AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 45-2092.00

Will AI replace Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse?

Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse: AI can already handle 4 of 27 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 27 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, from most to least exposed. 4 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them. 90 Estimated Standard 4.0
Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops. 90 Estimated Efficient 4.0
Inspect plants and bud ties to assess quality. 65 Estimated Frontier 3.3
Provide information and advice to the public regarding the selection, purchase, and care of products. 65 Observed Frontier 3.8
Sell and deliver plants and flowers to customers. 50 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Direct and monitor the work of casual and seasonal help during planting and harvesting. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.1
Feel plants' leaves and note their coloring to detect the presence of insects or disease. 50 Estimated Standard 3.8
Dig, cut, and transplant seedlings, cuttings, trees, and shrubs. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Identify plants, pests, and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers. 50 Estimated Standard 3.5
Operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery, and self-propelled machinery to plow, harrow and fertilize soil, or to plant, cultivate, spray and harvest crops. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.5
Record information about plants and plant growth. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.4
Dig, rake, and screen soil, filling cold frames and hot beds in preparation for planting. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.4
Move containerized shrubs, plants, and trees, using wheelbarrows or tractors. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.2
Tie and bunch flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees, wrap their roots, and pack them into boxes to fill orders. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.2
Plant, spray, weed, fertilize, water, and prune plants, shrubs, and trees, using gardening tools. 50 Estimated Efficient 3.0
Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.8
Maintain and repair irrigation and climate control systems. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.7
Maintain inventory, ordering materials as required. 20 Estimated Standard 3.4
Repair farm buildings, fences, and other structures. 20 Estimated Efficient 2.9
Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields, or costs. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Regulate greenhouse conditions, and indoor and outdoor irrigation systems. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Harvest fruits and vegetables by hand. 15 Estimated No tier 3.8
Set up and operate irrigation equipment. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Inform farmers or farm managers of crop progress. 15 Estimated No tier 3.7
Haul and spread topsoil, fertilizer, peat moss, and other materials to condition soil, using wheelbarrows or carts and shovels. 15 Estimated No tier 3.1
Clean work areas, and maintain grounds and landscaping. 12 Estimated No tier 3.1
Load agricultural products into trucks, and drive trucks to market or storage facilities. 8 Estimated No tier 3.3

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 1 of 27 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 26 of 27. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A standard-tier model or lower covers 59% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 70% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 30% is hands-on.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
265,500
Median annual wage
$35,660
Middle half of earners
$34,320 to $38,840
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
-3.3%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse and AI

Will AI replace Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse?

AI already handles 4 of the 27 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 39 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by -3.3% from 2024 to 2034.

What is the AI exposure of Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse?

39 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 1 of the 27 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 26 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse tasks can AI already do?

The tasks with the highest exposure are: Harvest plants, and transplant or pot and label them; Participate in the inspection, grading, sorting, storage, and post-harvest treatment of crops; Inspect plants and bud ties to assess quality. They are three of the 4 tasks that reach 60 or more.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A standard-tier model or lower covers 59% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 30% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, and what do they earn?

265,500 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $35,660 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -3.3% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/farmworkers-and-laborers-crop-nursery-and-greenhouse

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