Immigration and Agriculture

Agriculture is a cherished part of American identity and remains an important part of the U.S. economy. In 2020, the agriculture, fishing, and forestry industries contributed more than $175 billion to U.S. GDP and supported more than 2.3 million workers. The health of America’s farms and the agriculture industry, however, is tied directly to immigration. 

  • As recently as 2019, almost half—or 48.9 percent—of all agricultural workers were foreign-born and more than one-fourth (27.3 percent) were undocumented. 
  • Among workers in crop production, the share of foreign-born workers is even higher. In 2019, almost 57 percent of crop production workers were immigrants, including 36.4 percent who were undocumented.

All Agricultural Workers in the United States in 2014 and 2019

Year Percent Foreign Born Percent Undocumented Total Workers
2019 48.9% 27.3% 814,649
2014 53.0% 35.6% 796,122

Crop Production Workers in the United States in 2014 and 2019

Year Percent Foreign Born Percent Undocumented Total Workers
2019 57.0 % 30.9% 487,562
2014 61.4% 40.9% 481,620
  • In many states where agriculture is especially important, immigrants make up even larger shares of the farm workforce. In California, immigrants make up more than 80 percent of the state’s agricultural workforce. Other states like, Washington State (72.6%), Florida (65.4%), and Oregon (60.7%), also have higher than average shares of immigrants in their agricultural workforce.

Agriculture Workers by State, 2019

State Percent Foreign Born (2019) Percent Undocumented (2019) Total Workers (2019)
California 80.3% 40.9% 242,159
Texas 44.8% 27.7% 44,729
Florida 65.4% 42.0% 43,777
Washington 72.6% 46.6% 42,338
Oregon 60.7% 35.4% 23,617
Wisconsin 25.8% 20.8% 23,207
Michigan 29.5% 16.9% 20,972
Pennsylvania 24.2% 15.6% 20,298
North Carolina 54.5% 39.7% 19,953
Minnesota 16.5% 11.0% 18,766

Worryingly, the data suggests that immigrant workers are not being replaced by new, younger immigrant workers. 

  • While less than 3 out of 10 foreign-born agricultural workers were over 45 years old in 2014, by 2019 this number had increased to 37.5 percent. Meanwhile the share of foreign-born agricultural workers under the age of 25 decreased from 17.1 percent in 2014 to 10.7 percent in 2019.

This is added on to farmers’ perennial worries about finding enough workers as few Americans seem willing to take on the most difficult and physical farm jobs—particularly those harvesting fresh fruits and vegetables. Yet the H-2A visa, the only agricultural visa currently available to American farms, is too expensive and cumbersome to work for many U.S. growers. 

  • In 2020, the total number of all workers needed by U.S. farms applying for H-2A workers was 314,028.  The total number of farm workers certified to work in the U.S. was 275,430.  The H-2A visa program provided 87.4% of the labor needs for farms applying for H-2A visas. 
  • Florida had the highest number of H2A workers, with more than 39,000 in 2020. Other top states include Georgia (27,600), Washington (26,800), California (25,400), and North Carolina (22,000).

Top 20 States with the highest number of certified H-2A farm workers, 2020

State Number of Certified H-2A Workers
FL 39,064
GA 27,614
WA 26,832
CA 25,453
NC 22,052
LA 11,332
MI 9,912
AZ 8,602
NY 8,482
KY 6,952
TX 6,596
SC 5,942
MS 5,521
ID 4,741
TN 4,656
AR 4,470
IA 3,977
VA 3,940
IN 3,631
CO 3,253

Inadequate workforces have contributed to sluggish growth in the volume of crops produced in the United States. This is especially worrying as consumer demand and consumption for fresh fruits and vegetables as increased in the past few decades. This has led to a higher reliance on food imports to meet American consumer demands for fresh produce. 

  • The share of fresh fruits consumed in the United States that were imported increased from just 20.1% in 2000 to 42.7% in 2019. 
  • For some fruits, the increased reliance on imports is even starker. The share of raspberries consumed in the United States that were imported more than doubled between 2000 and 2019, from 34.9% to 70.3%. Meanwhile, while 3 out of 4 avocados sold in the United States were home-grown in 2000, less than 1 out of 10 were home-grown in 2019.

Share of Fruits Imported to the United States

Year Fresh Fruits, Except Bananas Avocados Pineapple Raspberries Strawberries Lemons Oranges
2000 20.1% 25.7% 76.1% 34.9% 5.6% 5.4% 3.1%
2005 27.6% 41.0% 87.7% 53.4% 7.1% 9.7% 4.6%
2010 32.3% 73.4% 99.9% 50.8% 8.9% 10.7% 7.8%
2015 37.7% 81.5% 99.9% 52.1% 12.7% 14.7% 12.3%
2019 42.7% 90.8% 99.9% 70.3% 21.6% 20.1% 15.4%

Share of Vegetables Imported to the United States

Year Fresh Vegetables Asparagus Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Cucumbers Eggplants Leaf & Romaine Lettuce Radishes Squash Tomatoes
2000 13.3% 59.0% 6.6% 6.4% 3.6% 42.6% 37.7% 1.4% 25.9% 30.9% 30.0%
2005 17.7% 72.2% 11.6% 7.7% 3.6% 52.1% 47.4% 1.8% 28.6% 44.4% 35.2%
2010 24.4% 89.1% 13.9% 13.4% 7.4% 61.9% 61.7% 2.8% 33.6% 52.3% 53.1%
2015 29.0% 92.3% 19.5% 15.1% 15.3% 73.6% 52.5% 5.0% 38.4% 61.4% 52.6%
2019 31.9% 99.0% 24.4% 11.2% 23.3% 81.6% 60.4% 13.0% 52.2% 62.4% 61.4%

Increased dependence on imported fruit and vegetable not only decreases American food security, but it also has an economic cost. 

  • In 2019, U.S. consumers spent a total of $68.6 billion on fruits and vegetables. 
  • Of the $31.8 billion U.S. consumers spent on fruit, $13.6 billion was spent on imported fruit. 
  • Of the $36.8 billion U.S. consumers spent on vegetables, $11.7 billion was spent on imported vegetables.

About Us

New American Economy is a bipartisan research and advocacy organization fighting for smart federal, state, and local immigration policies that help grow our economy and create jobs for all Americans. More…