Farm operations
482
Avg 1,528 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census CA · FIPS 06025 Top quartile by state sales HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Imperial County, California - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Imperial County. Ranked #6 of 58 counties in California.
736,586 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 95.3% 702,024 acres
- Other land
- 4.7% 34,562 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.
According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Imperial County, California is a CROP-HEAVY county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp HEAVY; commodity sales sit far above state median and it shows low federal dependence.
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 reads as a CROP-HEAVY county with HEAVY federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is 75% or more 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 second-highest national quintile, $11.30 to $18.39 an acre, heavy federal support relative to the acreage.
The state comparisons on this page use the 56 of 58 California counties with published commodity sales (2 withheld by NASS to protect respondents are left out, not counted as zero), averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 53 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 47 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of California.
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
Open the national ranking of U.S. counties by NASS federal farm program payments to see the counties around Imperial under the HEAVY intensity band.
What to do with this
Three places to go next from Imperial County, California:
- 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.
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).
State Overview
California
58 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 HEAVY · land stamp CROP-HEAVY (NASS payments-per-acre / cropland share bands).
NASS withholds commodity sales for 2 California counties with too few farm operations to publish without identifying individual producers. Those counties are excluded from the peer median on this page rather than counted as zero sales.
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.