Occupations · 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.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 45-2092.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 131% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | $35,090 | 34,210 |
| Salinas, CA | $37,380 | 28,120 |
| Fresno, CA | $34,790 | 27,680 |
| Visalia-Porterville, CA | $35,050 | 21,750 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $36,720 | 11,720 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $36,350 | 4,990 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $35,830 | 4,810 |
| Modesto, CA | $38,750 | 4,620 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $35,150 | 4,270 |
| Merced, CA | $35,410 | 3,830 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $30,090 | 3,740 |
| Napa, CA | $44,680 | 3,680 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: No formal educational credential · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Sell and deliver plants and flowers to customers.
- 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.
- Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them.
- Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.
- Regulate greenhouse conditions, and indoor and outdoor irrigation systems.
- Feel plants' leaves and note their coloring to detect the presence of insects or disease.
- Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment.
- Provide information and advice to the public regarding the selection, purchase, and care of products.
- Harvest fruits and vegetables by hand.
- Set up and operate irrigation equipment.
- Maintain and repair irrigation and climate control systems.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2022-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2022-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 3
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| hop farmer | 6112.3 | close |
| garden labourer | 9214.1 | close |
| crop production worker | 9213.1 | broader |
| horticulture worker | 6113.4 | broader |
| fruit and vegetable picker | 9211.1 | broader |
| vineyard worker | 9211.2 | broader |
| vineyard machinery operator | 6112.5 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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