115112/Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
14K
employees, 2023
14K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 2,210 US Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating business locations employed 14,132 people and paid $924.4 million in annual payroll, $65,414 per employee on average. Employment was up 19.3% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
2,210
+0.5% vs 2022
Employees
14,132
+19.3% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$924.4M
+28.9% vs 2022
Average pay
$65,414
+8.0% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 314 | 3,347 | $67,830 | 0.02% |
| Florida | 101 | 1,452 | $38,016 | 0.01% |
| Texas | 143 | 975 | $53,329 | 0.01% |
| Arkansas | 112 | 690 | $73,341 | 0.06% |
| Iowa | 147 | 637 | $71,782 | 0.04% |
| Washington | 65 | 534 | $67,476 | 0.02% |
| Minnesota | 112 | 530 | $96,351 | 0.02% |
| Pennsylvania | 32 | 478 | $57,324 | 0.01% |
| Montana | 36 | 432* | $92,509 | 0.11% |
| Nebraska | 94 | 396 | $73,040 | 0.04% |
| Virginia | 23 | 372 | $82,333 | 0.01% |
| North Carolina | 28 | 306 | $61,513 | 0.01% |
| Illinois | 58 | 295 | $74,634 | 0.01% |
| Kansas | 75 | 288 | $68,965 | 0.02% |
| Mississippi | 68 | 279 | $70,624 | 0.03% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 45.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | 5 | 960 | $31,457 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 17 | 404 | $62,166 |
| Salinas, CA | 15 | 332 | $75,702 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | 17 | 263* | $59,776 |
| Napa, CA | 16 | 255 | $52,122 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 7 | 245 | $109,776 |
| Fresno, CA | 26 | 232 | $70,026 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 17 | 193 | $48,466 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 7 | 190* | $116,047 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 21 | 184 | $71,636 |
| Clearlake, CA | 3 | 161* | $37,683 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 7 | 161* | $73,422 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 8 | 147 | $61,721 |
| Visalia, CA | 22 | 137 | $58,934 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 18 | 134 | $57,724 |
Business size
US Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 1,534 | 69.5% |
| 5 to 9 | 379 | 17.2% |
| 10 to 19 | 166 | 7.5% |
| 20 to 49 | 95 | 4.3% |
| 50 to 99 | 26 | 1.2% |
| 100 to 249 | 7 | 0.3% |
| 250 to 499 | Not published | - |
| 500 to 999 | Not published | - |
| 1,000 or more | Not published | - |
Related industries
The industries this code belongs to
Part of Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 11Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry 115Support Activities for Crop Production 1151Support Activities for Crop Production 11511
Questions and answers
How many people work in Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating in the US?
14,132 people worked at 2,210 US Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating business locations in 2023, up 19.3% from 2022. That is 0.01% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating?
$65,414 a year per employee in 2023, from $924.4 million in annual payroll (up 8.0% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating jobs?
California had the most, with 3,347 employees in 2023, followed by Florida (1,452) and Texas (975).
Which metro areas have the most Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating jobs?
North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL (960), Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD (404), Salinas, CA (332) had the most Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating employees in 2023.
Are most Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating businesses small?
94.2% of the 2,207 Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 0 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.