Farm operations
482
Avg 1,528 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census CA · FIPS 06025 482 farms Top quartile (#6/58) 95% cropland HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Imperial County, California - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Imperial County. Ranked #6 of 58 counties in California.
737K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 95.3% 702K acres
- Other land
- 4.7% 35K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Imperial County received $11.81 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.8× the California county median of $14.73.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $11.81
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $14.73
- California county median per acre
- 0.80×
- 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.
482 farms · $3.0B sales
Imperial County, California reports 482 farms and $3.0B in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #325 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #6 of 58 counties in California; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #6 of 58
- National payments rank #325 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.3%
Commodity sales
$3.0B
10.0× state median -- Far above state median
Federal payments
$8.7M
0.3% of sales -- Low federal dependence
Net farm income
$692.6M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
A
Farm economy grade: A -- Imperial County's net farm income sits at the 100th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Imperial County Farm Data Shows
Imperial County, California reported 482 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $3.0B in total commodity sales and receiving $8.7M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($11.81/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $692.6M. In-state sales rank #6 of 58 in California.
Of 736,586 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 702,024 acres (95.3%) - a CROP-HEAVY profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is HEAVY; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of California.
Land Use
$11.81 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
736,586 acres
Cropland
702,024 acres
Avg Farm Size
1,528 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 95.3%
702,024 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 736,586 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 702,024 | 95.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 34,562 | 4.7% |
| Average farm size | 1,528 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Imperial County, California?
Imperial County, California has 482 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 1,528 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Imperial County?
Imperial County's total commodity sales are $3.0B (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #6 among 58 counties in California.
How much federal farm assistance does Imperial County receive?
Imperial County received $8.7M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($11.81/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Imperial County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Imperial County is $692.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Imperial County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Imperial (HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Gregory County, SD · HEAVY
$8.7M federal receipts is higher by - than Imperial; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Ventura County, CA · DENSE
$8.7M federal receipts is higher by $18K than Imperial; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Decatur County, KS · HEAVY
$8.7M federal receipts is higher by $23K than Imperial; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Malheur County, OR · MID
$8.7M federal receipts is higher by $30K than Imperial; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Jones County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Jones sits near Imperial on payments-per-acre ($11.77) while total receipts differ.
Gonzales County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Gonzales sits near Imperial on payments-per-acre ($11.74) while total receipts differ.
California ERS state roll-up
Imperial stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY inside California's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#325)
Imperial ranks #325 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
Imperial County, California stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #325 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.