Farming, fishing and forestry
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
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.
Median pay
$35,660
Growth to 2035
−2%
declining
Openings a year
72,500
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse: 56% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs.
- Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting.
- Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.
- Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them.
- Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment.
- Harvest fruits and vegetables by hand.
- Set up and operate irrigation equipment.
- Inform farmers or farm managers of crop progress.
Also called: Farm Laborer · Farmer · Field Irrigation Worker · Gardener · Greenhouse Worker · Grower · Harvester · Nursery Worker
Outlook and AI
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse held 546,800 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 533,600 by 2035 (−2%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
Capital/labor substitution - share decreases as the mechanization of agricultural operations is expected to reduce demand for these workers, with a corresponding increase in demand for agricultural equipment operators.
Compare with
- Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse vs. Agricultural equipment operator
- Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse vs. Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals
- Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse vs. Graders and sorters, agricultural products
- Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse vs. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers
- Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse vs. Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation
- Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse vs. Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse vs. Forest and conservation workers
- Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse vs. Tree trimmers and pruners
- Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse vs. Faller
- Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse vs. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand