Farm operations
681
Avg 121 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census KY · FIPS 21043 Lower-middle by state sales TRACE MIXED
Carter County, Kentucky - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Carter County. Ranked #86 of 120 counties in Kentucky.
82,568 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 25.8% 21,319 acres
- Other land
- 74.2% 61,249 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.
According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Carter County, Kentucky is a MIXED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp TRACE; commodity sales sit well below state median and it shows below-typical federal dependence.
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 reads as a MIXED county with TRACE federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is 25% to 50% of agricultural land with the balance in pasture, range, woodland or farmsteads, so row-crop and livestock-side programs are both in play; payments per agricultural acre fall in the lowest national quintile, under $3.41 an acre, so program receipts are a marginal line beside market revenue.
The state comparisons on this page use the 120 of 120 Kentucky counties with published commodity sales, averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 113 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 85 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Kentucky.
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
Open the national ranking of U.S. counties by NASS federal farm program payments to see the counties around Carter under the TRACE intensity band.
What to do with this
Three places to go next from Carter County, Kentucky:
- 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.
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).
State Overview
Kentucky
120 counties · View state farm data
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 TRACE · land stamp MIXED (NASS payments-per-acre / cropland share bands).
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Verify with USDA NASS Census of Agriculture →
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.