Applied Economics Education & Extension

an AAEA Journal

Agricultural and Applied Economics Association

Impacts of Deportation on Employment, Wages, and Output in California Vegetable Production

Umesh Gautam(a) and Stephen Devadoss(a)
(a)Texas Tech University

JEL Codes: JEL Codes: J21, J43, J61
Keywords: California deportation, farm-labor shortages, vegetable production

First Published Online: April 15, 2026

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Abstract

California is the leading producer of lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower, and accounts for 36.84 percent of US vegetable production, valued at $10.5 billion. Labor-intensive sectors, such as vegetable production, endure chronic labor shortages. The deportation of undocumented workers will drastically reduce vegetable production in California because domestic workers are unwilling to take field jobs and readily bringing in guest workers is not feasible.

About the Authors: Umesh Gautam is a graduate student in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX. Stephen Devadoss is the Emabeth Thompson Endowed Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX (Corresponding Auhtor Email: stephen.devadoss@ttu.edu).

Acknowledgments: The authors acknowledge the helpful comments of two reviewers.

Copyright is governed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA

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