Farm operations
601
Avg 234 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IL · FIPS 17181 601 farms Bottom quartile (#93/102) 67% cropland DENSE CROP-LED
Union County, Illinois - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Union County. Ranked #93 of 102 counties in Illinois.
141K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 67.3% 95K acres
- Other land
- 32.7% 46K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Union County received $36.93 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 3.1× the Illinois county median of $12.05.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $36.93
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $12.05
- Illinois county median per acre
- 3.07×
- 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.
601 farms · $54.6M sales
Union County, Illinois reports 601 farms and $54.6M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #596 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #93 of 102 counties in Illinois; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #93 of 102
- National payments rank #596 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 9.5%
Commodity sales
$54.6M
0.23× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$5.2M
9.5% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$13.1M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Union County's net farm income sits at the 42th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Union County Farm Data Shows
Union County, Illinois reported 601 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $54.6M in total commodity sales and receiving $5.2M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($36.93/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $13.1M. In-state sales rank #93 of 102 in Illinois.
Of 140,501 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 94,550 acres (67.3%) - a CROP-LED profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is DENSE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Illinois.
Land Use
$36.93 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
140,501 acres
Cropland
94,550 acres
Avg Farm Size
234 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 67.3%
94,550 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 140,501 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 94,550 | 67.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 45,951 | 32.7% |
| Average farm size | 234 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Union County, Illinois?
Union County, Illinois has 601 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 234 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Union County?
Union County's total commodity sales are $54.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #93 among 102 counties in Illinois.
How much federal farm assistance does Union County receive?
Union County received $5.2M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($36.93/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Union County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Union County is $13.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Union County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Union (DENSE · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-LED
Oneida County, ID · HEAVY
$5.2M federal receipts is lower by $6K than Union; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Hancock County, IL · HEAVY
$5.2M federal receipts is lower by $6K than Union; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Las Animas County, CO · TRACE
$5.2M federal receipts is lower by $7K than Union; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-LED.
Grayson County, TX · HEAVY
$5.2M federal receipts is lower by $10K than Union; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Bladen County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Bladen sits near Union on payments-per-acre ($36.82) while total receipts differ.
Monroe County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Monroe sits near Union on payments-per-acre ($34.65) while total receipts differ.
Illinois ERS state roll-up
Union stamps DENSE · CROP-LED inside Illinois's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#596)
Union ranks #596 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the DENSE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Union County, Illinois stamps DENSE · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #596 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.