HDR1012000170051121971500FARM LABOR National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released November 21, 1997, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Sta202) 690-3228, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Hired Workers and Wages 5 Percent Above a Year Ago There were 1.29 million hired workers on the Nation's farms and ranches during the week of October 12-18, 1997, up 5 percent from a year ago. Farm operators directly hired 1,003,000 workers. Agricultural service employees on farms and ranches made up the remaining 283,000 workers. Migrant workers accounted for 11.2 percent of the hired workforce. Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $7.31 per hour during the October 1997 survey week, up 34 cents from a year earlier. Field workers received an average of $6.94 per hour, up 36 cents. Livestock workers earned $6.80 per hour compared with $6.57 a year earlier. Ideal weather conditions during the survey week of October 12-18, in the central and eastern Corn Belt allowed fall harvest activity to surge ahead of normal. Heavy rains in the central Great Plains slowed row-crop harvest activity. Favorable conditions along the Pacific Coast allowed fieldwork and seedbed preparation to advance. Dry weather in Florida caused citrus caretakers and vegetable producers to irrigate. After heavy early-week rains, breezy, dry conditions allowed for a rapid return to summer crop harvesting and winter wheat planting across the Plains and Midwest. In California, ground preparation for planting small grains, forage crops and new alfalfa gained momentum. Rice harvest was virtually complete in the Sacramento Valley and was rapidly winding down in the San Joaquin Valley. Cotton harvest neared completion in the Imperial and Sacramento Valleys, while the San Joaquin Valley harvest was progressing normally. Harvest of grapes for juice and wine slowed but table grapes were still being harvested and packed. The walnut and pistachio harvests were nearly complete. Navel orange and grapefruit harvesting continued. Broccoli and cauliflower harvest continued in the Salinas-Watsonville area. Lettuce harvest in Monterey County was winding down. Harvest of fresh market tomatoes in the San Joaquin Valley progressed normally. Cool, dry conditions in Florida accelerated harvesting of crops during the week. Sugarcane planting was active. Caretakers were mowing, chopping and discing cover crops that had dried and were a fire hazard. There were still a few fertilizers, herbicides and sprays being applied where needed. Most small grains planting have been completed in the Plains of Texas. Cotton producers were well into harvest in the High Plains and North Central Texas, however wet fields at mid-week caused some delays. Corn harvest was winding down in most fields prior to the wet conditions. Cool, cloudy wet conditions slowed final rice harvest operations along the Upper Coast. Sugar beets harvest progressed slowly in the Plains as wet conditions limited fieldwork. Pecan harvest began in many areas. Farm Labor: Employment and Wage Rates, United States, October 12-18, 1997, with Comparisons 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : October 6-12, : July 6-12, : October 12-18, Farm Employment : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : Hired Workers : 935 *1,069 1,003 Expected to be Employed : 150 Days or More : 625 689 648 149 Days or Less : 310 *380 355 : Agricultural Services : Workers Working on Farms : 291 340 283 : Hired Farm & Service Workers : 1,226 1,409 1,286 : : : Percent : Migrant Workers Percent of : Hired Farm & Service Workers: 11.1 10.8 11.2 : : : Hours per Week : Hours Worked : Hired : 40.6 40.9 40.9 : : : Dollars per Hour : Wage Rates for : All Hired Workers 2/ 3/ : 6.97 *6.88 7.31 : Type of Worker : Field & Livestock Combined : 6.58 *6.46 6.91 Field : 6.58 *6.44 6.94 Livestock : 6.57 6.54 6.80 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised. 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 12-18, 1997 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 -------------- Hours per Week : Northeast I : 46 32 14 40.4 Northeast II : 43 34 9 37.1 : Appalachian I : 53 22 31 31.3 Appalachian II : 52 18 34 29.9 : Southeast : 32 25 7 39.4 FL : 44 41 3 40.0 : Lake : 80 48 32 41.3 : Cornbelt I : 56 33 23 41.3 Cornbelt II : 46 29 17 39.9 : Delta : 52 35 17 45.4 : Northern Plains : 52 35 17 45.8 : Southern Plains : 66 45 21 38.8 : Mountain I : 28 20 8 41.5 Mountain II : 26 21 5 40.3 Mountain III : 20 16 4 41.5 : Pacific : 79 42 37 41.0 CA : 220 145 75 45.6 : HI : 8 7 1 36.4 : US 3/ : 1,003 648 355 40.9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 12-18, 1997 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 : 7.39 6.45 7.09 7.49 Northeast II : 6.68 6.18 6.50 7.06 : Appalachian I : 6.51 6.77 6.55 6.73 Appalachian II : 6.14 6.16 6.14 6.27 : Southeast : 6.38 6.27 6.36 6.95 FL : 7.10 7.50 7.17 7.75 : Lake : 7.85 6.01 7.28 7.73 : Cornbelt I : 7.17 7.46 7.21 7.81 Cornbelt II : 7.08 7.08 7.08 7.23 : Delta : 5.92 6.40 5.99 6.22 : Northern Plains : 7.05 6.59 6.91 7.22 : Southern Plains : 6.10 6.73 6.41 6.70 : Mountain I : 6.28 6.74 6.43 6.65 Mountain II : 6.74 7.23 6.85 7.25 Mountain III : 6.17 6.66 6.25 6.85 : Pacific : 7.55 8.14 7.60 8.11 CA : 7.06 7.84 7.13 7.55 : HI 3/ : 8.49 8.55 9.98 : US 4/ : 6.94 6.80 6.91 7.31 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Insufficient data for livestock. 4/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Number and Hours Worked by Region and United States, July 6-12, 1997 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 --------------- Hours per Week : Northeast I : 49 35 14 37.2 Northeast II : 48 33 15 46.0 : Appalachian I : 67 26 41 38.3 Appalachian II : 39 16 23 30.7 : Southeast : 48 33 15 37.2 FL : 40 36 4 41.5 : Lake : 70 43 27 35.1 : Cornbelt I : 65 36 29 33.2 Cornbelt II : 37 29 8 33.5 : Delta : 50 36 14 41.9 : Northern Plains : 51 35 16 43.0 : Southern Plains : 82 54 28 44.3 : Mountain I : *26 17 *9 *41.7 Mountain II : 30 21 9 49.5 Mountain III : 25 17 8 41.2 : Pacific : 108 52 56 39.9 CA : 227 164 63 *46.4 : HI : 7 6 1 37.6 : US 3/ : *1,069 689 *380 40.9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised. 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 By Region and United States, July 6-12, 1997 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 : 6.99 6.41 6.81 7.15 Northeast II : 6.29 5.71 6.10 6.56 : Appalachian I : 5.62 6.67 5.77 5.87 Appalachian II : 5.65 5.45 5.60 5.80 : Southeast : 5.92 6.08 5.95 6.46 FL : 6.71 6.60 6.69 7.60 : Lake : 6.56 6.10 6.35 6.72 : Cornbelt I : 6.70 7.84 6.95 7.63 Cornbelt II : 6.93 6.65 6.82 7.17 : Delta : 5.67 6.42 5.86 6.23 : Northern Plains : 6.95 6.99 6.96 *7.39 : Southern Plains : 5.60 6.17 5.83 6.32 : Mountain I : *5.89 6.39 *6.00 *6.19 Mountain II : 5.88 6.69 6.00 6.33 Mountain III : 6.30 6.21 6.29 6.99 : Pacific : 6.83 8.54 6.93 7.33 CA : 6.74 7.43 *6.79 *7.18 : HI 3/ : 9.11 9.10 10.34 : US 3/ : *6.44 6.54 *6.46 *6.88 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised. 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Insufficient data for livestock. 4/ Excludes AK. 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 3/ : or Less 3/ : Worked -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- 1,000 -------------- Hours per Week : Northeast I : 52 39 13 40.7 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 Worker 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 3/ : 8.60 8.65 *9.75 : US 3/ : 6.58 6.57 6.58 6.97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised. 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Insufficient data for livestock. 4/ Excludes AK. Field and Livestock Workers Combined: Wage Rates, by Type of Farm, by Region and 48 States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : October 6-12, 1996 : October 12-18, 1997 :--------------------------------------------------------------- Region 2/ : Field : Other :L'stk &: All : Field : Other :L'stk &: All : Crops : Crops :Poultry: Farms : Crops : Crops :Poultry: Farms -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast : 6.19 7.36 5.96 6.76 6.80 6.98 6.41 6.70 Appalachian : 5.83 6.39 5.85 5.93 6.22 7.03 6.42 6.37 Southeast : 5.75 6.25 5.59 6.11 6.45 6.81 7.40 6.85 Lake : 8.09 7.89 6.08 7.13 7.16 8.33 6.08 7.28 Cornbelt : 6.53 6.36 6.62 6.52 7.12 7.46 7.18 7.20 Delta : 5.50 6.24 6.12 5.65 5.58 6.46 6.22 5.99 Northern Plains : 7.07 6.67 6.44 6.93 7.23 6.97 6.40 6.91 Southern Plains : 5.27 5.76 5.76 5.56 6.12 6.33 6.55 6.41 Mountain : 6.12 5.99 6.91 6.37 6.40 6.48 7.04 6.63 Pacific : 6.58 6.97 7.03 6.93 7.52 7.47 8.12 7.66 48 States : 6.26 6.83 6.34 6.54 6.58 7.10 6.82 6.91 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All Hired Workers: Wage Rates, by Economic Class of Farm by Region and 48 States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : October 6-12, 1996 : October 12-18, 1997 Region :----------------------------------------------------------------------- 2/ : Gross Value Sales-$1000's : : Gross Value Sales-$1000's : :----------------------------: All :----------------------------: All : <40 :40-99 :100-249 :250+ :Farms : <40 :40-99 :100-249 : 250+ :Farms -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : N. East : 6.63 5.83 5.90 7.85 7.25 7.94 6.81 6.85 7.33 7.27 Appal. : 5.98 6.13 5.85 6.48 6.18 5.91 6.36 6.28 7.12 6.40 S. East : 5.08 4.42 6.12 6.47 6.31 6.82 6.53 6.44 7.72 7.45 Lake : 4.78 6.30 6.87 7.94 7.41 5.94 5.10 8.06 7.02 7.73 Cornbelt: 6.97 6.08 6.27 7.43 6.91 7.40 7.47 6.82 7.80 7.48 Delta : 6.04 5.22 5.58 5.86 5.78 6.26 5.91 5.90 6.35 6.22 N. Plain: 6.38 5.43 7.15 7.49 7.22 10.51 5.48 6.56 7.32 7.22 S. Plain: 5.66 5.49 5.24 6.27 5.85 5.79 6.12 6.42 7.03 6.70 Mountain: 5.81 5.83 6.47 6.86 6.71 6.29 5.77 6.07 7.22 6.87 Pacific : 5.74 7.98 7.55 7.37 7.34 9.92 8.99 8.25 7.88 7.97 48 State: 5.89 6.32 6.51 7.14 6.97 6.82 6.62 6.93 7.51 7.31 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 6-12, : July 6-12, : October 12-18, Farm : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Field and Livestock Workers : Field Crops : 27 23 24 Other Crops : 48 50 50 Livestock, Dairy, : & Poultry : 25 27 26 : 100.0 100.0 100.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hired Workers: Distribution by Economic Class of Farm, 48 States 1/ 3/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gross Value : October 6-12, : July 6-12, : October 12-18, of Sales : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Hired Workers : Less than $40,000 : 13 13 12 $40,000-$99,999 : 9 12 10 $100,000-$249,999 : 17 15 15 $250,000 and over : 61 60 63 : 100.0 100.0 100.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hired Workers: Distribution by Category, United States, 1/ 3/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : October 6-12, : July 6-12, : October 12-18, : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent of Hired Workers Employed on Farms Hiring : 1 Worker : 10 10 11 2 Workers : 10 11 11 3-6 Workers : 21 23 20 7-10 Workers : 10 11 8 At least 11 Workers : 49 45 50 : 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 283,000 workers for the Nation's farms and ranches during the week of October 12-18, 1997. Service workers in California numbered 85,000 compared with 88,000 during the October 1996 survey week. Florida's number of service workers was 5,700 and compare to 7,000 last year. The average wage received by agricultural service workers in California and Florida were $7.37 and $8.29 per hour, respectively. Comparable wages in October 1996 were $6.63 in California and $7.30 in Florida. Agricultural Service Workers: Number, Hours Worked, and Wage Rates, for California, Florida, and United States 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Workers : Hours : Wage : Working on Farms : Worked 2/ : Rates 2/ 3/ State:------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Oct : Jul : Oct : Oct : Jul : Oct : Oct : Jul : Oct : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------- 1,000 ------- ------- Hours ------ Dollars per Hour : CA : 88.0 96.0 85.0 36.3 37.2 34.5 6.63 6.87 7.37 FL : 7.0 4.0 5.7 24.0 39.5 27.2 7.30 8.10 8.29 : US : 291.0 340.0 283.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. Migrant Workers: Percent of all Hired Workers, United States, By Quarter (Includes Agricultural Service Workers), 1995-97 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Year : Jan : Apr : Jul : Oct -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent : 1995 2/ : N/A N/A 12.4 11.6 1996 : 5.7 7.5 13.1 11.1 1997 : 9.5 6.3 10.8 11.2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, 1996-97 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : Hours Worked :--------------------------------------------------------------- State : Self : : : and : Employed : Unpaid : Hired : Hired Workers Region 2/ :--------------------------------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :-------------------- 1,000 ------------------- Hours per Week : NY : 31.5 30.0 12.8 11.3 20.5 20.0 41.1 41.4 Northeast I : 50.0 54.5 17.5 15.8 40.5 41.0 40.2 39.3 : PA : 45.3 51.5 22.3 27.8 20.0 22.5 40.8 41.3 Northeast II : 63.3 71.3 28.8 33.8 34.3 40.5 40.0 41.3 : NC : 45.0 50.5 10.0 9.3 27.8 32.8 34.6 30.8 VA : 36.3 31.8 6.5 8.5 12.3 12.4 39.8 36.8 Appalachian I : 81.3 82.3 16.5 17.8 40.0 45.3 36.2 36.4 : Appalachian II : 132.8 142.3 31.8 36.4 26.5 35.0 30.6 30.8 Southeast : 67.8 77.0 11.5 13.5 30.0 39.0 36.6 36.7 FL : 29.0 29.5 5.3 5.3 46.3 52.8 38.0 39.1 : MI : 39.8 38.3 10.3 8.5 17.8 21.8 34.5 36.9 MN : 67.3 68.8 25.8 25.0 16.8 16.8 36.6 42.5 WI : 59.0 54.0 25.5 25.5 27.3 25.8 36.2 33.3 Lake : 166.0 161.0 61.5 59.0 61.8 64.3 35.9 37.0 : Cornbelt I : 172.5 167.3 52.0 50.3 45.3 51.8 34.9 36.3 Cornbelt II : 150.0 144.8 45.5 44.0 34.8 33.5 34.7 37.0 Delta : 75.8 68.0 18.0 17.2 36.8 41.8 42.9 40.9 Northern Plains : 133.5 126.3 54.3 53.5 38.3 38.8 44.3 43.1 : OK : 56.3 57.3 16.0 16.5 12.0 14.8 37.2 41.9 TX : 167.5 165.3 37.3 23.5 49.0 47.8 43.8 40.7 Southern Plains : 223.8 222.5 53.3 40.0 61.0 62.5 42.4 40.9 : Mountain I : 37.8 40.5 14.5 19.0 25.3 21.3 46.9 44.1 Mountain II : 28.0 26.4 11.0 9.8 17.5 22.8 43.6 43.3 : AZ : 4.3 5.4 11.3 10.8 13.3 13.2 47.8 42.0 NM : 10.8 9.6 13.3 13.8 5.8 5.8 46.6 42.0 Mountain III : 15.0 15.0 24.5 24.5 19.0 19.0 47.4 42.0 : OR : 34.0 32.8 12.8 10.4 28.3 29.5 39.5 40.3 WA : 22.0 24.5 8.3 6.0 45.0 44.8 41.3 41.0 Pacific : 56.0 57.3 21.0 16.4 73.3 74.3 40.6 40.7 : CA : 47.8 38.8 9.3 6.3 194.5 188.8 43.3 43.6 HI : 3.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 7.3 7.0 37.5 36.7 : US 3/ :1,533.0 1,527.5 477.0 463.2 832.0 879.0 40.3 40.0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Excludes AK. Hired Workers: Annual Average Wage Rates By Region and United States, 1996-97 1/ 4/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : All Hired : Field : Field & Livestock :--------------------------------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : Northeast I : 7.19 7.63 7.14 7.23 6.71 6.84 Northeast II : 6.78 7.24 6.60 6.60 6.26 6.33 Appalachian I : 6.07 6.35 5.63 6.00 5.79 6.16 Appalachian II : 6.00 6.23 5.62 5.88 5.68 5.92 Southeast : 6.33 6.81 5.98 6.37 5.92 6.30 FL : 7.30 7.44 6.29 6.76 6.36 6.77 Lake : 6.95 7.30 6.96 7.42 6.56 6.85 Cornbelt I : 7.11 7.96 6.64 7.06 6.66 7.18 Cornbelt II : 6.55 7.10 6.17 7.02 6.22 6.86 Delta : 5.91 6.36 5.65 5.87 5.70 5.98 Northern Plains : 6.84 7.41 6.73 7.14 6.55 7.01 Southern Plains : 6.01 6.30 5.29 5.67 5.48 5.92 Mountain I : 6.15 6.72 5.99 6.19 6.01 6.54 Mountain II : 6.66 6.85 5.99 6.31 6.09 6.39 Mountain III : 6.42 6.66 5.70 6.07 5.82 6.08 Pacific : 7.25 7.56 6.80 7.00 6.87 7.08 CA : 7.01 7.32 6.44 6.79 6.53 6.87 HI : 9.83 10.13 8.61 8.81 8.62 8.83 : US 3/ : 6.78 7.36 6.34 6.66 6.33 6.64 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ Region map on page 16. 3/ Excludes AK. 4/ 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. Hired Workers: Annual Average Wage Rates By State, 1996-97 1/ 2/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : All Hired : Field : Field & Livestock :--------------------------------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Dollars per Hour : AL : 5.49 6.17 5.47 5.89 5.34 5.74 AZ : 6.62 6.70 5.77 6.08 5.89 6.09 AR : 6.20 6.58 6.04 6.02 6.04 6.13 CA : 7.01 7.32 6.44 6.79 6.53 6.87 CO : 6.59 7.02 5.83 6.47 5.98 6.59 DE : 6.90 7.85 6.16 7.64 6.18 7.48 FL : 7.30 7.44 6.29 6.76 6.36 6.77 GA : 6.83 7.34 6.36 6.89 6.34 6.85 HI : 9.83 10.13 8.61 8.81 8.62 8.83 ID : 6.64 6.80 6.02 6.25 6.53 6.54 IL : 7.32 8.04 6.73 7.23 6.84 7.41 IN : 7.12 8.09 6.88 7.22 6.78 7.33 IA : 6.69 7.76 6.19 7.75 6.34 7.52 KS : 7.12 7.59 6.71 7.21 6.81 7.24 KY : 6.14 6.28 5.67 5.75 5.78 5.94 LA : 5.85 6.39 5.39 6.21 5.61 6.15 MD : 7.20 7.76 7.14 7.64 6.71 7.02 MI : 6.96 7.14 6.73 6.78 6.61 6.62 MN : 7.85 8.45 7.75 9.02 7.44 8.08 MS : 5.66 6.17 5.28 5.53 5.42 5.81 MO : 6.42 6.45 6.16 6.43 6.11 6.25 MT : 5.99 6.15 5.70 6.21 5.67 5.91 NE : 6.77 7.60 6.65 7.28 6.48 6.94 NV : 6.48 6.88 6.18 6.28 6.15 6.45 NJ : 7.56 7.31 6.58 6.39 6.83 6.47 NM : 5.98 6.48 5.41 6.01 5.69 6.07 NY : 6.73 7.21 6.55 7.32 6.27 6.80 NC : 6.04 6.23 5.58 5.94 5.78 6.03 ND : 6.82 7.38 7.27 7.63 6.74 7.43 OH : 6.83 7.09 6.32 6.70 6.27 6.69 OK : 6.29 7.05 5.59 6.10 5.73 6.45 OR : 6.95 7.46 6.40 6.82 6.39 6.85 PA : 6.38 6.46 6.47 6.32 5.92 5.98 SC : 5.42 6.15 5.00 5.65 5.21 5.69 SD : 6.24 6.33 6.12 5.82 5.81 5.99 TN : 5.88 6.09 5.54 5.98 5.56 5.84 TX : 5.95 6.09 5.24 5.55 5.42 5.77 UT : 6.96 6.58 6.58 6.15 6.42 6.19 VA : 6.14 6.54 5.77 6.16 5.81 6.40 WA : 7.43 7.64 7.02 7.10 7.15 7.23 WV : 5.85 6.61 5.81 6.01 5.71 6.28 WI : 6.39 6.73 6.64 7.29 6.01 6.33 WY : 5.09 5.69 6.15 5.89 5.00 5.33 Oth Sts 3/ : 7.69 7.44 7.65 7.15 7.21 6.88 : US 4/ : 6.78 7.36 6.34 6.66 6.33 6.64 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Excludes Agricultural Service Workers. 2/ 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. 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 an area sampling frame. 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 12-18, 1997. 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 hired workers at the U.S. level was 4.0 percent. The relative sampling error for number of hired workers generally ranged between 9 and 18 percent at the regional level. The U.S. all hired farm worker wage rate had a relative sampling error of 0.9 percent. The relative sampling error was 0.9 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 6 percent at the regional levels. Relative sampling errors for wage rates published by type of farm and economic class of farm ranged between 2 and 7 percent at the regional level. 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, 1997 and October, 1996 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 1996 and 1997. 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 average wage rates for both 1996 and 1997 are published at the State, 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 1997, 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 20th report will have information for the survey week of January 11-17, 1998. 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, livestock, and combined field and livestock workers will be available for 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, Wage Rates and Hours Worked . . . . .3 Number of Workers and Average Hours Worked by Region and U.S. October 1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 July 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 October 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Wage Rates by Region and U.S. October 1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 July 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 October 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Agricultural Services: Workers, Average Hours Worked, and Wages October 1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 July 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 October 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Annual Averages 1996 - 1997 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Other Labor Estimates U.S. Distribution of Workers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Wage Rates by Type of Farm, by Region, State, 48 States . . 10 Wage Rates by Economic Class of Farm, by Region, State, 48 States10 Migrant Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Farm Labor Region Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Reliability of Farm Labor Estimates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Revision Policy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The next "Farm Labor" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on February 20, 1998. 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's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, USDA, Washington, D.C., 20250, or call 1-800-245-6340 (voice) or 202-720-1127 (TDD). USDA is an equal employment opportunity employer. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! For your convenience, there are several ways to obtain NASS reports, data products, and services: INTERNET ACCESS All NASS reports are available free of charge on the worldwide Internet. For access, connect to the Internet and go to the NASS Home Page at: http://www.usda.gov/nass/. Select "Today's Reports" or Publications and then Reports by Calendar or Publications and then Search, by Title or Subject. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. Send an e-mail message to: usda-reports@usda.mannlib.cornell.edu. In the body of the message type the word: list. AUTOFAX ACCESS NASSFax service is available for some reports from your fax machine. Please call 202-720-2000, using the handset attached to your fax. Respond to the voice prompts. Document 0411 is a list of available reports. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PRINTED REPORTS OR DATA PRODUCTS CALL OUR TOLL-FREE ORDER DESK: 800-999-6779 (U.S. and Canada) Other areas, please call 703-834-0125 FAX: 703-834-0110 (Visa, MasterCard, check, or money order acceptable for payment.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSISTANCE For assistance with general agricultural statistics or further information about NASS or its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 800-727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@nass.usda.gov. USDA Announces Data Users Meeting Embassy Suites (near KCI Airport) Kansas City, Missouri January 7, 1998 The National Agricultural Statistics Service will be organizing an open forum for Data Users. The purpose will be to provide updates on pending changes in the USDA statistical and information programs including the status of the 1997 Census of Agriculture, and to seek comments and input from data users. Other agencies to be represented will include the Agricultural Marketing Service, the Economic Research Service, the Foreign Agricultural Service, and the World Agricultural Outlook Board. For registration details NASS home page: http://www.usda.gov/nass/ Bob Milton (NASS) at (202) 720-3570 rmilton@nass.usda.gov USDA Announces Agricultural Outlook Forum 98 February 23 and 24, 1998 Washington, D.C. Presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Survey the New Frontiers. Survey the frontiers of agriculture at USDA's seventy-fourth outlook forum. Catch the latest commodity prospects for 1998 and beyond and receive new long-term projections to the year 2007. Hear noted experts and farm leaders tackle front line issues: managing risk, selling bio-engineered products, ensuring food safety, marketing organic foods, honing export strategies, and more. Act Now To Attend. For program and registration details check the Forum home page, call (202) 720-3050, or dial (202) 694-5700 from your fax machine handset and retrieve document 66666. Call (202) 401-9421 to register. Ag Forum home page: http://www.usda.gov/oce/waob/agforum.htm e-mail: agforum@oce.usda.gov