Farm operations
1,122
Avg 293 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IL · FIPS 17051 1,122 farms Upper-middle (#48/102) 82% cropland HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Fayette County, Illinois - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Fayette County. Ranked #48 of 102 counties in Illinois.
329K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 82.1% 270K acres
- Other land
- 17.9% 59K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Fayette County received $14.36 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.2× the Illinois county median of $12.05.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $14.36
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $12.05
- Illinois county median per acre
- 1.19×
- 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.
1,122 farms · $247.3M sales
Fayette County, Illinois reports 1,122 farms and $247.3M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #649 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #48 of 102 counties in Illinois; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #48 of 102
- National payments rank #649 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.9%
Commodity sales
$247.3M
1.0× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$4.7M
1.9% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$91.2M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Fayette County's net farm income sits at the 83th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Fayette County Farm Data Shows
Fayette County, Illinois reported 1,122 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $247.3M in total commodity sales and receiving $4.7M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($14.36/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $91.2M. In-state sales rank #48 of 102 in Illinois.
Of 328,888 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 270,163 acres (82.1%) - 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
$14.36 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
328,888 acres
Cropland
270,163 acres
Avg Farm Size
293 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 82.1%
270,163 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 328,888 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 270,163 | 82.1% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 58,725 | 17.9% |
| Average farm size | 293 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Fayette County, Illinois?
Fayette County, Illinois has 1,122 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 293 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Fayette County?
Fayette County's total commodity sales are $247.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #48 among 102 counties in Illinois.
How much federal farm assistance does Fayette County receive?
Fayette County received $4.7M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($14.36/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Fayette County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Fayette County is $91.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Fayette County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Fayette (HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Northampton County, NC · DENSE
$4.7M federal receipts is lower by $3K than Fayette; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Freeborn County, MN · HEAVY
$4.7M federal receipts is higher by $6K than Fayette; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Donley County, TX · MID
$4.7M federal receipts is higher by $7K than Fayette; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Carroll County, AR · DENSE
$4.7M federal receipts is higher by $10K than Fayette; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Greene County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Greene sits near Fayette on payments-per-acre ($14.40) while total receipts differ.
Swift County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Swift sits near Fayette on payments-per-acre ($14.29) while total receipts differ.
Illinois ERS state roll-up
Fayette stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY inside Illinois's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#649)
Fayette ranks #649 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
Fayette County, Illinois stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #649 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.