Agricultural Employment Estimates
(Updated 3/11/24)
Total Estimated Agricultural Employment
Crop activity 2024
Regional crop activities and accompanying wages are a compilation of information taken from local area resources such as workforce consultants, agricultural extension agents, farm producers and the current Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWRs) for H-2A guest visa workers. In Idaho, the Farm Labor Survey determines the AEWR and is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, then provided to the Employment and Training division of the U.S. Department of Labor.
What are the farm employment estimates?
Many of the employment estimates available today are focused on estimating employment of nonfarm payrolls. The Farm Employment Estimates are a data set provided by the Idaho Department of Labor to help provide an employment picture for those who are interested in farm employment. The data set provides the estimate of operators, unpaid family workers and hired workers at a statewide level as well as county level.
Due to the difficulty in estimating farm employment on a monthly basis, department staff utilize data from a variety of sources that include the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture, U.S. Census Bureau and the Idaho Department of Labor’s Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data.