October Hired Workers Increase 8 Percent, Wage Rates Increase 6 Percent From
Previous Year
Workers hired directly by farm operators numbered 841,000 for the reference week of October 11-17, 2015, up 8 percent from the October 2014 reference week. There were 872,000 workers hired directly by farm operators on the
Nation’s farms and ranches during the week of July 12-18, 2015, up 4 percent from the July 2014 reference week.
Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $12.82 per hour during the October 2015 reference week, up 6 percent from a year earlier.
Field workers received an average of $12.11 per hour, up 5 percent from a year earlier. Livestock workers earned $12.02, up 6 percent. The field and livestock worker combined wage rate, at $12.09 per hour, was up 5 percent from October 2014. Hired laborers worked an average of 41.7 hours during the October 2015 reference week, compared with 41.3 hours a year earlier.
Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $12.47 per hour during the July 2015 reference week, up 4 percent from a year earlier. Field workers received an average of $11.73 per hour, up 3 percent. Livestock workers earned $11.80 per hour, up 5 percent. The field and livestock worker combined wage rate, at $11.75 per hour, was up 4 percent from July 2014.
Hired laborers worked an average of 41.0 hours during the July 2015 reference week, compared with 40.5 hours a year earlier.
The 2015 U.S. all hired worker annual average wage rate was $12.54 per hour, up 4 percent from the 2014 annual average wage. The 2015 U.S. field worker annual average wage rate was $11.72 per hour, up 4 percent from the 2014 annual average. The 2015 U.S. annual average combined wage for field and livestock workers was $11.74, up 4 percent from the 2014 annual average of $11.29 per hour.
October Reference Week
For the October 2015 reference week, the largest increases in the number of hired workers from the previous year occurred in the Corn Belt I (Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio), Corn Belt II (Iowa and Missouri) , and Southeast (Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina) regions. Corn Belt I saw the largest increase, with 42 percent more workers on the region’s farms.
The largest percentage decreases in the number of hired workers from the previous year occurred in the Appalachian I (North Carolina and Virginia), Florida, and Southern Plains (Oklahoma and Texas) regions. The Southern Plains region saw the largest decrease, with 18 percent less workers during the reference week.
Average wage rates increased from the previous year, in nearly all regions. The largest percentage increases in average wage rates for all hired workers occurred in the Corn Belt I, Florida, Mountain III (Arizona and New Mexico), and Southern Plains regions.
July Reference Week
For the July 2015 reference week, the largest percentage increases in the number of hired workers from the previous year occurred in the Corn Belt II (Iowa and Missouri), Delta (Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi), and Lake (Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) regions. The Corn Belt II region saw the biggest increase, with 32 percent more workers on the region’s farms.
The largest percentage decreases in the number of hired workers from the previous year occurred in the Florida, Pacific (Oregon and Washington), and Southern Plains (Oklahoma and Texas) regions. The Pacific region saw the largest decrease, with 12 percent less workers during the reference week.
Average wage rates increased from the previous year, in nearly all regions The largest percentage increases in average wage rates for all hired workers occurred in the Corn Belt I (Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio), Florida, Mountain III (Arizona and New Mexico), Northeast II (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania), and Southern Plains regions.
credit – National Agricultural Statistics Service
Photo credit: Gerry Dincher
