Farm operations
397
Avg 399 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census CA · FIPS 06001 397 farms Lower-middle (#36/58) 9% cropland HEAVY PASTURE-LED
Alameda County, California - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Alameda County. Ranked #36 of 58 counties in California.
159K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 9.2% 15K acres
- Other land
- 90.8% 144K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Alameda County received $17.83 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.2× the California county median of $14.73.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $17.83
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $14.73
- California county median per acre
- 1.21×
- California 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.
397 farms · $134.4M sales
Alameda County, California reports 397 farms and $134.4M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1074 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #36 of 58 counties in California; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #36 of 58
- National payments rank #1074 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 2.1%
Commodity sales
$134.4M
0.44× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$2.8M
2.1% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$59.6M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Alameda County's net farm income sits at the 73th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Alameda County Farm Data Shows
Alameda County, California reported 397 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $134.4M in total commodity sales and receiving $2.8M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($17.83/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $59.6M. In-state sales rank #36 of 58 in California.
Of 158,500 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 14,619 acres (9.2%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is HEAVY; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of California.
Land Use
$17.83 per acre of agricultural land · the median California county receives $14.73. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
158,500 acres
Cropland
14,619 acres
Avg Farm Size
399 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 9.2%
14,619 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 158,500 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 14,619 | 9.2% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 143,881 | 90.8% |
| Average farm size | 399 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Alameda County, California?
Alameda County, California has 397 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 399 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Alameda County?
Alameda County's total commodity sales are $134.4M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #36 among 58 counties in California.
How much federal farm assistance does Alameda County receive?
Alameda County received $2.8M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($17.83/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Alameda County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Alameda County is $59.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Alameda County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Alameda (HEAVY · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY PASTURE-LED
Rich County, UT · MID
$2.8M federal receipts is higher by $1K than Alameda; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Marion County, KS · LIGHT
$2.8M federal receipts is higher by $3K than Alameda; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Oneida County, NY · HEAVY
$2.8M federal receipts is lower by $3K than Alameda; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Perry County, PA · DENSE
$2.8M federal receipts is higher by $3K than Alameda; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Winnebago County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Winnebago sits near Alameda on payments-per-acre ($17.84) while total receipts differ.
Beauregard County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Beauregard sits near Alameda on payments-per-acre ($17.79) while total receipts differ.
California ERS state roll-up
Alameda stamps HEAVY · PASTURE-LED inside California's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1074)
Alameda ranks #1074 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the HEAVY intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Alameda County, California stamps HEAVY · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1074 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how California compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. California 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.