Census ACS 5-Year · 52 states
States With Most Agricultural Jobs
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and mining represent the most land-intensive economic sectors and remain the foundation of many rural state economies. North Dakota, Montana, and Alaska have the highest workforce shares in these natural resource industries. While agriculture employs a relatively small share of the total US workforce (about 2%), its economic impact is outsized, American farms produce food for over 330 million domestic consumers plus significant exports. The Census category also includes oil and gas extraction (significant in North Dakota, Wyoming, and Alaska), mining, and timber. States dependent on these industries face unique economic challenges: commodity price volatility, seasonal employment, environmental regulation debates, and the difficulty of attracting young workers to rural areas. Agricultural automation is simultaneously increasing productivity and reducing the number of workers needed, accelerating rural population decline in many farming communities.
Key Findings
- 1Wyoming leads with a agricultural employment share of 9.5%, followed by North Dakota (8.2%) and South Dakota (6.4%).
- 2The gap between #1 Wyoming and #52 District of Columbia (0.1%) is 9.4 percentage points.
- 3The national median across all states is 1.4% (Utah at the midpoint).
- 4The top 10 states are: Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Alaska, Nebraska, Idaho, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Iowa.
Full Ranking: States With Most Agricultural Jobs
Source: Census ACS 5-Year Estimates
| # | State | Agriculture % | Population | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | 9.5% | 579,761 | $74,815 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 2.1% | 5,892,023 | $75,670 |
| 3 | West Virginia | 3.1% | 1,784,462 | $57,917 |
| 4 | Washington | 2.5% | 7,740,984 | $94,952 |
| 5 | Virginia | 0.8% | 8,657,499 | $90,974 |
| 6 | Vermont | 2.6% | 645,254 | $78,024 |
| 7 | Utah | 1.4% | 3,331,187 | $91,750 |
| 8 | Texas | 2.4% | 29,640,343 | $76,292 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 0.9% | 6,986,082 | $67,097 |
| 10 | South Dakota | 6.4% | 899,194 | $72,421 |
| 11 | South Carolina | 0.9% | 5,212,774 | $66,818 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 0.5% | 1,095,371 | $86,372 |
| 13 | Puerto Rico | 1.3% | 3,254,885 | $25,096 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 1.2% | 12,986,518 | $76,081 |
| 15 | Oregon | 2.8% | 4,238,714 | $80,426 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 3.9% | 3,995,260 | $63,603 |
| 17 | Ohio | 0.9% | 11,780,046 | $69,680 |
| 18 | North Dakota | 8.2% | 779,361 | $75,949 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 1.1% | 10,584,340 | $69,904 |
| 20 | New York | 0.6% | 19,872,319 | $84,578 |
| 21 | New Mexico | 3.8% | 2,114,768 | $62,125 |
| 22 | New Jersey | 0.3% | 9,267,014 | $101,050 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | 0.7% | 1,387,834 | $95,628 |
| 24 | Nevada | 1.3% | 3,141,000 | $75,561 |
| 25 | Nebraska | 4.3% | 1,965,926 | $74,985 |
| 26 | Montana | 6.1% | 1,105,072 | $69,922 |
| 27 | Missouri | 1.6% | 6,168,181 | $68,920 |
| 28 | Mississippi | 2.2% | 2,951,438 | $54,915 |
| 29 | Minnesota | 2.1% | 5,713,716 | $87,556 |
| 30 | Michigan | 1.1% | 10,051,595 | $71,149 |
| 31 | Massachusetts | 0.4% | 6,992,395 | $101,341 |
| 32 | Maryland | 0.6% | 6,170,738 | $101,652 |
| 33 | Maine | 2.5% | 1,377,400 | $71,773 |
| 34 | Louisiana | 3.3% | 4,621,025 | $60,023 |
| 35 | Kentucky | 1.8% | 4,510,725 | $62,417 |
| 36 | Kansas | 3.1% | 2,937,569 | $72,639 |
| 37 | Iowa | 3.7% | 3,195,937 | $73,147 |
| 38 | Indiana | 1.2% | 6,811,752 | $70,051 |
| 39 | Illinois | 1.0% | 12,692,653 | $81,702 |
| 40 | Idaho | 4.1% | 1,893,296 | $74,636 |
| 41 | Hawaii | 1.2% | 1,445,635 | $98,317 |
| 42 | Georgia | 1.0% | 10,822,590 | $74,664 |
| 43 | Florida | 0.8% | 21,928,881 | $71,711 |
| 44 | District of Columbia | 0.1% | 672,079 | $106,287 |
| 45 | Delaware | 1.0% | 1,005,872 | $82,855 |
| 46 | Connecticut | 0.4% | 3,598,348 | $93,760 |
| 47 | Colorado | 1.9% | 5,810,774 | $92,470 |
| 48 | California | 2.0% | 39,242,785 | $96,334 |
| 49 | Arkansas | 2.4% | 3,032,651 | $58,773 |
| 50 | Arizona | 1.3% | 7,268,175 | $76,872 |
| 51 | Alaska | 5.1% | 733,971 | $89,336 |
| 52 | Alabama | 1.3% | 5,054,253 | $62,027 |
Methodology
Rankings are based on American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates from the US Census Bureau. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data. 5-Year estimates offer the most reliable data for state-level comparisons by averaging responses over a 60-month period. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Wyoming has the highest agricultural employment share at 9.5%, according to latest Census ACS data. North Dakota and South Dakota round out the top three.
District of Columbia has the lowest agricultural employment share at 0.1%. New Jersey is second-lowest at 0.3%.
The median across all 52 states is 1.4%. Note that the national median and the state-level median are calculated differently, the state median represents the midpoint when all states are ranked.
This data comes from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates published by the US Census Bureau. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides the most comprehensive demographic data available between decennial censuses.
Rankings are based on the latest available Census ACS 5-Year estimates. The Census Bureau releases new ACS data annually. Our data was last updated on April 12, 2026.
Rankings are based on American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates from the US Census Bureau. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included. The ACS surveys approximately 3.5 million households annually and provides detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data. 5-Year estimates offer the most reliable data for state-level comparisons by averaging responses over a 60-month period. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.