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The national median salary for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals is $36,670 per year ($17.63/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $31,013 and $45,698 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $54,080 per year. There are approximately 32,810 farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Attend to live farm, ranch, open range or aquacultural animals that may include cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses and other equines, poultry, rabbits, finfish, shellfish, and bees. Attend to animals produced for animal products, such as meat, fur, skins, feathers, eggs, milk, and honey. Duties may include feeding, watering, herding, grazing, milking, castrating, branding, de-beaking, weighing, catching, and loading animals. May maintain records on animals; examine animals to detect diseases and injuries; assist in birth deliveries; and administer medications, vaccinations, or insecticides as appropriate. May clean and maintain animal housing areas. Includes workers who shear wool from sheep and collect eggs in hatcheries.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-5.0%
Slower than average
Annual openings
31K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
225K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Support Activities for Animal Production
NAICS 115200
11K
$36,100
Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers
NAICS 424500
6K
$34,540
Support Activities for Crop Production
NAICS 115100
2K
$34,880
Animal Slaughtering and Processing
NAICS 311600
2K
$43,860
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
1K
$37,230
Wage range across top 5 industries: $34,540 to $43,860 (27% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$13.15
$27,352
P25
$14.91
$31,013
P50MEDIAN
$17.63
$36,670
P75
$21.97
$45,698
P90
$26.00
$54,080
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
4.6%
Quits Rate
1.9%
The labor market cooled on the flows side in April: hires fell to 5.1M (-419K) and separations dropped to 5.0M (-399K). Job openings jumped to 7.6M (+731K, rate 4.6%). Quits held at 3.0M with the rate at 1.9%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals salary?
The national median salary for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals is $36,670 per year ($17.63/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $31,013 and $45,698 annually.
How much do top-earning farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals make?
The 90th percentile salary for Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals is $54,080 per year ($26.00/hr). The 75th percentile is $45,698 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals?
Entry-level Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals (10th percentile) earn approximately $27,352 per year ($13.15/hr). The 25th percentile is $31,013 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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