Farm operations
1,364
Avg 315 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census IA · FIPS 19065 1,364 farms Top quartile (#15/99) 86% cropland DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Fayette County, Iowa - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Fayette County. Ranked #15 of 99 counties in Iowa.
429K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 85.7% 368K acres
- Other land
- 14.3% 61K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Fayette County received $33.13 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.
- $33.13
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $25.16
- Iowa county median per acre
- 1.32×
- 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.
1,364 farms · $685.1M sales
Fayette County, Iowa reports 1,364 farms and $685.1M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #136 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #15 of 99 counties in Iowa; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #15 of 99
- National payments rank #136 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 2.1%
Commodity sales
$685.1M
1.7× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$14.2M
2.1% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$255.8M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
A
Farm economy grade: A -- Fayette County's net farm income sits at the 98th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Fayette County Farm Data Shows
Fayette County, Iowa reported 1,364 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $685.1M in total commodity sales and receiving $14.2M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($33.13/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $255.8M. In-state sales rank #15 of 99 in Iowa.
Of 429,271 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 367,999 acres (85.7%) - a CROP-HEAVY 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 Iowa.
Land Use
$33.13 per acre of agricultural land · the median Iowa county receives $25.16. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
429,271 acres
Cropland
367,999 acres
Avg Farm Size
315 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 85.7%
367,999 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 429,271 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 367,999 | 85.7% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 61,272 | 14.3% |
| Average farm size | 315 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Fayette County, Iowa?
Fayette County, Iowa has 1,364 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 315 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Fayette County?
Fayette County's total commodity sales are $685.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #15 among 99 counties in Iowa.
How much federal farm assistance does Fayette County receive?
Fayette County received $14.2M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($33.13/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Fayette County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Fayette County is $255.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Fayette County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Fayette (DENSE · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Liberty County, MT · HEAVY
$14.2M federal receipts is lower by $15K than Fayette; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Jackson County, SD · HEAVY
$14.3M federal receipts is higher by $69K than Fayette; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Mckenzie County, ND · MID
$14.3M federal receipts is higher by $89K than Fayette; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Mccook County, SD · DENSE
$14.1M federal receipts is lower by $136K than Fayette; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Butler County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Butler sits near Fayette on payments-per-acre ($33.30) while total receipts differ.
Delaware County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Delaware sits near Fayette on payments-per-acre ($32.64) while total receipts differ.
Iowa ERS state roll-up
Fayette stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY inside Iowa's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#136)
Fayette ranks #136 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
Fayette County, Iowa stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #136 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Iowa compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Iowa 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.