Farm operations
49
Avg 1,336 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census CA · FIPS 06091 49 farms Bottom quartile (#55/58) 8% cropland HEAVY PASTURE-LED
Sierra County, California - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Sierra County. Ranked #55 of 58 counties in California.
65K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 7.8% 5K acres
- Other land
- 92.2% 60K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Sierra County received $16.19 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.1× the California county median of $14.73.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $16.19
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $14.73
- California county median per acre
- 1.10×
- 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.
49 farms · $5.6M sales
Sierra County, California reports 49 farms and $5.6M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1802 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #55 of 58 counties in California; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #55 of 58
- National payments rank #1802 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 19.0%
Commodity sales
$5.6M
0.018× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$1.1M
19.0% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$2.0M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
D
Farm economy grade: D -- Sierra County's net farm income sits at the 21th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Sierra County Farm Data Shows
Sierra County, California reported 49 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $5.6M in total commodity sales and receiving $1.1M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($16.19/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $2.0M. In-state sales rank #55 of 58 in California.
Of 65,468 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 5,087 acres (7.8%) - 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
$16.19 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
65,468 acres
Cropland
5,087 acres
Avg Farm Size
1,336 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 7.8%
5,087 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 65,468 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 5,087 | 7.8% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 60,381 | 92.2% |
| Average farm size | 1,336 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Sierra County, California?
Sierra County, California has 49 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 1,336 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Sierra County?
Sierra County's total commodity sales are $5.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #55 among 58 counties in California.
How much federal farm assistance does Sierra County receive?
Sierra County received $1.1M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($16.19/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Sierra County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Sierra County is $2.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Sierra County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Sierra (HEAVY · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY PASTURE-LED
Tuolumne County, CA · MID
$1.1M federal receipts is higher by $2K than Sierra; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Caldwell County, LA · HEAVY
$1.1M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Sierra; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Yell County, AR · LIGHT
$1.1M federal receipts is lower by $3K than Sierra; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Perry County, MO · LIGHT
$1.1M federal receipts is higher by $3K than Sierra; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Toombs County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Toombs sits near Sierra on payments-per-acre ($16.02) while total receipts differ.
Edgefield County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Edgefield sits near Sierra on payments-per-acre ($15.90) while total receipts differ.
California ERS state roll-up
Sierra stamps HEAVY · PASTURE-LED inside California's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1802)
Sierra ranks #1802 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
Sierra County, California stamps HEAVY · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1802 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.