The USDA reported that Wisconsin farms hired 65,000 workers from Oct. 6–12 and paid these employees an average wage of $19.46 per hour, according to Wisconsin Ag Connection. The wage marks a $0.92 decrease from October 2023.
The average hours logged by workers were 41.7 per week, down from October 2023’s 42.8 hours per week. Overall, the state’s farm laborers saw a reduction in both wages and working hours in 2024 compared to the prior year, reflecting challenges within the agricultural labor market.
The October figures are a slight improvement over July, however, with only 62,000 workers hired July 7–13, making $18.40 per hour (a decrease of $1.24 from July 2023), and working 41.2 hours weekly (compared to 42.8 the year before).
