Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

Duties and working conditions vary widely, from raising plants in greenhouses, to harvesting crops and tending to livestock outdoors, to inspecting agricultural products at border crossings.
Farmworkers learn through short-term on-the-job training; agricultural inspectors and animal breeders require work experience or a college degree.
Most farmworkers receive low pay and perform strenuous work outdoors in all kinds of weather but many enjoy the rural lifestyle.
Employment is projected to decline slightly.

More than 50 percent of all workers are self-employed, among the highest proportion in the workforce.
Many jobs require strenuous work and long hours and provide only seasonal employment.
Employment is projected to decline, due to the depletion of fish stocks and new Federal and State laws restricting both commercial and recreational fishing.

Workers spend all their time outdoors, sometimes in poor weather and often in isolated areas.
Most jobs are physically demanding and can be hazardous.
A slight increase in overall employment is expected.

Earnings Graph

National Average and Percentile Annual Earnings, May 2005

source: Occupational Employment Statistics Program; about this section

May 2005 Mean Annual Earnings and Employment, wage and salary workers

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations
— National
U.S.:	$21,010
— by State
AL:	$25,310
AK:	$33,520
AZ:	$16,160
AR:	$25,430
CA:	$18,620
CO:	$22,760
CT:	$25,790
DE:	$24,640
FL:	$18,300
GA:	$21,630
HI:	$23,970
ID:	$23,210
IL:	$25,760
IN:	$25,490
IA:	$25,130
KS:	$25,960
KY:	$22,480
LA:	$26,150
ME:	$28,360
MD:	$23,630
MA:	$25,010
MI:	$24,260
MN:	$27,500
MS:	$22,290
MO:	$21,020
MT:	$25,320
NE:	$23,220
NV:	$27,140
NH:	$25,780
NM:	$15,220
NY:	$23,170
NC:	$23,540
ND:	$22,870
OH:	$24,590
OK:	$20,670
OR:	$29,200
PA:	$23,630
RI:	$22,410
SC:	$23,950
SD:	$21,630
TN:	$22,030
TX:	$18,290
UT:	$21,680
VA:	$25,590
WA:	$27,110
WV:	$22,840
WI:	$26,350
WY:	$26,640
PR:	$15,810
— by NAICS Industry Sector
11	$19,680
21	$20,950
22	$26,170
23	$21,280
31-33	$23,870
42	$20,140
44-45	$20,340
48-49	$25,690
52	$24,400
53	$22,420
54	$23,250
55	$23,530
56	$20,370
61	$26,250
62	$23,850
71	$20,960
72	$23,230
81	$24,720
92	$31,790
Also see State and Metropolitan Area and industry estimates of employment and percentile earnings for farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.

Width of bars indicates mean annual wages; color of bars indicates employment.

source: Occupational Employment Statistics Program; about this section

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

Full-time wage and salary workers, 2004
Employment Median weekly earnings
$ W/M ratio
Women
(emp.) (earn.) 133,000 $322 0.877
Men
(emp.) (earn.) 585,000 $367
All workers
(emp.) (earn.) 718,000 $356

source: Current Population Survey; about this section

Employed persons by occupation, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and sex (Percent distribution), 2004

Occupation	Percent distribution: Race, ethnicity, and sex
Occupation	sex	Total	White	Black	Asian	Hisp.
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	T	0.7%	0.8%	0.4%	0.4%	2.2%
	W	0.3%	0.3%	0.1%	0.3%	1.2%
	M	1.1%	1.1%	0.6%	0.4%	2.8%

source: Current Population Survey; about this section