Farm operations
616
Avg 305 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census AL · FIPS 01069 Upper-middle by state sales DENSE CROP-LED
Houston County, Alabama - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Houston County. Ranked #29 of 67 counties in Alabama.
187,714 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 60.4% 113,408 acres
- Other land
- 39.6% 74,306 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.
According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Houston County, Alabama is a CROP-LED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp DENSE; commodity sales sit near state median and it shows above-typical federal dependence.
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 reads as a CROP-LED county with DENSE federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is 50% to 75% of agricultural land, a profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles; payments per agricultural acre fall in the highest national quintile, $18.39 an acre or more, federal receipts concentrated on a small farmed base.
The state comparisons on this page use the 67 of 67 Alabama counties with published commodity sales, averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 65 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 62 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Alabama.
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
Open the national ranking of U.S. counties by NASS federal farm program payments to see the counties around Houston under the DENSE intensity band.
What to do with this
Three places to go next from Houston County, Alabama:
- 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.
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).
State Overview
Alabama
67 counties · View state farm data
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 2022 Census of Agriculture · 2022
Dollar values reflect calendar year 2022 farm operations data.
PlainFarmData is an independent data portal, not affiliated with USDA, FSA, or any government agency. For official program eligibility or application guidance, contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office.
Intensity stamp DENSE · land stamp CROP-LED (NASS payments-per-acre / cropland share bands).
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Verify with USDA NASS Census of Agriculture →
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.