Earnings, Income, and Public Assistance

Agricultural workers had average hourly earnings of $10.18 in 2013-2014, which is an increase of nearly $3.50 an hour over the 15-year period. While the proportion of agricultural workers whose annual total family income was below the poverty line decreased by 22 percentage points, from 51 percent in 1999-2000 to 29 percent in 2013-2014, the proportion of agricultural workers receiving public assistance increased by the same amount (from 34% in 1999-2000 to 56% in 2013-2014). The shares of workers receiving contribution-based (e.g., Social Security, veteran's benefits, unemployment insurance) and need-based (e.g., food stamps, Medicaid, low income housing) assistance remained fairly consistent between the 1999-2000 and 2007-2008 time periods. Since then, the share receiving contribution-based assistance decreased by nearly one-half (from 12% in 2007-2008 to 7% in 2013-2014) and the share receiving need-based assistance increased by more than 40 percent (from 21% in 2007-2008 to 37% in 2013-2014).

Total personal annual income

To view current and trend data from the NAWS select from the links below:

Attention A T users. Data is presented in three formats, a bar chart, a textual data table, and a line chart. The data is best reviewed though the data table when using A T.
Bar Chart Data Table Trend Lines

Bar Chart — Total personal annual income

Data Table — Total personal annual income

Category 99-00 01-02 03-04 05-06 07-08 09-10 11-12 13-14
# % # % # % # % # % # % # % # %
Did not work previous year52715%74920%62117%37417%25014%1226%1147%1347%
Up to $5,00086416%48210%4649%1395%1416%1176%1176%1295%
$5,000-$9,9991,76526%1,29918%1,09918%51514%33510%37313%27010%3179%
$10,000-$14,9992,01326%1,92426%1,80222%98724%70718%69621%61320%72917%
$15,000-$19,99981011%94013%1,13714%67015%82218%83620%67822%93019%
$20,000 or more4466%76110%1,05714%75618%1,11626%1,29729%1,12731%1,79138%
Do not know1--1432%4126%2737%2948%2315%834%1875%

1 The questionnaire was changed to include the "Do not know" option in 2001; it was not offered in 1999 or 2000. A dash (“-“) indicates that the category was not offered during the corresponding time period.

2 Contribution-based includes disability insurance, unemployment insurance, Social Security and Veteran’s pay.

3 Need-based includes food stamps, welfare, TANF, low income housing, public health clinic, Medicaid, WIC, disaster relief, legal services, and other.

a Estimates with relative standard errors (RSEs) greater than 30 percent but no more than 50 percent are published but should be used with caution.

b Estimates based on fewer than four responses or with RSEs greater than 50 percent are considered statistically unreliable and are suppressed.

Trend Lines — Total personal annual income

Annual personal income from agricultural employmentTotal family annual income