Analyses of data from the 1996 Current Population Survey earnings microdata file examined demographic, earnings, and geographic characteristics of U.S. hired farmworkers. Approximately 906,000 persons aged 15 and older were employed as hired farmworkers each week in 1996, and an additional 72,000 persons were hired as farmworkers as a second job.…

In 1995, an average 832,000 persons aged 15 and over did hired farmwork each week, receiving median weekly earnings of $260 (compared to $440 for all U.S. workers). The large number of foreign (mostly Mexican) farmworkers contributed to low educational levels. California accounted for 25% of U.S. farm labor expenses, followed by Florida and Texas.…

Census data reveal that during the period from 1990 to 1993, the number of hired farmworkers declined; farmworkers were likely to be young, male, and Hispanic, and to have only a limited education; over half of farmworkers had not graduated from high school; and farmworkers' earnings were significantly lower when compared to other workers.…

This report draws on data from the 1997 Census of Agriculture and the 1998 Current Population Survey earnings microdata file to present information on the patterns of farm labor use and the demographic and employment characteristics of hired farmworkers in the United States. Approximately 875,000 persons 15 years of age and older did hired…