2026 ERS payments (forecast)
$44.3B
USDA ERS national total
45.2% YoY
USDA ERS state series 1995-2026 (latest years forecast) · separate 2022 Census · 3,078 counties
Where do US farm subsidies
actually go?
$44.3B in USDA ERS state-level government payments for fiscal year 2026 (preliminary forecast) · conservation, commodity, disaster + crop insurance · 32 years of ERS Farm Income & Wealth Statistics. County pages use a different source: the 2022 NASS Census of Agriculture (3,078 counties) - not a roll-up of this national total.
USDA ERS revises 2026 as a preliminary forecast finalizes; state pages currently pin FY2023. How the data windows differ →
- 2026 ERS forecast
- $44.3B
- 2022 Census counties
- 3,078
- Programs
- 35
- Years tracked
- 32
$44.3B ERS payments · FY2026
PlainFarmData tracks $44.3B in USDA ERS state-level government farm payments for fiscal year 2026 (preliminary forecast) across 35 program categories and 3,078 Census counties. According to USDA ERS Farm Income and Wealth Statistics (Feb 5, 2026 release), national and state payment totals are a separate population from the 2022 NASS Census county tables and must not be rolled up together.
- +45.2% vs prior ERS year
- 3,078 counties from 2022 NASS Census (not an ERS roll-up)
- Leading state snapshot: Texas
The national picture
Farm program money is top-heavy: in fiscal year 2023 the 90th-percentile state drew 3.9× the median state's payments, and only 16 of the 50 states cleared the $245M state average.
According to the USDA Economic Research Service Farm Income and Wealth Statistics.
- 3.9×
- 90th-percentile state ($624M) vs the median state
- $161M
- median state's total farm program payments
- 16 of 50
- states above the $245M average
- 55.9%
- of the $12.3B state total went to the top 10 states
These figures summarise the ERS state snapshot (fiscal year 2023), a different window from the national series above and from the 2022 Census county tables. See our methodology for all three.
Where the 35 tracked farm programs sit
Program-category counts from the PlainFarmData registry. Segments sum to 35 - a catalog shape, not a dollar mix (dollar concentration is in the national picture above).
National farm program key statistics
Conservation Payments
$5.3B
CRP, EQIP, CSP and related
Disaster Assistance
$23.9B
Ad hoc + emergency aid
US Net Farm Income
$153.4B
2026 cash income
Which states receive the most farm subsidy payments?
View all 50 states →National farm payment trend
5-year USDA ERS federal farm payment total · 2026 latest
Farm-economy size vs. federal payment volume, by state
| # | State | Total Payments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas TX | $1.2B |
| 2 | Oklahoma OK | $823M |
| 3 | Kansas KS | $727M |
| 4 | Iowa IA | $725M |
| 5 | California CA | $666M |
| 6 | Nebraska NE | $624M |
| 7 | South Dakota SD | $590M |
| 8 | Arkansas AR | $509M |
| 9 | Minnesota MN | $508M |
| 10 | Missouri MO | $505M |
Farm Program Categories
All programs → 🌽
Commodity Programs
Price support and revenue protection programs including ARC, PLC, and Dairy Margin Protection.
🌿
Conservation Programs
Programs that pay farmers to protect land, water, and natural resources including CRP, EQIP, and CSP.
⛈️
Disaster & Emergency
Ad hoc and emergency payments for drought, flooding, market disruptions, and pandemic recovery.
- CFAP Round 2 (CFAP2)
- Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP)
- Emergency Assistance for Livestock (ELAP)
- Emergency Relief Program (ERP)
- Emergency Relief Program Phase 2 (ERP2)
- Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP)
- Market Facilitation Program (MFP)
- Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance (NAP)
- Tree Assistance Program (TAP2)
- Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program (WHIP)
Understand Farm Policy
How Farm Subsidies Work
A plain-English guide to US farm subsidy programs, who qualifies, and how payments are calculated.
Crop Insurance Explained
How the federal crop insurance program works, premium costs, indemnity payments, and loss ratios by state.
Farm Bill Basics
The history, structure, and economic impact of the Farm Bill, the legislation behind most US agricultural programs.
About This Data
Data sourced from the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) Farm Income and Wealth Statistics, released February 5, 2026. Covers state-level farm program payments, net farm income, and crop insurance data from 1995 to 2024 for all 50 states. All dollar values are in thousands of dollars ($1,000 units) at the source.
Source: USDA ERS Farm Income and Wealth Statistics · Not affiliated with the US Department of Agriculture.
Research
Original analysis from our editorial process, every statistic derived from our own database. See all research.
Research
Top 10 US States by Federal Farm Payments
USDA Economic Research Service data ranking all 50 US states by total federal farm payments.
ResearchTop 10 US Counties by USDA Government Payments
Live SSR ranking of 3,000+ US counties by USDA government payments, the ranking reflects the most recent USDA NASS Census ingest.
ResearchTop 10 US States by Net Farm Income vs Federal Payments
Cross-cut of the PlainFarmData states table comparing federal payment totals against net farm income, a measure of federal-support dependency.
What to do with this
PlainFarmData tracks 3,078 counties and 35 USDA program categories across the FY1995-2026 ERS series. Three places to go next:
- Look up your own county for its farm structure, sales, and land-use figures. Browse counties
- Compare two states side by side on payments, income, and program mix. Compare states
- See which programs drive the most federal spending nationally. Browse programs
County figures (2022 NASS Census of Agriculture) and state/national payment totals (USDA ERS) are separate populations and must not be summed together. See methodology for the three reporting windows.
About this data
How PlainFarmData works, and why you can trust these numbers
What this site is
PlainFarmData is a plain-language reference for U.S. federal farm program payments and farm income, covering all 50 states across three decades. We turn USDA ERS farm income and wealth statistics, FSA program payments, RMA crop insurance data, and NASS Census of Agriculture counts into a single searchable database, with every figure traceable to its official USDA release.
Editorial process
- Source. Download the USDA ERS Farm Income and Wealth Statistics bulk files directly from the official ERS data portal, alongside FSA, RMA, and NASS Census releases.
- Verify. Dollar values are preserved exactly as published (thousands of dollars, no unit conversions), and program categories are normalized without altering the underlying figures.
- Publish. Load into a structured database serving state profiles, program summaries, and trend pages, so readers can check any figure against the original USDA release.
Editorial independence & corrections
The PlainFarmData is independent and accepts no payment or sponsorship from any agricultural interest. Found an error or a stale figure? File a correction via the contact page. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
Frequently asked
Where does PlainFarmData's data come from?
Two USDA populations, never mixed into one total: (1) state and national farm program payments and income from the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) Farm Income and Wealth Statistics (Feb 5, 2026 release; annual series 1995 forward), and (2) county farm structure (farm count, sales, land use, county government-payment totals) from the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture. Individual farm recipient records are not included.
Why are dollar amounts shown in thousands?
PlainFarmData preserves the USDA ERS unit convention, all dollar amounts are in thousands of dollars ($1,000 units) as published. A value of '1,000,000' represents $1 billion in farm payments. This matches the ERS source data exactly without introducing conversion errors.
Are national payment totals the sum of the county pages?
No. National and state payment totals on this site come from the USDA ERS state-level series. County pages use a separate NASS Census of Agriculture extract (2022) and must not be added up to reproduce an ERS national or state total. See /methodology for the three windows (ERS history, ERS state snapshot year, Census 2022).
Is PlainFarmData affiliated with USDA?
No. PlainFarmData is an independent data portal built by PlainFarmData. We present USDA ERS public data in a more accessible format but are not affiliated with USDA, FSA, or any government agency. For official program information, contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office.
Download the farm-payment volatility and county-dependence snapshot: farm-payment-statistics.csv (same CSV as /statistics, CC0).