Farm operations
434
Avg 199 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census AL · FIPS 01027 434 farms Upper-middle (#20/67) 21% cropland TRACE PASTURE-LED
Clay County, Alabama - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Clay County. Ranked #20 of 67 counties in Alabama.
86K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 20.7% 18K acres
- Other land
- 79.3% 68K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Clay County received $1.18 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.3× the Alabama county median of $3.96.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $1.18
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $3.96
- Alabama county median per acre
- 0.30×
- Alabama median per acre
Payments per acre use the same NASS county table for receipts and acreage. Census county totals are not a roll-up of the USDA ERS state payment series.
434 farms · $183.0M sales
Clay County, Alabama reports 434 farms and $183.0M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2694 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #20 of 67 counties in Alabama; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #20 of 67
- National payments rank #2694 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.1%
Commodity sales
$183.0M
2.3× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$102K
0.1% of sales -- Low federal dependence
Net farm income
$67.2M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Clay County's net farm income sits at the 76th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Clay County Farm Data Shows
Clay County, Alabama reported 434 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $183.0M in total commodity sales and receiving $102K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($1.18/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $67.2M. In-state sales rank #20 of 67 in Alabama.
Of 86,388 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 17,895 acres (20.7%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is TRACE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Alabama.
Land Use
$1.18 per acre of agricultural land · the median Alabama county receives $3.96. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
86,388 acres
Cropland
17,895 acres
Avg Farm Size
199 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 20.7%
17,895 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 86,388 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 17,895 | 20.7% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 68,493 | 79.3% |
| Average farm size | 199 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Clay County, Alabama?
Clay County, Alabama has 434 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 199 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Clay County?
Clay County's total commodity sales are $183.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #20 among 67 counties in Alabama.
How much federal farm assistance does Clay County receive?
Clay County received $102K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($1.18/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Clay County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Clay County is $67.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Clay County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Clay (TRACE · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE PASTURE-LED
Essex County, NY · TRACE
$102K federal receipts is higher by - than Clay; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Yancey County, NC · LIGHT
$102K federal receipts is higher by - than Clay; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Clay County, TN · TRACE
$102K federal receipts is higher by - than Clay; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Cleveland County, AR · TRACE
$103K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Clay; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Grays Harbor County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Grays Harbor sits near Clay on payments-per-acre ($1.15) while total receipts differ.
Ascension County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Ascension sits near Clay on payments-per-acre ($1.21) while total receipts differ.
Alabama ERS state roll-up
Clay stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED inside Alabama's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2694)
Clay ranks #2694 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the TRACE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Clay County, Alabama stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2694 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Alabama compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Alabama state page
- Browse the full county table to compare payment intensity across the country. All counties
- Understand what actually drives county-level farm payments. Read the guide
County figures (2022 NASS Census of Agriculture) are a separate population from USDA ERS state and national payment series and must not be summed together.
County farm figures on this page are rendered from the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture, no number is typed in by an editor. Census county totals are not a roll-up of the USDA ERS state payment series. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.