Farm operations
335
Avg 219 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census DE · FIPS 10003 335 farms 85% cropland HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
New Castle County, Delaware - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for New Castle County. Ranked #3 of 3 counties in Delaware.
74K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 85.2% 63K acres
- Other land
- 14.8% 11K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
New Castle County received $12.99 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.1× the Delaware county median of $11.39.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $12.99
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $11.39
- Delaware county median per acre
- 1.14×
- Delaware 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.
335 farms · $108.6M sales
New Castle County, Delaware reports 335 farms and $108.6M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1853 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #3 of 3 counties in Delaware; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #3 of 3
- National payments rank #1853 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.9%
Commodity sales
$108.6M
0.19× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$955K
0.9% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$35.6M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- New Castle County's net farm income sits at the 61th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the New Castle County Farm Data Shows
New Castle County, Delaware reported 335 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $108.6M in total commodity sales and receiving $955K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($12.99/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $35.6M. In-state sales rank #3 of 3 in Delaware.
Of 73,507 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 62,613 acres (85.2%) - a CROP-HEAVY profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is HEAVY; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Delaware.
Land Use
$12.99 per acre of agricultural land · the median Delaware county receives $11.39. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
73,507 acres
Cropland
62,613 acres
Avg Farm Size
219 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 85.2%
62,613 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 73,507 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 62,613 | 85.2% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 10,894 | 14.8% |
| Average farm size | 219 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in New Castle County, Delaware?
New Castle County, Delaware has 335 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 219 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of New Castle County?
New Castle County's total commodity sales are $108.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #3 among 3 counties in Delaware.
How much federal farm assistance does New Castle County receive?
New Castle County received $955K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($12.99/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in New Castle County?
Net cash farm income for operations in New Castle County is $35.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with New Castle County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for New Castle (HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Madison County, AL · LIGHT
$957K federal receipts is higher by $2K than New Castle; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Pope County, IL · HEAVY
$953K federal receipts is lower by $2K than New Castle; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Washington County, WI · MID
$959K federal receipts is higher by $4K than New Castle; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Gallatin County, IL · LIGHT
$960K federal receipts is higher by $5K than New Castle; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Flagler County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Flagler sits near New Castle on payments-per-acre ($13.10) while total receipts differ.
Candler County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Candler sits near New Castle on payments-per-acre ($12.75) while total receipts differ.
Delaware ERS state roll-up
New Castle stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY inside Delaware's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1853)
New Castle ranks #1853 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
New Castle County, Delaware stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1853 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Delaware compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Delaware 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.