Agriculture, forestry, and fishing is one of the few remaining areas of the economy in which unpaid family workers remain a significant part of the workforce. Most unpaid family workers assist with the farmwork or fishing, but a small number do bookkeeping, purchase supplies, or arrange the sale of crops, livestock, or the daily catch.

Most individual agricultural-production establishments employ fewer than 5 workers (chart).

Workers in agriculture, forestry, and fishing tend to be older than workers in other industries. In 2002, 50 percent of workers were aged 45 or older, compared with about 38 percent of all workers in all industries.