Farm operations
1,138
Avg 400 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IL · FIPS 17011 1,138 farms Top quartile (#6/102) 92% cropland HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Bureau County, Illinois - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Bureau County. Ranked #6 of 102 counties in Illinois.
455K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 92.1% 419K acres
- Other land
- 7.9% 36K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Bureau County received $15.29 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.3× the Illinois county median of $12.05.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $15.29
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $12.05
- Illinois county median per acre
- 1.27×
- Illinois 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.
1,138 farms · $564.6M sales
Bureau County, Illinois reports 1,138 farms and $564.6M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #423 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #6 of 102 counties in Illinois; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #6 of 102
- National payments rank #423 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.2%
Commodity sales
$564.6M
2.4× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$7.0M
1.2% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$221.4M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
A
Farm economy grade: A -- Bureau County's net farm income sits at the 97th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Bureau County Farm Data Shows
Bureau County, Illinois reported 1,138 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $564.6M in total commodity sales and receiving $7.0M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($15.29/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $221.4M. In-state sales rank #6 of 102 in Illinois.
Of 455,336 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 419,356 acres (92.1%) - 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 Illinois.
Land Use
$15.29 per acre of agricultural land · the median Illinois county receives $12.05. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
455,336 acres
Cropland
419,356 acres
Avg Farm Size
400 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 92.1%
419,356 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 455,336 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 419,356 | 92.1% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 35,980 | 7.9% |
| Average farm size | 400 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Bureau County, Illinois?
Bureau County, Illinois has 1,138 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 400 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Bureau County?
Bureau County's total commodity sales are $564.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #6 among 102 counties in Illinois.
How much federal farm assistance does Bureau County receive?
Bureau County received $7.0M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($15.29/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Bureau County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Bureau County is $221.4M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Bureau County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Bureau (HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Stephenson County, IL · DENSE
$7.0M federal receipts is higher by $9K than Bureau; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Pitt County, NC · DENSE
$6.9M federal receipts is lower by $20K than Bureau; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Sioux County, ND · MID
$7.0M federal receipts is higher by $21K than Bureau; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Marion County, OR · DENSE
$7.0M federal receipts is higher by $28K than Bureau; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Hardeman County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Hardeman sits near Bureau on payments-per-acre ($15.26) while total receipts differ.
Major County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Major sits near Bureau on payments-per-acre ($15.23) while total receipts differ.
Illinois ERS state roll-up
Bureau stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY inside Illinois's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#423)
Bureau ranks #423 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
Bureau County, Illinois stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #423 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Illinois compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Illinois 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.