Migrant Numbers

[Guest guest]

Below is an excerpt from a communication I received from Bruce Goldstein at FJF

on MSFW numbers:

I've looked at the sources for statistics on farmworkers. It's fair to say

that there are 2.5 million farm workers in the U.S., which is the estimate

that the Commission on Agricultural Workers used in 1992 and that the U.S.

DOL decided was reasonable to use in the year 2000. Prof. Philip has

also used this number.

Beyond that, it's not clear what else we can say. If any of you have a

source for the number that we've all thrown around (4.5 million farmworkers

including family members), let me know, but I think that number is actually

4.17 million and it is out of date and inaccurate for reasons said below.

Here's some more info.

Just to clarify: The DOL National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) does

NOT count farmworkers. It samples and studies. More importantly, it

samples a subset of farmworkers -- those who work in the fields producing

" crops. " It focuses on an estimated 1.6 million " migrant and seasonal

farmworkers " who are working in the fields on " crops. " So it excludes

dairying, livestock, poultry farming and some other occupations that we

would include in agriculture. " Migrants are actually seasonal workers who

migrate; they are a subset of " seasonals. "

As to farmworkers plus family members, we don't have a good source. The

source that I'm aware of that people used is 4.17 million farmworkers and

their dependents. That's from the Migrant Health Atlas of 1990. Given the

change in demographics, it seems weird to rely on that 1990 figure.

But also, the 4.17 million number underestimates the farmworker population

because it excludes livestock workers and their dependents (while livestock

workers are included in the 2.5 million).

The NAWS says that among that group of studied workers, one-half are married

and 45% have children. Among farmworkers with children, 45% did not live

with their children and 90% of those non-resident family members were living

in Mexico.

There is no statistic for the number of dependents.

Bruce Goldstein

Farmworker Justice Fund, Inc.

1010 Vermont Ave., NW, Ste. 915

Washington, D.C. 20005

202-783-2628 fax: 783-2561

www.fwjustice.org

Ruiz

Assistant Director Systems Development and Policy Administration

Migrant Health Coordinator

National Association of Community Health Centers, Inc.

7200 Wisconsin Avenue Suite 210

Bethesda, MD 20814

(301) 347-0442

(301) 347-0459 FAX

(202) 365-0154 Cell Phone

jruiz@...

www.nachc.com

" Youth is the gift of nature but age is a work of art. "

- Garson Kanin