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 family annual income below poverty line

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.
Data Table

Data Table — Total family annual income below poverty line

Category 99-00 01-02 03-04 05-06 07-08 09-10 11-12 13-14
# % # % # % # % # % # % # % # %
Total family annual income below poverty line3,16151%2,21742%2,49843%1,20939%1,00934%97231%78130%1,11530%

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.

Total family annual incomeTypes of government services or programs household utilized in the last two years