The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) releases 2022 Agricultural Census results across more than 6 million data points on U.S. farms and ranches, and the people who operate them down to the county level. did. The total number of U.S. farms continues to decline, according to information collected directly from producers. However, the data also shows that the number of new and novice (any farm has been in operation for less than 10 years) and young (under 35 years) producers is increasing.
The full Agricultural Census report and publication dates for additional Agricultural Census data products are available at nass.usda.gov/AgCensus. Agricultural census data can also be found in NASS’s searchable online database, Quick Stats.
“We are pleased to provide the latest agricultural census data to everyone involved in U.S. agriculture, especially the producers who took the time to complete our survey. Agricultural Census data speaks for itself. This comprehensive five-year snapshot helps data users see industry trends and changes over time, and also helps growers with their business,” said Hubert Hamer, NASS administrator. says. “Overall, the data is broadly consistent with the last Census of Agriculture, although there are constant changes across U.S. agriculture. Data users will also notice some new data on hemp, precision agriculture, and internet access. Sho.”
Agricultural census data provides valuable insight into the demographics, economic conditions, land use, and activity of U.S. farms and ranches.
• There were 1.9 million farms and ranches (down 7% from 2017), with an average area of 463 acres (up 5%) and 880 million acres of agricultural land (down 2%). This represents 39% of the total land area of the United States.
• Family farms account for 95% of all farms in the United States and operate 84% of farm land.
• U.S. farms and ranches produced $543 billion in agricultural products, up from $389 billion in 2017. Farm production costs were $424 billion, and net cash income for U.S. farms was $152 billion. Average farm income increased to $79,790. A total of 43% of farms had positive farm net cash income in 2022.
• Farms with internet access continued to increase from 75% in 2017 to 79% in 2022.
• A total of 153,101 farms and ranches used renewable energy production systems, compared to 133,176 farms in 2017, an increase of 15%. The majority (76%) of farms with renewable energy systems reported using solar panels.
• In 2022, 116,617 farms sold directly to consumers, with sales of $3.3 billion. Sales he increased by 16% from 2017.
• 105,384 farms with sales of $1 million or more accounted for 6% of U.S. farms and 31% of agricultural land. We sold more than three-quarters of all our produce. The 1.4 million farms with sales of less than $50,000 accounted for 74% of farms, 25% of agricultural land, and 2% of sales.
• Nearly three-quarters of the agricultural land was used by farms specializing in two product categories: oilseed and grain production (32%) and beef cattle production (40%).
• The average age of all producers was 58.1 years, an increase of 0.6 years from 2017. This is a smaller increase than the increase in average age between previous censuses.
• There are just over 1 million farmers with less than 10 years of experience, and the number of new farmers has increased by 11% since 2017. New farmers are younger than all farmers, with an average age of 47.1 years.
• The number of producers under the age of 35 was 296,480, accounting for 9% of all producers. The 221,233 farms where young producers are making decisions tend to be larger than average in both acreage and sales.
• In 2022, 1.2 million women producers accounted for 36% of all producers. 58% of all farms had at least one female decision maker.
The response rate for the 2022 Agriculture Census was 61%. More than 40% of his responses were submitted online.
