This report examines the demographic and employment characteristics, geographic distribution, and earnings of the agricultural work force in the United States as of 1985. Data are from the Agricultural Work Force Supplement to the December 1985 Current Population Survey. The three components of the agricultural work force--hired farmworkers, farm operators, and unpaid farmworkers--are examined separately. A comparison of the findings from each of the three work force components follows the analytical results. Additional statistical tables, information on the source and reliability of the survey estimates, and the definitions of key terms used in this report are in the appendixes. Some of the findings of the survey are as follows: (1) more than 8 million people 14 years of age and older were employed on U.S. farms at some time during 1985, including 2.5 million who did hired farmwork, 2.9 million who operated a farm, and 3.8 million who did unpaid farmwork; (2) more than 1 million workers participated in more than one of these activities; (3) the agricultural work force was predominantly male; (4) nonfarm work was an important sources of earnings for all three agricultural work force groups. (Author/KC)