Farm operations
1,691
Avg 1,419 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census CA · FIPS 06029 1,691 farms Top quartile (#4/58) 41% cropland HEAVY MIXED
Kern County, California - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Kern County. Ranked #4 of 58 counties in California.
2.40M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 41.4% 995K acres
- Other land
- 58.6% 1.40M acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Kern County received $14.21 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.0× the California county median of $14.73.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $14.21
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $14.73
- California county median per acre
- 0.96×
- 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.
1,691 farms · $5.0B sales
Kern County, California reports 1,691 farms and $5.0B in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #11 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #4 of 58 counties in California; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #4 of 58
- National payments rank #11 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.7%
Commodity sales
$5.0B
16.5× state median -- Far above state median
Federal payments
$34.1M
0.7% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$1.0B
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
A
Farm economy grade: A -- Kern 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 Kern County Farm Data Shows
Kern County, California reported 1,691 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $5.0B in total commodity sales and receiving $34.1M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($14.21/acre); land stamp MIXED. Net cash farm income came in at $1.0B. In-state sales rank #4 of 58 in California.
Of 2,399,512 acres agricultural land, cropland is 994,576 acres (41.4%) with the balance in pasture, range, woodland, or farmsteads, a MIXED footprint. Average farm size 1,419 acres. Federal intensity is HEAVY; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of California.
Land Use
$14.21 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
2,399,512 acres
Cropland
994,576 acres
Avg Farm Size
1,419 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 41.4%
994,576 cropland acres · MIXED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 2,399,512 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 994,576 | 41.4% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 1,404,936 | 58.6% |
| Average farm size | 1,419 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Kern County, California?
Kern County, California has 1,691 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 1,419 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Kern County?
Kern County's total commodity sales are $5.0B (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #4 among 58 counties in California.
How much federal farm assistance does Kern County receive?
Kern County received $34.1M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($14.21/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Kern County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Kern County is $1.0B (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Kern County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Kern (HEAVY · MIXED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY MIXED
Barnes County, ND · DENSE
$34.1M federal receipts is higher by $45K than Kern; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Marshall County, MN · DENSE
$34.2M federal receipts is higher by $135K than Kern; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Cass County, ND · DENSE
$34.3M federal receipts is higher by $224K than Kern; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Grand Forks County, ND · DENSE
$33.8M federal receipts is lower by $308K than Kern; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Hill County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Hill sits near Kern on payments-per-acre ($14.41) while total receipts differ.
Dewey County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Dewey sits near Kern on payments-per-acre ($13.78) while total receipts differ.
California ERS state roll-up
Kern stamps HEAVY · MIXED inside California's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#11)
Kern ranks #11 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
Kern County, California stamps HEAVY · MIXED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #11 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.