U.S. Cities and States Most Reliant on Seasonal Foreign Labor

As the Trump administration moves to end Temporary Protected Status for several immigrant groups and employers continue to warn about labor shortages, researchers at Manifest Law analyzed where businesses rely most heavily on the H-2A and H-2B seasonal worker programs—two legal pathways employers use to fill temporary jobs when domestic workers are unavailable. The analysis ranks states and metropolitan areas by seasonal foreign labor requests relative to the size of their local workforce, offering a detailed look at where employers depend most heavily on H-2A and H-2B workers to meet recurring staffing needs. It also identifies which occupations generate the greatest demand and how reliance on agricultural and non-agricultural seasonal foreign labor differs across the country.