The United States Department of Labor (USDOL) published Adverse Effective Wage Rates for employers using the H-2A temporary agricultural employee visa program on December 16. In accordance with changes made to H-2A program rules in April 2024, the new AEWRs were effective on the date of publication in most states, including California. Ongoing litigation and injunctions issued by federal courts hold implementation of 2025 AEWRs in abeyance in 17 states to an unknown time in the future.

California’s 2025 AEWR will be $19.97 per hour, a relatively modest increase of 1% over the prior year and a much smaller increase than in prior years. The lowest AEWR of $14.83 per hour applies in several Deep South states. States that have been historically large users of the program (Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama) saw this year’s largest percentage AEWR increase of 10%. For a change, the distinction of having the nation’s highest AEWR will not belong to California; rather, Hawaii is the “winner” of that dubious distinction with an AEWR of $20.08.

You can read the Dec. 16 Federal Register notice here, and an analysis of the 2025 AEWRs by American Farm Bureau economist Samantha Ayoub here.