TL;DR
- The median farmworker who tends ranch animals earned $17.63 an hour, or $36,670 a year, in May 2025 (BLS). Across Montana, Wyoming, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Nebraska and South Dakota, state medians ran from $16.31 in Texas to $19.51 in Idaho, before housing.
- Ranch hand listings posted in 2026 ran from $2,200 to $2,400 a month plus housing near Albuquerque to $54,000 to $66,000 plus a three-bedroom house and half a beef near Buffalo, Wyoming. Manager listings ran $60,000 to $120,000.
- The house is often worth more than $1,000 a month. HUD’s fiscal 2026 fair market rent for a three-bedroom home in Johnson County, Wyoming, is $1,368 a month.
- The 2026–2027 H-2A wage floors for experienced field and livestock workers run from $15.96 an hour in New Mexico to $20.56 in Nebraska; H-2A range herders get at least $2,132.41 a month.
- Federal law exempts farmworkers from overtime and range livestock workers from the minimum wage, so get pay and hours in writing.
Ranch hands earn roughly $16 to $20 an hour in cash by the federal numbers, and more than that once the house, utilities, beef and truck are counted. The trouble is that the federal numbers have blind spots. The Bureau of Labor Statistics survey leaves out most ranches, and the USDA survey that did cover them never counted housing and was discontinued in 2025.
So this is built from both: the official wage data by state, the H-2A wage floors the Department of Labor set for 2026, and what ranches actually offered in listings posted from 2025 to September 2026. For how the work runs through the year, see cowboy and ranch hand jobs.
How much do ranch hands make an hour?
About $17.63 an hour at the national median in May 2025. That is the Bureau of Labor Statistics figure for occupation 45-2093, farmworkers who tend farm, ranch and aquacultural animals, which works out to $36,670 a year. The mean was $18.88 an hour ($39,260). The lowest-paid 10 percent earned $13.15 an hour or less and the top 10 percent $26.00 or more. Crop farmworkers (45-2092) had a slightly lower median, $17.15 an hour or $35,660 a year.
Read those numbers with the survey’s limits in mind. BLS says its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey “excludes the majority of the agricultural sector,” keeping only logging and support activities for crop and animal production, and does not count the self-employed. It counted 32,810 animal farmworkers nationwide. USDA, by contrast, counted 637,000 workers hired directly by farm and ranch operators during one week in April 2025. The BLS median is a useful benchmark, not a census of ranch paychecks, and it includes no housing.
What do ranch hands make in Montana, Wyoming, Texas and the other cattle states?
Idaho and Colorado pay the highest medians of the big ranch states, and Texas the lowest, though Texas has by far the most workers in the survey.
| State | Animal farmworkers, median hourly | Median annual | 10th–90th percentile hourly | Workers counted | Crop farmworkers, median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | $19.51 | $40,580 | $11.86–$25.46 | 480 | $16.57 |
| Colorado | $19.10 | $39,740 | $15.44–$27.48 | 1,270 | $18.35 |
| Wyoming | $18.71 | $38,920 | $10.84–$22.96 | 470 | $26.53 |
| South Dakota | $18.27 | $38,000 | $15.51–$24.65 | 100 | $20.32 |
| Nebraska | $17.90 | $37,220 | $17.89–$23.10 | 570 | $19.01 |
| Montana | $17.79 | $37,010 | $14.72–$26.89 | 660 | $19.90 |
| New Mexico | $17.50 | $36,400 | $12.00–$24.03 | 330 | $14.98 |
| Texas | $16.31 | $33,920 | $11.59–$24.27 | 3,750 | $15.79 |
| United States | $17.63 | $36,670 | $13.15–$26.00 | 32,810 | $17.15 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupations 45-2093 and 45-2092, via the BLS Public Data API and O*NET OnLine state wage pages, accessed Sep 13, 2026. Small counts mean wide error bars: South Dakota’s figure rests on about 100 workers, and Wyoming’s crop median on about 50. In Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota, crop farmworkers out-earn animal farmworkers, a reminder that haying, irrigating and equipment skills pay on a ranch too.
What does USDA’s farm labor survey say ranch workers earn?
Livestock workers averaged $18.15 an hour nationally during the week of April 6 to 12, 2025, in USDA’s last Farm Labor report. Unlike BLS, the National Agricultural Statistics Service surveyed farm and ranch operators themselves, which makes it the closer measure of ranch pay. Hired workers averaged 40.8 hours that week. NASS notes that housing and meals “are provided to some workers but the values are not included” in the wage rates.
| USDA region | States | Livestock workers, April 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Plains | Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota | $18.72 an hour |
| Mountain III | Arizona, New Mexico | $17.84 an hour |
| Mountain I | Idaho, Montana, Wyoming | $17.13 an hour |
| Mountain II | Colorado, Nevada, Utah | $16.90 an hour |
| Southern Plains | Oklahoma, Texas | $16.33 an hour |
| United States | All states except Alaska | $18.15 an hour |
There will not be a newer one. On August 28, 2025, NASS announced it was discontinuing the Agricultural Labor Survey, and the May 2025 report is the last Farm Labor release on USDA’s report archive. For 2026 pay, the BLS data and real listings are what is left.
What is the H-2A wage floor for ranch work in 2026?
Between $12.16 and $20.56 an hour in these states, depending on skill level. The Adverse Effect Wage Rate is the minimum an employer must offer H-2A visa workers and U.S. workers in the same jobs. Under a rule the Department of Labor issued on October 2, 2025, each state has two rates: Skill Level I, the average of the lowest third of wages, and Skill Level II, the average of all wages. The 2026–2027 rates for field and livestock workers took effect August 3, 2026.
| State | Skill Level I (hourly) | Skill Level II (hourly) |
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | $16.25 | $20.56 |
| Colorado | $16.68 | $20.28 |
| Montana | $13.46 | $18.62 |
| South Dakota | $13.19 | $17.92 |
| Wyoming | $12.16 | $17.59 |
| Idaho | $13.34 | $17.42 |
| Texas | $12.27 | $16.24 |
| New Mexico | $12.35 | $15.96 |
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, 2026–2027 statewide AEWRs, U.S. worker rates for the field and livestock category, accessed Sep 13, 2026. H-2A range herders are paid monthly instead: at least $2,132.41 a month in every state since February 3, 2026. The rates are unsettled. On August 26, 2026, a federal court in California found the 2025 methodology unlawful but left the current rates in effect until the department publishes new ones, and DOL’s September 2 notice says employers may later owe back-pay adjustments, though no such obligation exists yet. Use Skill Level II as a floor signal for an experienced hand.
What are housing, beef and a ranch truck worth?
Housing is the big one: roughly $950 to $1,500 a month in ranch country. HUD’s revised fiscal 2026 fair market rents, its estimate of 40th-percentile gross rent for a standard unit, put these values on homes in cattle counties.
| County | Two-bedroom, per month | Three-bedroom, per month |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson County, Wyoming (Buffalo) | $1,115 | $1,368 |
| Carter County, Montana | $1,244 | $1,492 |
| Moffat County, Colorado | $1,164 | $1,396 |
| Custer County, Idaho | $1,079 | $1,501 |
| Catron County, New Mexico | $1,040 | $1,424 |
| Cherry County, Nebraska | $1,024 | $1,228 |
| Presidio County, Texas (Marfa) | $1,015 | $1,321 |
| Harding County, South Dakota | $948 | $1,206 |
Source: HUD fiscal 2026 revised Fair Market Rents, effective May 21, 2026, accessed Sep 13, 2026. The Buffalo-area ranch hand job that pays $54,000 to $66,000 comes with a three-bedroom house; at $1,368 a month, that is about $16,400 a year, and it can be tax-free if it meets the IRS tests for housing you are required to live in. How to get a ranch job with no experience explains the three IRS tests.
Beef. SDSU Extension figures a 1,200-pound steer yields a 750-pound carcass and about 490 pounds of boneless, trimmed beef, so half a beef is roughly 245 pounds. Ground beef averaged $6.92 a pound in U.S. cities in August 2026 and uncooked beef steaks $12.81 (BLS average price data). Priced entirely as ground beef, half a beef is worth about $1,700. IRS Publication 15 says farm products paid as wages are not subject to Social Security, Medicare or withholding, but they go on your W-2 as income.
Truck and horses. The IRS lets businesses deduct 76 cents a mile for driving from July 1 to December 31, 2026, and 72.5 cents before that, a rough gauge of what running your own pickup costs. A ranch truck used for ranch work is a tax-free working condition benefit, but personal use counts as wages, and IRS Publication 15-B values required commuting at $1.50 each way. Some ranches also carry your horses: a northeastern New Mexico ranch offers pasture and care for up to four, and a Nebraska backgrounding yard feeds up to three and shoes two.
How does pay differ for cowboys on big outfits, ranch hands and managers?
Big outfits do not pay the most cash; they add benefits, trucks and horse keep. Managers earn roughly double what hands earn. Feedlot cowboys are the hourly exception.
| Role | Listing (posted) | Cash pay | Also included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboy, big outfit | 52,000-acre, 1,000-cow ranch, northeast Colorado (Aug 2025) | $40,000 plus overtime | Housing, utilities, company vehicle, 401(k), health insurance, paid vacation |
| Ranch employee, big outfit | 120,000-acre ranch, about 1,000 cows, northeastern New Mexico (Aug 2026) | $36,000 or more | House and utilities, work trucks, beef, care for up to 4 horses, annual bonus |
| Intern, big outfit | Pitchfork Ranch, Meeteetse, Wyoming (Nov 2025) | $16 an hour | Shared furnished house |
| Ranch hand, family ranch | Cow-calf and yearling ranch near Buffalo, Wyoming (Jan 2026) | $54,000–$66,000 | Three-bedroom house, utilities, half a beef a year |
| Ranch hand | PU Ranch, Arco, Idaho (Jul 2026) | $2,600–$3,000 a month | Housing, utilities, bonuses, 401(k), beef |
| Ranch hand | Diversified operation near Albuquerque, New Mexico (Apr 2026) | $2,200–$2,400 a month | Housing, health insurance, monthly beef |
| Feedlot cowboy | Lead cowboy and feedlot foreman, Gothenburg, Nebraska (Nov 2025) | $25–$31 an hour | No housing |
| Pen rider | Backgrounding feedlot, Nebraska (Dec 2025) | $60,000–$75,000 | Feed for up to 3 horses, shoeing for 2 |
| Working ranch manager | Cattle operation, Montana (Jul 2026) | $60,000–$75,000 | Housing, internet, power and propane, beef, work truck |
| Ranch manager | Cattle and hunting ranch, Marfa, Texas (Jul 2026) | $75,000–$100,000 | Housing, work truck |
Sources: RanchWork.com listings, accessed Sep 13, 2026. BLS numbers point the same way. Farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers (11-9013) had a May 2025 national median of $89,900, with $110,250 in Montana, $111,460 in Nebraska, $85,990 in Texas and $81,010 in Idaho, though BLS counted only 6,500 such managers on payrolls nationwide. A Missouri ranch general manager listing posted in July 2026 offered $100,000 to $120,000. First-line supervisors of farm workers (45-1011), the foreman level, had a median of $59,320 nationally, $64,990 in Montana, $66,030 in Colorado and $53,170 in Texas. Open listings are at ranch hand jobs and cowboy jobs.
Do ranch hands get paid overtime?
Usually not under federal law. The Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. 213, exempts employees in agriculture from the overtime requirement. It goes further for some ranch workers, exempting them from the federal minimum wage too: anyone “principally engaged in the range production of livestock,” members of the employer’s immediate family, and employees of an operation that used no more than 500 man-days of farm labor in every calendar quarter of the previous year. State laws can add protections, so check your state’s labor department.
That is why so many ranch jobs pay a monthly or yearly salary. A salary is not a problem in itself, but calving and shipping weeks run long, so ask how many hours the ranch expects and whether days off are fixed. Some ranches pay overtime anyway: the northeast Colorado listing above offers it. Pitchfork’s internship quotes a 40-hour week with weekends off except during artificial insemination season and its horse sale. For how ranch pay compares with other outdoor work, see the outdoor job pay report, and ranch jobs by state for where the jobs are.
Frequently asked questions
Are ranch hands paid hourly or by salary?
Both. Year-round cow-calf jobs usually pay a monthly or annual salary, like the $2,600 to $3,000 a month at PU Ranch in Idaho or $54,000 to $66,000 near Buffalo, Wyoming. Feedlots, internships and seasonal crews pay hourly, from $16 an hour for Pitchfork’s interns to $25 to $31 for a Nebraska feedlot lead cowboy.
Do ranch jobs come with health insurance?
Some do. The northeast Colorado and Albuquerque-area listings include health insurance, and a south Texas foreman assistant job posted in August 2026 adds dental and vision. Many family ranches do not; the Buffalo, Wyoming, listing offers workers’ compensation but lists no health plan. Ask before you accept.
Which state pays ranch hands the most?
By BLS medians, Idaho at $19.51 an hour and Colorado at $19.10 lead the major cattle states, and Texas trails at $16.31. Individual ranches vary more than states do; the highest-paying hand listing above was a family ranch in Wyoming, where the state median is $18.71.
Do I have to bring my own horses?
For most year-round hand jobs, no, but some jobs expect it and a few pay for it. A Montana summer range rider job paying $36,000 required at least two saddle horses and provided their feed, and a Baker, Montana, grazing association job required horses. The New Mexico, Nebraska and Oklahoma listings above offered pasture, feed or a stipend for your horses.
Is ranch housing counted as income?
Not if it passes the IRS tests in Publication 15-B: on the ranch, for the ranch’s convenience, and required as a condition of the job. A cash housing allowance is always taxable, and so is lodging you chose over extra pay.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupations 45-2093, 45-2092, 11-9013 and 45-1011, national and state estimates retrieved through the BLS Public Data API; O*NET OnLine state wage pages for 45-2093, including Montana, Wyoming, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Nebraska and South Dakota, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS Technical Notes for May 2025, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
- USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Farm Labor, May 21, 2025, and Farm Labor report archive; NASS notice “NASS discontinues select data collection programs and reports”, Aug 28, 2025, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Rates (updated Aug 3, 2026) and 2026–2027 statewide AEWR file; OFLC announcement, Sep 2, 2026, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents, FY2026 revised county data, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
- SDSU Extension, “How Much Meat Can You Expect from a Fed Steer?”; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Average Price Data, ground beef, 100% beef, per pound and all uncooked beef steaks, per pound, U.S. city average, August 2026, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
- Internal Revenue Service, Standard mileage rates; Publication 15-B (2026); Publication 15 (2026), accessed Sep 13, 2026.
- 29 U.S.C. 213, Fair Labor Standards Act exemptions, Legal Information Institute, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
- RanchWork.com listings: 52,000-acre ranch, northeast Colorado (Aug 26, 2025); northeastern New Mexico (Aug 15, 2026); Pitchfork Ranch (Nov 26, 2025); northeastern Wyoming (Jan 13, 2026); PU Ranch, Idaho (Jul 16, 2026); central New Mexico (Apr 20, 2026); Gothenburg, Nebraska (Nov 6, 2025); Nebraska backgrounding feedlot (Dec 15, 2025); working ranch manager, Montana (Jul 9, 2026); Marfa, Texas (Jul 28, 2026); ranch general manager, Missouri (Jul 21, 2026); south Texas foreman assistant (Aug 17, 2026); summer range rider, Montana (May 3, 2026); Baker, Montana, grazing association (Nov 28, 2025); southeast Oklahoma (May 19, 2026), accessed Sep 13, 2026.