Farm operations
2,353
Avg 114 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census CO · FIPS 08077 2,353 farms Upper-middle (#18/63) 22% cropland DENSE PASTURE-LED
Mesa County, Colorado - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Mesa County. Ranked #18 of 63 counties in Colorado.
268K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 21.5% 58K acres
- Other land
- 78.5% 211K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Mesa County received $27.53 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 4.5× the Colorado county median of $6.19.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $27.53
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $6.19
- Colorado county median per acre
- 4.45×
- Colorado 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.
2,353 farms · $90.8M sales
Mesa County, Colorado reports 2,353 farms and $90.8M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #395 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #18 of 63 counties in Colorado; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #18 of 63
- National payments rank #395 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 8.1%
Commodity sales
$90.8M
2.6× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$7.4M
8.1% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$4.5M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
D
Farm economy grade: D -- Mesa County's net farm income sits at the 28th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Mesa County Farm Data Shows
Mesa County, Colorado reported 2,353 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $90.8M in total commodity sales and receiving $7.4M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($27.53/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $4.5M. In-state sales rank #18 of 63 in Colorado.
Of 268,323 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 57,663 acres (21.5%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is DENSE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Colorado.
Land Use
$27.53 per acre of agricultural land · the median Colorado county receives $6.19. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
268,323 acres
Cropland
57,663 acres
Avg Farm Size
114 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 21.5%
57,663 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 268,323 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 57,663 | 21.5% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 210,660 | 78.5% |
| Average farm size | 114 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Mesa County, Colorado?
Mesa County, Colorado has 2,353 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 114 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Mesa County?
Mesa County's total commodity sales are $90.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #18 among 63 counties in Colorado.
How much federal farm assistance does Mesa County receive?
Mesa County received $7.4M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($27.53/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Mesa County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Mesa County is $4.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Mesa County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Mesa (DENSE · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE PASTURE-LED
Huron County, MI · HEAVY
$7.4M federal receipts is higher by $5K than Mesa; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Noble County, OK · DENSE
$7.4M federal receipts is higher by $7K than Mesa; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Grant County, MN · DENSE
$7.4M federal receipts is lower by $10K than Mesa; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Gonzales County, TX · HEAVY
$7.4M federal receipts is higher by $20K than Mesa; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Bremer County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Bremer sits near Mesa on payments-per-acre ($27.42) while total receipts differ.
Van Buren County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Van Buren sits near Mesa on payments-per-acre ($27.91) while total receipts differ.
Colorado ERS state roll-up
Mesa stamps DENSE · PASTURE-LED inside Colorado's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#395)
Mesa ranks #395 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the DENSE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Mesa County, Colorado stamps DENSE · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #395 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Colorado compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Colorado 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.