Agricultural workers
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Agricultural workers in the United States earn a median salary of $35,660 per year — about $17 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 813K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of -3%.
AI & Automation Risk
The core of this occupation involves physical labor, animal handling, and operating machinery in unpredictable outdoor environments, which provides a strong natural barrier to AI. While AI and robotics are increasingly used for precision agriculture and automated harvesting, the high cost of hardware and the need for manual dexterity in varied conditions mean human workers remain essential for the majority of tasks.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champaign-Urbana, ILBEST VALUE | $48,390 | Below avg (90.7) | $53,349 |
| Bloomington, IL | $47,210 | Below avg (92.1) | $51,249 |
| Helena, MT | $46,610 | Below avg (92.1) | $50,605 |
| Lincoln, NE | $45,280 | Below avg (91.9) | $49,275 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | $44,150 | Below avg (90.1) | $49,006 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $42,630 | Below avg (89.2) | $47,811 |
| Portland-South Portland, ME | $48,210 | Above avg (104.4) | $46,199 |
| Springfield, IL | $41,600 | Below avg (90.7) | $45,890 |
| Bozeman, MT | $45,150 | Average (99.0) | $45,603 |
| Bangor, ME | $42,040 | Below avg (92.3) | $45,527 |
| Battle Creek, MI | $40,000 | Below avg (88.2) | $45,327 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | $42,290 | Below avg (95.0) | $44,528 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | $38,550 | Below avg (88.0) | $43,829 |
| Peoria, IL | $38,070 | Below avg (88.8) | $42,855 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $42,340 | Average (98.9) | $42,817 |