Farm operations
1,199
Avg 300 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IL · FIPS 17173 1,199 farms Upper-middle (#31/102) 89% cropland HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Shelby County, Illinois - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Shelby County. Ranked #31 of 102 counties in Illinois.
359K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 89.3% 321K acres
- Other land
- 10.7% 39K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Shelby County received $12.02 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.
- $12.02
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $12.05
- Illinois county median per acre
- 1.00×
- 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.
1,199 farms · $335.0M sales
Shelby County, Illinois reports 1,199 farms and $335.0M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #715 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #31 of 102 counties in Illinois; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #31 of 102
- National payments rank #715 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.3%
Commodity sales
$335.0M
1.4× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$4.3M
1.3% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$140.3M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
A
Farm economy grade: A -- Shelby County's net farm income sits at the 91th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Shelby County Farm Data Shows
Shelby County, Illinois reported 1,199 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $335.0M in total commodity sales and receiving $4.3M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($12.02/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $140.3M. In-state sales rank #31 of 102 in Illinois.
Of 359,447 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 320,915 acres (89.3%) - 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
$12.02 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
359,447 acres
Cropland
320,915 acres
Avg Farm Size
300 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 89.3%
320,915 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 359,447 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 320,915 | 89.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 38,532 | 10.7% |
| Average farm size | 300 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Shelby County, Illinois?
Shelby County, Illinois has 1,199 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 300 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Shelby County?
Shelby County's total commodity sales are $335.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #31 among 102 counties in Illinois.
How much federal farm assistance does Shelby County receive?
Shelby County received $4.3M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($12.02/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Shelby County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Shelby County is $140.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Shelby County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Shelby (HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Apache County, AZ · TRACE
$4.3M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Shelby; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Newton County, MO · HEAVY
$4.3M federal receipts is higher by $5K than Shelby; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Moffat County, CO · LIGHT
$4.3M federal receipts is higher by $6K than Shelby; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Saguache County, CO · HEAVY
$4.3M federal receipts is lower by $6K than Shelby; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Crittenden County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Crittenden sits near Shelby on payments-per-acre ($12.05) while total receipts differ.
Nodaway County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Nodaway sits near Shelby on payments-per-acre ($12.05) while total receipts differ.
Illinois ERS state roll-up
Shelby stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY inside Illinois's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#715)
Shelby ranks #715 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
Shelby County, Illinois stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #715 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.