Farm operations
616
Avg 305 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census AL · FIPS 01069 616 farms Upper-middle (#29/67) 60% cropland DENSE CROP-LED
Houston County, Alabama - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Houston County. Ranked #29 of 67 counties in Alabama.
188K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 60.4% 113K acres
- Other land
- 39.6% 74K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Houston County received $37.86 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 9.6× the Alabama county median of $3.96.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $37.86
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $3.96
- Alabama county median per acre
- 9.56×
- 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.
616 farms · $112.1M sales
Houston County, Alabama reports 616 farms and $112.1M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #413 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #29 of 67 counties in Alabama; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #29 of 67
- National payments rank #413 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 6.3%
Commodity sales
$112.1M
1.4× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$7.1M
6.3% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$28.7M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Houston County's net farm income sits at the 56th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Houston County Farm Data Shows
Houston County, Alabama reported 616 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $112.1M in total commodity sales and receiving $7.1M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($37.86/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $28.7M. In-state sales rank #29 of 67 in Alabama.
Of 187,714 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 113,408 acres (60.4%) - a CROP-LED profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is DENSE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Alabama.
Land Use
$37.86 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
187,714 acres
Cropland
113,408 acres
Avg Farm Size
305 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 60.4%
113,408 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 187,714 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 113,408 | 60.4% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 74,306 | 39.6% |
| Average farm size | 305 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Houston County, Alabama?
Houston County, Alabama has 616 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 305 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Houston County?
Houston County's total commodity sales are $112.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #29 among 67 counties in Alabama.
How much federal farm assistance does Houston County receive?
Houston County received $7.1M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($37.86/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Houston County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Houston County is $28.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Houston County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Houston (DENSE · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-LED
Pettis County, MO · DENSE
$7.1M federal receipts is lower by $19K than Houston; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Siskiyou County, CA · MID
$7.1M federal receipts is higher by $33K than Houston; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Power County, ID · HEAVY
$7.1M federal receipts is lower by $40K than Houston; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Van Buren County, MI · DENSE
$7.1M federal receipts is lower by $53K than Houston; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Jefferson County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Jefferson sits near Houston on payments-per-acre ($37.75) while total receipts differ.
Coffee County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Coffee sits near Houston on payments-per-acre ($37.50) while total receipts differ.
Alabama ERS state roll-up
Houston stamps DENSE · CROP-LED inside Alabama's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#413)
Houston ranks #413 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the DENSE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Houston County, Alabama stamps DENSE · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #413 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.