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Boston Career Explorer

Farming, Fishing, and Forestry

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts, horticultural specialties, and field crops. Use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. May construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings, or participate in irrigation activities.

Also called: Farm Laborer, Farmer, Field Irrigation Worker, Gardener, Greenhouse Worker, Grower

Median pay in Greater Boston
$39,080
$18.79/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
840
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+3.9%
840 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
No formal educational credential
plus Short-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$35,670$37,130$39,080$45,530$58,160

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs.
  • Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting.
  • Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops.
  • Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them.
  • Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment.
  • Harvest fruits and vegetables by hand.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure8 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 4
  • Language-model AIOE 4
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 17

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

This job has lower AI exposure because most of the work is physical: planting, harvesting, sorting, and repairing equipment. AI tools could help a little with recording yields, costs, and pesticide use. Federal projections expect more mechanization to reduce demand for these workers, with more demand for equipment operators.

Likely to change

  • Recording yields, costs, and pesticide use
  • Scheduling seasonal crews and harvest work

Still relies on people

  • Hands-on planting, harvesting, and sorting of crops
  • Repairing equipment and leading seasonal workers

What federal projections say

“Capital/labor substitution - share decreases as the mechanization of agricultural operations is expected to reduce demand for these workers, with a corresponding increase in demand for agricultural equipment operators.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators

    Experience with tractors and farm equipment carries over to operating forklifts and tractors. Short on-the-job training, 21.7% projected Massachusetts growth, and $47,800 median pay in Boston.

    Pay difference
    +$8,720 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +21.7%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

  • Construction Laborers

    Your outdoor work and equipment upkeep skills carry over to construction sites. It needs no formal credential, and Boston median pay is $63,420.

    Pay difference
    +$24,340 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +9.5%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

  • Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers

    Repairing farm vehicles and tools builds toward testing and fixing machinery. Training is short-term on the job, with Boston median pay of $45,760.

    Pay difference
    +$6,680 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +4.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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