last year. The average wages received by agricultural service workers in California and Florida were $6.63 and $7.20 per hour, respectively. Comparable wages in October 1995 were $6.93 in California and $7.05 in Florida. Agricultural Service Workers: Number, Hours Worked, and Wage Rates, for California, Florida, and United States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Workers : Hours 2/ : Wage : Working on Farms : Worked : Rates 2/ 3/ State:------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Oct : Jul : Oct : Oct : Jul : Oct : Oct : Jul : Oct : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1996 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ 1,000 ----- --- Hours --- Dollars per Hour : CA : 98.0 98.0 88.0 33.0 40.0 36.3 6.93 7.17 6.63 FL : 5.5 3.5 7.0 31.0 43.5 24.1 7.05 4/ 7.20 : US : 302.0 331.0 291.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Data are for Agricultural Services performed on the farm by custom service units such as crew leaders or custom crews. These statistics are not included in the State-Regional tables. 2/ United States data not available. 3/ Benefits, such as housing and meals, are provided some workers but the values are not included in the wage rates. 4/ Insufficient data. Migrant Workers: Percent of all Hired Workers, United States, By Quarter (includes Agricultural Service Workers), 1995-96 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year : Jan : Apr : Jul : Oct -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : 1995 2/ : N/A N/A 12.4 11.6 1996 : 4.8 7.5 13.1 11.1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Definition Migrant worker is a farm worker whose employment required travel that prevented the farm worker from returning to his/her permanent place of residence the same day. 2/ Data first collected during July 1995 survey. Workers: Annual Average Number and Hours Worked By Region, State and United States, 1995-96 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Hours Worked State :----------------------------------------------:---------------------- and : Self : : : Region 2/: Employed : Unpaid : Hired : Hired Workers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------------- 1,000 --------------- --- Hours per Week --- : NY : 27.5 31.5 12.3 12.8 22.3 20.5 42.4 41.1 NE I : 47.5 50.0 18.0 17.5 45.0 40.5 40.8 40.2 : PA : 41.8 45.3 19.5 22.3 21.0 20.0 40.8 40.8 NE II : 62.5 63.3 26.5 28.8 36.0 34.3 40.5 40.0 : NC : 46.5 45.0 11.3 10.0 31.5 27.8 34.4 34.6 VA : 31.0 36.3 8.0 6.5 18.3 12.3 39.0 39.8 APP I : 77.5 81.3 19.3 16.5 49.8 40.0 36.1 36.2 : APP II : 123.0 132.8 32.3 31.8 32.0 26.5 31.7 30.6 SE : 65.5 67.8 13.0 11.5 38.0 30.0 37.9 36.6 FL : 21.8 29.0 4.8 5.3 54.0 46.3 38.1 38.0 : MI : 38.0 39.8 11.8 10.3 25.0 17.8 39.2 34.5 MN : 66.8 67.3 23.3 25.8 17.0 16.8 38.4 36.6 WI : 64.0 59.0 33.8 25.5 29.5 27.3 36.0 36.2 LAKE : 168.8 166.0 68.8 61.5 71.5 61.8 37.8 35.9 : CB I : 170.8 172.5 49.0 52.0 46.8 45.3 38.0 34.9 CB II : 152.3 150.0 46.0 45.5 34.8 34.8 36.9 34.7 DELTA : 77.5 75.8 19.5 18.0 37.0 36.8 40.5 42.9 NPlains : 139.0 133.5 54.0 54.3 32.3 38.3 43.3 44.3 : OK : 52.8 56.3 17.0 16.0 10.8 12.0 37.8 37.2 TX : 160.0 167.5 32.0 37.3 48.8 49.0 41.2 43.8 Splains : 212.8 223.8 49.0 53.3 59.5 61.0 40.5 42.4 : MT I : 33.3 37.8 15.0 14.5 25.8 25.3 45.5 46.9 MT II : 29.3 28.0 10.8 11.0 15.3 17.5 42.3 43.6 : AZ : 4.3 4.3 3/ 11.3 13.0 13.3 47.0 47.8 NM : 11.3 10.8 3/ 13.3 6.0 5.8 44.0 46.6 MT III : 15.5 15.0 24.5 24.5 19.0 19.0 46.0 47.4 : OR : 32.0 34.0 3/ 12.8 29.0 28.3 39.1 39.5 WA : 19.3 22.0 3/ 8.3 40.5 45.0 38.3 41.3 PAC : 51.3 56.0 15.8 21.0 69.5 73.3 38.6 40.6 : CA : 39.8 47.8 9.3 9.3 195.3 194.5 42.4 43.3 HI : 3.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 7.3 7.3 37.2 37.5 : US 4/ :1490.8 1533.0 476.3 477.0 868.5 832.0 40.0 40.3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Insufficient data. 4/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Annual Average Wage Rates by Region and United States, 1995-96 1/ 3/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Type of Worker :--------------------------------------------------------------------- Region 2/: All Hired : Field : Field & Livestock -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : NE I : 6.92 7.19 6.80 7.14 6.36 6.71 NE II : 6.41 6.78 6.35 6.60 5.97 6.26 APP I : 6.10 6.07 5.71 5.63 5.80 5.79 APP II : 5.73 6.00 5.51 5.62 5.54 5.68 SE : 5.77 6.33 5.39 5.98 5.40 5.92 FL : 7.48 7.30 6.57 6.29 6.54 6.36 LAKE : 6.64 6.95 6.53 6.96 6.19 6.56 CB I : 6.60 7.11 6.29 6.64 6.23 6.66 CB II : 6.20 6.55 5.87 6.17 5.90 6.22 DELTA : 5.50 5.91 5.16 5.65 5.27 5.70 NPlains : 6.46 6.84 6.44 6.73 6.29 6.55 SPlains : 5.83 6.01 5.32 5.29 5.50 5.48 MT I : 5.94 6.15 5.66 5.99 5.76 6.01 MT II : 6.20 6.66 5.77 5.99 5.64 6.09 MT III : 6.39 6.42 5.78 5.70 5.87 5.82 PAC : 7.16 7.25 6.77 6.80 6.82 6.87 CA : 6.83 7.01 6.16 6.44 6.26 6.53 HI : 9.76 9.83 8.62 8.61 8.60 8.62 : US 4/ : 6.54 6.78 6.13 6.34 6.09 6.33 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Annual rates are averages of the published wage rates for each survey week weighted by the number of hours worked during the week. The annual average for all States, Regions, and the U.S. is based on data collected for January, April, July, and October. 4/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Annual Average Wage Rates By State and United States, 1995-96 1/ 2/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : All Hired : Field : Field & Livestock -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : AL : 5.53 5.49 5.21 5.47 5.23 5.34 AZ : 6.50 6.62 5.78 5.77 5.82 5.89 AR : 5.63 6.20 5.34 6.04 5.47 6.04 CA : 6.83 7.01 6.16 6.44 6.26 6.53 CO : 6.48 6.59 5.81 5.83 5.83 5.98 DE : 6.36 6.90 6.01 6.16 5.91 6.18 FL : 7.48 7.30 6.57 6.29 6.54 6.36 GA : 6.11 6.83 5.58 6.36 5.61 6.34 HI : 9.76 9.83 8.62 8.61 8.60 8.62 ID : 6.09 6.64 5.72 6.02 5.90 6.53 IL : 6.66 7.32 6.47 6.73 6.34 6.84 IN : 6.85 7.12 6.24 6.88 6.37 6.78 IA : 6.28 6.69 5.99 6.19 6.03 6.34 KS : 6.84 7.12 6.64 6.71 6.60 6.81 KY : 5.72 6.14 5.40 5.67 5.52 5.78 LA : 5.53 5.85 5.19 5.39 5.28 5.61 MD : 6.26 7.20 6.27 7.14 5.84 6.71 MI : 6.64 6.96 6.40 6.73 6.33 6.61 MN : 6.91 7.85 6.84 7.75 6.61 7.44 MS : 5.34 5.66 4.88 5.28 5.05 5.42 MO : 6.10 6.42 5.78 6.16 5.74 6.11 MT : 5.66 5.99 5.50 5.70 5.54 5.67 NE : 6.32 6.77 6.34 6.65 6.25 6.48 NV : 6.10 6.48 5.67 6.18 5.47 6.15 NJ : 7.42 7.56 6.74 6.58 6.77 6.83 NM : 6.16 5.98 5.77 5.41 5.97 5.69 NY : 6.54 6.73 6.68 6.55 6.20 6.27 NC : 5.99 6.04 5.52 5.58 5.66 5.78 ND : 6.44 6.82 6.47 7.27 6.27 6.74 OH : 6.39 6.83 6.08 6.32 6.00 6.27 OK : 6.27 6.29 5.72 5.59 5.81 5.73 OR : 6.74 6.95 6.33 6.40 6.33 6.39 PA : 6.07 6.38 6.18 6.47 5.71 5.92 SC : 5.28 5.42 5.16 5.00 5.18 5.21 SD : 5.82 6.24 5.94 6.12 5.68 5.81 TN : 5.87 5.88 5.64 5.54 5.67 5.56 TX : 5.74 5.95 5.25 5.24 5.45 5.42 UT : 5.59 6.96 5.72 6.58 5.35 6.42 VA : 6.28 6.14 6.03 5.77 6.02 5.81 WA : 7.48 7.43 7.08 7.02 7.18 7.15 WV : 5.15 5.85 5.33 5.81 5.13 5.71 WI : 6.46 6.39 6.47 6.64 5.79 6.01 WY : 5.80 5.09 5.58 6.15 5.58 5.00 Oth Sts 3/: 7.34 7.69 6.93 7.65 6.56 7.21 : US 4/ : 6.54 6.78 6.13 6.34 6.09 6.33 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Annual rates are averages of the wage rates for each survey week weighted by the number of hours worked during the week. The annual average is based on data collected for January, April, July, and October. 3/ Includes CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, and VT. 4/ Excludes AK. Farm Labor Regions Region States Northeast I CT, ME, MA, NH, NY, RI, VT. Northeast II DE, MD, NJ, PA. Appalachian I NC, VA. Appalachian II KY, TN, WV. Southeast AL, GA, SC. Lake MI, MN, WI. Cornbelt I IL, IN, OH. Cornbelt II IA, MO. Delta AR, LA, MS. Northern Plains KS, NE, ND, SD. Southern Plains OK, TX. Mountain I ID, MT, WY. Mountain II CO, NV, UT. Mountain III AZ, NM. Pacific OR, WA. Reliability of Farm Labor Estimates Survey Procedures: These data were collected by the National Agricultural Statistics Service during the last two weeks of October using sampling procedures to ensure every employer of agricultural workers had a chance of being selected. Two samples of farm operators are selected. First, NASS maintains a list of farms that hire farm workers. Farms on this list are classified by size and type. Those expected to employ large numbers of workers are selected with greater frequency than those hiring few or no workers. A second sample consists of segments of land scientifically selected from aerial photography. Each June, highly trained interviewers locate each selected land segment and identify every farm operating land within the sample segment's boundaries. The names of farms found in these area segments are matched against the list of farms; those not found on the list are included in the labor survey sample to represent all farms not on the NASS list. This methodology is known as multiple frame sampling, with an area sample used to measure the incompleteness of the list. Additionally, a list of agricultural service firms was sampled in California and Florida. The survey reference week was October 6-12 1996. Reliability: Two types of errors, sampling and nonsampling, are possible in an estimate based on a sample survey. Both types affect the "precision" of the estimates. Sampling error occurs because a complete census is not taken. The sampling error measures the variation in estimates from the average of all possible samples. An estimate of 100 with a sampling error of 1 would mean that chances are 19 out of 20 that the estimates from all possible samples averaged together would be between 98 and 102; which is the survey estimate, plus or minus two times the sampling error. The sampling error expressed as a percent of the estimate is called the relative sampling error. The relative sampling error for number of all non-salaried workers at the U.S. level was 2.0 percent and 2.8 percent for all hired workers. The relative sampling error for number of hired workers generally ranged between 9 and 18 percent at the regional and 12 and 25 percent at the published State level. The U.S. all hired farm worker wage rate had a relative sampling error of 1.3 percent. The relative sampling error was 1.2 percent for the combined field and livestock worker wage rate. Relative sampling errors for the all hired farm worker wage rate generally ranged between 2 and 7 percent at the regional and published State levels. Relative sampling errors for wage rates published by type of farm and economic class of farm ranged between 2 and 10 percent at the regional level. The relative sampling errors for hired workers benefits ranged between 10 and 20 percent. Nonsampling errors can occur in complete censuses as well as in sample surveys. They are caused by the inability to obtain correct information from each operation sampled, differences in interpreting questions or definitions, and mistakes in coding or processing the data. Special efforts are taken at each step of the survey to minimize nonsampling errors. Revision Policy: Farm labor information is subject to revision the next time the information is published or the year after the original publication date. The basis for revision must be supported by additional data that directly affect the level of the estimate. Worker numbers and wage rates for July, 1996 and October, 1995 were subject to revision with this report. Revisions were made and previous data are reprinted in this report for your information. There were no revisions made. Annual Average Wage Rates: Included with this report are the annual average wage rates for 1995 and 1996. Annual rates are the averages of the wage rates for each survey week weighted by the total number of hours worked during the week. The survey weeks include the 12th of the month for January, April, July, and October. Combining data for the four survey weeks provides a large enough sample to permit publication of some wages at the State level. Annual wage rates for both 1995 and 1996 are published at the regional and U.S. level for the all hired wage rate, the field worker wage rate, and the combined field and livestock worker wage rate. For 1995 and 1996, annual wage rate information is published at the State level for the all hired wage rate, the field worker wage rate, and the combined field and livestock worker wage rate. For 1996, the relative sampling error, at the U.S. level, was 1.0 percent for all hired workers. The relative sampling error was 1.1 percent for the combined field and livestock worker wage rate. The relative sampling error for all hired farm workers and the combined field and livestock worker wage rates generally ranged between 2 and 6 percent at the regional level and 2 to 10 percent at the State level. The February 13th report will have information for the survey week of January 7-13, 1997. The report will include the number of All Hired Workers, Average Hours Worked by Hired Workers and the All Hired Worker Wage Rates regional and U.S. levels. The wage rate for field and livestock workers will be available for the regional and U.S. level. The number of self-employed and unpaid workers along with the corresponding average hours worked will be available for California, Florida, Hawaii, and at the regional and U.S. level. Wage rates by type of worker, type of farm, and economic class of farm will also be available at the regional and U.S. level. The number of Agricultural Service Workers and the corresponding wage rates will be published for Florida and California. Index Page U.S. Hired Workers on Farms, Hours Worked, and Wage Rates ............... 3 Number of Hired Workers and Average Hours Worked by Region and U.S. October 1996 .......................................................... 4 July 1996 ............................................................. 6 October 1995 .......................................................... 8 Wage Rates by Region and U.S. October 1996 .......................................................... 5 July 1996 ............................................................. 7 October 1995 .......................................................... 9 Agricultural Services: Workers, Average Hours Worked, and Wages October 1996 .......................................................... 12 July 1996 ............................................................. 12 October 1995 .......................................................... 12 Other Labor Estimates U.S. Distribution of Workers .......................................... 11 Wage Rates by Type of Farm, by Region, and 48 States .................. 10 Wage Rates by Economic Class of Farm, by Region, and 48 States ........ 10 Migrant Workers, Percent of All Hired Workers ......................... 12 Farm Labor Region Map ................................................... 16 Reliability of Farm Labor Estimates ..................................... 17 Revision Policy ......................................................... 17 Annual Averages 1995 - 1996 Number of Workers and Average Hours Worked by Selected States, Regions, and U.S. ................................................... 13 Hired Workers Wage Rates by Region and U.S. ........................... 14 Hired Workers Wage Rates by State and U.S. ............................ 15 The next "Farm Labor" report will be released at 3:00 p.m. ET on February 1?, 1997. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA Office of Communications at (202) 720-5881 (voice) or (202) 720-7808 (TDD). To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, USDA, Washington, D.C., 20250, or call (202) 720-7327 (voice) or (202) 720-1127 (TDD). USDA is an equal employment opportunity employer. SUBSCRIBE TODAY!! For your convenience, there are several ways to obtain NASS reports, data products, and services: INTERNET ACCESS All NASS reports are now available free of charge on the worldwide Internet. For access, connect to the Internet and select: 1. Worldwide Web: http://www.usda.gov/nass/ OR 2. 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Top speakers will discuss the 1997 farm outlook, prospects to 2005, risk management, concentration issues, market stability, world food security, marketing high-valued exports and more. Plan now to attend. For program and registration details, check Forum home page, call (202) 720-3050 or dial (202) 219-0296 from your fax machine and request document 66666. Send e-mail to agforum@oce.usda.gov. Get news from the Forum. Can't attend? After the Forum, download speeches from the Internet. Or, call 1-800-999-6779 to place an advance order for the printed proceedings (YCON-97) or new long term projections to 2005 (WAOB-97-1). Ag Forum home page: http://www.usda.gov/oce/waob/agforum.htm