Farm operations
690
Avg 364 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IL · FIPS 17131 690 farms Upper-middle (#27/102) 87% cropland HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Mercer County, Illinois - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Mercer County. Ranked #27 of 102 counties in Illinois.
251K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 86.9% 219K acres
- Other land
- 13.1% 33K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Mercer County received $16.39 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.4× the Illinois county median of $12.05.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $16.39
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $12.05
- Illinois county median per acre
- 1.36×
- 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.
690 farms · $356.9M sales
Mercer County, Illinois reports 690 farms and $356.9M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #748 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #27 of 102 counties in Illinois; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #27 of 102
- National payments rank #748 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.2%
Commodity sales
$356.9M
1.5× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$4.1M
1.2% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$118.9M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Mercer County's net farm income sits at the 88th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Mercer County Farm Data Shows
Mercer County, Illinois reported 690 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $356.9M in total commodity sales and receiving $4.1M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($16.39/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $118.9M. In-state sales rank #27 of 102 in Illinois.
Of 251,455 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 218,545 acres (86.9%) - 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
$16.39 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
251,455 acres
Cropland
218,545 acres
Avg Farm Size
364 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 86.9%
218,545 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 251,455 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 218,545 | 86.9% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 32,910 | 13.1% |
| Average farm size | 364 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Mercer County, Illinois?
Mercer County, Illinois has 690 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 364 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Mercer County?
Mercer County's total commodity sales are $356.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #27 among 102 counties in Illinois.
How much federal farm assistance does Mercer County receive?
Mercer County received $4.1M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($16.39/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Mercer County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Mercer County is $118.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Mercer County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Mercer (HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Cedar County, MO · DENSE
$4.1M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Mercer; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Eastland County, TX · MID
$4.1M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Mercer; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Independence County, AR · HEAVY
$4.1M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Mercer; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Burke County, GA · DENSE
$4.1M federal receipts is higher by $4K than Mercer; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Manitowoc County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Manitowoc sits near Mercer on payments-per-acre ($16.47) while total receipts differ.
Hamlin County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Hamlin sits near Mercer on payments-per-acre ($16.52) while total receipts differ.
Illinois ERS state roll-up
Mercer stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY inside Illinois's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#748)
Mercer ranks #748 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
Mercer County, Illinois stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #748 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.