Farm operations
306
Avg 105 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IL · FIPS 17097 306 farms Bottom quartile (#95/102) 72% cropland HEAVY CROP-LED
Lake County, Illinois - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Lake County. Ranked #95 of 102 counties in Illinois.
32K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 72.2% 23K acres
- Other land
- 27.8% 9K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Lake County received $11.45 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.0× the Illinois county median of $12.05.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $11.45
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $12.05
- Illinois county median per acre
- 0.95×
- 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.
306 farms · $47.0M sales
Lake County, Illinois reports 306 farms and $47.0M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2306 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #95 of 102 counties in Illinois; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #95 of 102
- National payments rank #2306 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.8%
Commodity sales
$47.0M
0.20× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$369K
0.8% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$11.9M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Lake County's net farm income sits at the 40th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Lake County Farm Data Shows
Lake County, Illinois reported 306 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $47.0M in total commodity sales and receiving $369K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($11.45/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $11.9M. In-state sales rank #95 of 102 in Illinois.
Of 32,226 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 23,275 acres (72.2%) - a CROP-LED 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
$11.45 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
32,226 acres
Cropland
23,275 acres
Avg Farm Size
105 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 72.2%
23,275 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 32,226 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 23,275 | 72.2% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 8,951 | 27.8% |
| Average farm size | 105 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Lake County, Illinois?
Lake County, Illinois has 306 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 105 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Lake County?
Lake County's total commodity sales are $47.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #95 among 102 counties in Illinois.
How much federal farm assistance does Lake County receive?
Lake County received $369K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($11.45/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Lake County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Lake County is $11.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Lake County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Lake (HEAVY · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-LED
Hamblen County, TN · MID
$369K federal receipts is higher by - than Lake; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Honolulu County, HI · LIGHT
$367K federal receipts is lower by $2K than Lake; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Adams County, MS · LIGHT
$371K federal receipts is higher by $2K than Lake; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Cabarrus County, NC · LIGHT
$371K federal receipts is higher by $2K than Lake; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Manistee County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Manistee sits near Lake on payments-per-acre ($11.47) while total receipts differ.
Sullivan County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Sullivan sits near Lake on payments-per-acre ($11.42) while total receipts differ.
Illinois ERS state roll-up
Lake stamps HEAVY · CROP-LED inside Illinois's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2306)
Lake ranks #2306 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
Lake County, Illinois stamps HEAVY · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2306 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.