Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in United States of America
United States of America: Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 1.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in United States of America, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in United States of America is 1.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.8% on the previous year and down 19.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in United States of America peaked at 2.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2025.
That places United States of America 170th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.9% | — |
| 1992 | 2.9% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 2.7% | -5.4% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | +6.8% |
| 1995 | 2.9% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 2.9% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 2.7% | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 2.6% | -4.1% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | -7.9% |
| 2001 | 2.2% | -6.6% |
| 2002 | 2.1% | -7.1% |
| 2003 | 1.9% | -7.3% |
| 2004 | 1.9% | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 1.8% | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 1.8% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 1.7% | -5.5% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 1.7% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | +6.9% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 1.8% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 1.8% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 1.9% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.9% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 1.8% | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 1.7% | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 1.6% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | -3.1% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 1.5% | -2.8% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 1.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.4%, 63% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.6% | 2.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 167 Qatar 1.6% compare
- 168 United States Virgin Islands 1.6% compare
- 169 Guam 1.6% compare
- 171 United Arab Emirates 1.4% compare
- 172 Barbados 1.2% compare
- 173 Brunei Darussalam 1.2% compare
More agriculture & rural data for United States of America
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.96 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0094 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 673.66 current US$ per person (2021)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.1831 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1981 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.9% (2021)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.9% (2021)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in United States of America?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in United States of America was 1.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 2.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2025.
- How does United States of America rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- United States of America ranks 170th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).