How much did farm laborers make in the 1930's?

Question

I would like to know their hourly wages please. What about the current farm laborers? Thank you.

Answer 1

The answer for the 30s was not much. Those were the days not only of the Great Depression but also the Dust Bowl.

I don't have any hard data on this, but you can get some idea by looking at:
http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_12.html

People were very happy to earn the $25/month. Of course, a dollar was worth more back then:
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1930s.html

But even with 1200% inflation, $25/month corresponds to only $300/month today, which still isn't very much - less than $2/hr.

For comparison, currently, the federal minimum wage is $5.85/hr (The minimum wage was first enacted into law in the U.S. in 1938. Then it was $0.25/hr. which is still more than $25/month was back then.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_wage_in_the_United_States

While farmers today are legally obligated to pay at least minimum wage, there is no reason to believe they all do:

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6260/

(In case you haven't gotten the message, there is plenty of good material on the web.)

Answer 2

Hourly, I'm not sure. But... 30 cents a day.