H-2A vs Domestic Labor: A Real Cost Comparison for Vegetable Farms

Every vegetable farmer asks the same question after a tough harvest season: is H-2A actually cheaper than hiring domestically, once I add up everything? The answer depends on your acres, your crop mix, and how much turnover you live with. This is the honest math.

What "all-in" really means

H-2A looks expensive on the hourly line and cheap once you add the other costs; domestic looks the opposite. To compare them fairly you need every cost on both sides.

H-2A costs (Southeast region, 2026 estimates)

• AEWR wage: roughly $15.50–$17.50/hr depending on state. Set by DOL, non-negotiable.
• Housing: free to the worker. Real cost: $1,800–$3,500 per worker for the season including inspections and utilities.
• Transportation: inbound and outbound from home country, plus daily to and from fields. ~$1,200–$1,800/worker.
• Visa, agent, and recruiting fees: ~$1,000–$2,500/worker via a reputable H-2A agent.
• Compliance time: 60–90 hours of paperwork the first year, 30–40 in steady state. Real money if you're doing it yourself.

On a 6-month contract at 50 hr/week, the typical all-in lands at $22–$26/hr for an H-2A worker in NC/SC/GA.

Domestic costs

• Wage: $13–$17/hr in most Southeast counties for experienced field help; $18–$22/hr for skilled or hard-to-fill roles.
• Payroll taxes & workers' comp: typically 12–18% on top of wage.
• Recruiting: ads, referral bonuses, interviews. Cheap per hire, but turnover multiplies it.
• Turnover & lost productivity: the silent killer. A position that turns over 3× in a season costs roughly 200–300 hours of crew-leader time and ~10–15% productivity loss while ramping new hires.

Steady-state domestic all-in usually lands at $18–$23/hr, but the variance is brutal — high-turnover crews can effectively cost $26+ once you account for missed harvest windows.

A worked example: 25-acre mixed vegetable farm

25 acres of tomato, pepper, squash, and brassicas requires roughly 8,500–10,500 labor hours April–October.

• H-2A path: 8 workers × 25 weeks × 50 hr = 10,000 hr × ~$24 all-in = ~$240,000. Predictable, low-turnover, paperwork-heavy.
• Domestic path (low turnover): 10,000 hr × ~$20 all-in = ~$200,000. Cheaper if you can hold the crew.
• Domestic path (typical turnover): 10,000 hr × ~$25 effective = ~$250,000. The realistic number for most farms without a strong local labor network.

When each model wins

• H-2A wins when you have predictable peak labor, can house 6+ workers, and your crop windows are unforgiving (tomato harvest, melon flush). The paperwork pays for itself in reliability.
• Domestic wins when you have a strong local crew that comes back every year, your peak is short, or you're under 5–6 seasonal workers.
• Hybrid (H-2A core + domestic flex) is what most 20–60 acre farms end up running. Use H-2A for the predictable backbone, domestic for harvest spikes.

Next steps

Before you commit either way, walk our free H-2A readiness checklist and model the season in the labor planner. Both are free to use without an account.