Farm operations
825
Avg 297 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census CA · FIPS 06085 825 farms Upper-middle (#28/58) 10% cropland LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Santa Clara County, California - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Santa Clara County. Ranked #28 of 58 counties in California.
245K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 10.3% 25K acres
- Other land
- 89.7% 220K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Santa Clara County received $6.97 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.5× the California county median of $14.73.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $6.97
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $14.73
- California county median per acre
- 0.47×
- 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.
825 farms · $311.8M sales
Santa Clara County, California reports 825 farms and $311.8M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1470 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #28 of 58 counties in California; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #28 of 58
- National payments rank #1470 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.5%
Commodity sales
$311.8M
1.0× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$1.7M
0.5% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$42.1M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Santa Clara County's net farm income sits at the 65th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Santa Clara County Farm Data Shows
Santa Clara County, California reported 825 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $311.8M in total commodity sales and receiving $1.7M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($6.97/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $42.1M. In-state sales rank #28 of 58 in California.
Of 245,191 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 25,318 acres (10.3%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is LIGHT; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of California.
Land Use
$6.97 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
245,191 acres
Cropland
25,318 acres
Avg Farm Size
297 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 10.3%
25,318 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 245,191 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 25,318 | 10.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 219,873 | 89.7% |
| Average farm size | 297 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Santa Clara County, California?
Santa Clara County, California has 825 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 297 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Santa Clara County?
Santa Clara County's total commodity sales are $311.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #28 among 58 counties in California.
How much federal farm assistance does Santa Clara County receive?
Santa Clara County received $1.7M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($6.97/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Santa Clara County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Santa Clara County is $42.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Santa Clara County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Santa Clara (LIGHT · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Travis County, TX · MID
$1.7M federal receipts is higher by $3K than Santa Clara; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Mcclain County, OK · MID
$1.7M federal receipts is lower by $5K than Santa Clara; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
San Benito County, CA · TRACE
$1.7M federal receipts is lower by $6K than Santa Clara; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Steuben County, IN · HEAVY
$1.7M federal receipts is higher by $6K than Santa Clara; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Polk County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Polk sits near Santa Clara on payments-per-acre ($6.95) while total receipts differ.
Jefferson County (MID $/acre pole)
Jefferson sits near Santa Clara on payments-per-acre ($7.01) while total receipts differ.
California ERS state roll-up
Santa Clara stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED inside California's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1470)
Santa Clara ranks #1470 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the LIGHT intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Santa Clara County, California stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1470 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.