Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry · SOC 45-2092 · O*NET 45-2092.00
Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities.
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse fall under the Farming, Fishing, and Forestry category in the U.S. occupational classification. Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse earn a median salary of $35,690 per year, ranking in the top 94% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects -3.3% job growth through 2034, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse earn?
The median annual wage for farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse is $35,690. That puts farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse at #763 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $32,260 |
| 25th percentile | $34,280 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $35,690 |
| 75th percentile | $38,950 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $46,370 |
| Median hourly wage | $17.16/hr |
Is farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse is -3.3%, projected to lose jobs through 2034. Employment is projected to move from approximately 504K positions in 2024 to 488K in 2034, a net change of -16K. A declining outlook does not mean the field is disappearing; it means automation, demographics, or substitution effects are shrinking the pool of openings. Students entering a declining field should plan for adjacent skills that transfer to growing roles.
What do farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Harvest fruits and vegetables by hand.
- 2.Identify plants, pests, and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers.
- 3.Operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery, and self-propelled machinery to plow, harrow and fertilize soil, or to plant, cultivate, spray and harvest crops.
- 4.Load agricultural products into trucks, and drive trucks to market or storage facilities.
- 5.Clean work areas, and maintain grounds and landscaping.
- 6.Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs.
- 7.Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.
- 8.Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment.
Top skills for farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse?
Many farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
What is the median salary for farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse?
The median annual salary for farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse is $35,690 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse a growing career?
BLS projects -3.3% growth for farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse from 2024 through 2034, which is declining growth projected to lose jobs through 2034.
What education does my child need to become farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse?
The typical entry path requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse?
Related occupations within the Farming, Fishing, and Forestry category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.