Family and hired farmworkers on U.S. farms, 1950–2000

Number of farmworkers (million)

Bar chart with 11 groups and 2 items per group.

Group 1, 1950.
Item 1, Hired farmworkers 2.33.
Item 2, Family farmworkers 7.6.
Group 2, 1955.
Item 1, Hired farmworkers 2.04.
Item 2, Family farmworkers 6.35.
Group 3, 1960.
Item 1, Hired farmworkers 1.89.
Item 2, Family farmworkers 5.17.
Group 4, 1965.
Item 1, Hired farmworkers 1.48.
Item 2, Family farmworkers 4.13.
Group 5, 1970.
Item 1, Hired farmworkers 1.17.
Item 2, Family farmworkers 3.35.
Group 6, 1975.
Item 1, Hired farmworkers 1.31.
Item 2, Family farmworkers 3.06.
Group 7, 1980.
Item 1, Hired farmworkers 1.37.
Item 2, Family farmworkers 2.42.
Group 8, 1985.
Item 1, Hired farmworkers 1.34.
Item 2, Family farmworkers 2.02.
Group 9, 1990.
Item 1, Hired farmworkers 1.15.
Item 2, Family farmworkers 2.01.
Group 10, 1995.
Item 1, Hired farmworkers 1.12.
Item 2, Family farmworkers 1.98.
Group 11, 2000.
Item 1, Hired farmworkers 1.13.
Item 2, Family farmworkers 2.06.

Note: Family farmworkers include self-employed farmers and unpaid family members. Hired farmworkers include direct hires and agricultural service workers employed by farm labor contractors.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service using data from USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Farm Labor Survey (FLS). The FLS stopped estimating the number of family farmworkers beginning in 2001. As of 2012, the survey no longer counts contracted agricultural service workers.