Farm operations
178
Avg 217 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census KY · FIPS 21051 178 farms Bottom quartile (#97/120) 20% cropland TRACE PASTURE-LED
Clay County, Kentucky - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Clay County. Ranked #97 of 120 counties in Kentucky.
39K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 19.6% 8K acres
- Other land
- 80.4% 31K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Clay County received $1.35 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.
- $1.35
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $3.27
- Kentucky county median per acre
- 0.41×
- 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.
178 farms · $3.7M sales
Clay County, Kentucky reports 178 farms and $3.7M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2793 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #97 of 120 counties in Kentucky; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #97 of 120
- National payments rank #2793 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.4%
Commodity sales
$3.7M
0.093× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$52K
1.4% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$436K
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
F
Farm economy grade: F -- Clay County's net farm income sits at the 16th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Clay County Farm Data Shows
Clay County, Kentucky reported 178 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $3.7M in total commodity sales and receiving $52K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($1.35/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $436K. In-state sales rank #97 of 120 in Kentucky.
Of 38,581 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 7,577 acres (19.6%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is TRACE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Kentucky.
Land Use
$1.35 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
38,581 acres
Cropland
7,577 acres
Avg Farm Size
217 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 19.6%
7,577 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 38,581 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 7,577 | 19.6% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 31,004 | 80.4% |
| Average farm size | 217 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Clay County, Kentucky?
Clay County, Kentucky has 178 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 217 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Clay County?
Clay County's total commodity sales are $3.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #97 among 120 counties in Kentucky.
How much federal farm assistance does Clay County receive?
Clay County received $52K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($1.35/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Clay County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Clay County is $436K (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Clay County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Clay (TRACE · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE PASTURE-LED
Knott County, KY · LIGHT
$52K federal receipts is higher by - than Clay; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Dickinson County, MI · TRACE
$51K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Clay; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Otsego County, MI · TRACE
$51K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Clay; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Jefferson Davis County, MS · TRACE
$53K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Clay; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Mcduffie County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Mcduffie sits near Clay on payments-per-acre ($1.36) while total receipts differ.
Orange County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Orange sits near Clay on payments-per-acre ($1.34) while total receipts differ.
Kentucky ERS state roll-up
Clay stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED inside Kentucky's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2793)
Clay ranks #2793 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
Clay County, Kentucky stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2793 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.