Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) show wage and salaried employment in agriculture stabilized in the 2000s and increased gradually since 2010.
U.S. agriculture employment rose from 1.07 million jobs in 2010 to 1.18 million jobs in 2024, a gain of 10%. From 2010 to 2024, employment increases were highest in crop support services (which added about 48,400 jobs, a 17% increase) and the livestock sector (which added about 42,000 jobs, a 19% increase).
Crop support services firms provide specialized services to farmers, including labor contracting and custom harvesting. Data from QCEW are based on unemployment insurance records, not on surveys of farms or households. As a result, they do not cover smaller farm employers in states that exempt such employers from participating in the unemployment insurance system; therefore any changes in employment from these small employers are omitted from the chart.
The U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and Current Population Survey data also show rising farm employment since the turn of the 21st century. — USDA Economic Research Service
