Farm operations
681
Avg 121 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census KY · FIPS 21043 681 farms Lower-middle (#86/120) 26% cropland TRACE MIXED
Carter County, Kentucky - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Carter County. Ranked #86 of 120 counties in Kentucky.
83K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 25.8% 21K acres
- Other land
- 74.2% 61K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Carter County received $1.40 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.4× the Kentucky county median of $3.27.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $1.40
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $3.27
- Kentucky county median per acre
- 0.43×
- Kentucky 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.
681 farms · $7.9M sales
Carter County, Kentucky reports 681 farms and $7.9M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2663 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #86 of 120 counties in Kentucky; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #86 of 120
- National payments rank #2663 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.5%
Commodity sales
$7.9M
0.20× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$116K
1.5% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$-1.1M
2022 cash income -- Net loss
F
Farm economy grade: F -- Carter County's net farm income sits at the 9th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Carter County Farm Data Shows
Carter County, Kentucky reported 681 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $7.9M in total commodity sales and receiving $116K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($1.40/acre); land stamp MIXED. Net cash farm income came in at $-1.1M. In-state sales rank #86 of 120 in Kentucky.
Of 82,568 acres agricultural land, cropland is 21,319 acres (25.8%) with the balance in pasture, range, woodland, or farmsteads, a MIXED footprint. Average farm size 121 acres. Federal intensity is TRACE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Kentucky.
Land Use
$1.40 per acre of agricultural land · the median Kentucky county receives $3.27. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
82,568 acres
Cropland
21,319 acres
Avg Farm Size
121 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 25.8%
21,319 cropland acres · MIXED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 82,568 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 21,319 | 25.8% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 61,249 | 74.2% |
| Average farm size | 121 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Carter County, Kentucky?
Carter County, Kentucky has 681 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 121 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Carter County?
Carter County's total commodity sales are $7.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #86 among 120 counties in Kentucky.
How much federal farm assistance does Carter County receive?
Carter County received $116K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($1.40/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Carter County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Carter County is $-1.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Carter County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Carter (TRACE · MIXED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE MIXED
Madison County, NC · TRACE
$116K federal receipts is higher by - than Carter; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs MIXED.
Westmoreland County, VA · TRACE
$116K federal receipts is higher by - than Carter; land stamp CROP-LED vs MIXED.
Carroll County, GA · TRACE
$117K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Carter; land stamp MIXED vs MIXED.
Spencer County, KY · TRACE
$117K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Carter; land stamp MIXED vs MIXED.
Moore County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Moore sits near Carter on payments-per-acre ($1.43) while total receipts differ.
Sullivan County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Sullivan sits near Carter on payments-per-acre ($1.43) while total receipts differ.
Kentucky ERS state roll-up
Carter stamps TRACE · MIXED inside Kentucky's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2663)
Carter ranks #2663 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the TRACE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Carter County, Kentucky stamps TRACE · MIXED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2663 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Kentucky compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Kentucky 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.