2022 USDA Census IA · FIPS 19013 Upper-middle by state sales DENSE CROP-HEAVY

Black Hawk County, Iowa - Farm Data

Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Black Hawk County. Ranked #42 of 99 counties in Iowa.

Agricultural land composition · 2022 USDA Census · data refreshed 2026-05-15
290,438 acres of agricultural land
Cropland
93.6% 271,874 acres
Other land
6.4% 18,564 acres
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USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture

Black Hawk County received $32.37 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.3× the Iowa county median of $25.16.

According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.

$32.37
government payments per agricultural acre
$25.16
Iowa county median per acre
1.29×
Iowa 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.

According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Black Hawk County, Iowa is a CROP-HEAVY county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp DENSE; commodity sales sit near state median and it shows above-typical federal dependence.

Farm operations

975

Avg 298 ac / farm

Commodity sales

$451.6M

1.1× state median -- Near state median

Federal payments

$9.4M

2.1% of sales -- Above-typical dependence

Net farm income

$135.8M

2022 cash income -- Typical net income

A

Farm economy grade: A -- Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk County Farm Data Shows

Black Hawk County, Iowa reads as a CROP-HEAVY county with DENSE federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is 75% or more of agricultural land, a profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles; payments per agricultural acre fall in the highest national quintile, $18.39 an acre or more, federal receipts concentrated on a small farmed base.

The state comparisons on this page use the 99 of 99 Iowa counties with published commodity sales, averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 99 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 99 that reported a profit.

Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Iowa.

What to do with this

Three ways to keep going from Black Hawk County, Iowa:

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many farms are in Black Hawk County, Iowa?
Black Hawk County, Iowa has 975 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 298 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Black Hawk County?
Black Hawk County's total commodity sales are $451.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #42 among 99 counties in Iowa.
How much federal farm assistance does Black Hawk County receive?
Black Hawk County received $9.4M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($32.37/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Black Hawk County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Black Hawk County is $135.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture).

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 2022 Census of Agriculture · 2022

Dollar values reflect calendar year 2022 farm operations data.

PlainFarmData is an independent data portal, not affiliated with USDA, FSA, or any government agency. For official program eligibility or application guidance, contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office.

Intensity stamp DENSE · land stamp CROP-HEAVY (NASS payments-per-acre / cropland share bands).

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.