Farm operations
71
Avg 69 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census KY · FIPS 21133 Bottom quartile by state sales LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Letcher County, Kentucky - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Letcher County. Ranked #115 of 120 counties in Kentucky.
4,912 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 13.5% 661 acres
- Other land
- 86.5% 4,251 acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Letcher County received $4.28 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.3× the Kentucky county median of $3.27.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $4.28
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $3.27
- Kentucky county median per acre
- 1.31×
- 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, Letcher County, Kentucky is a PASTURE-LED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp LIGHT; commodity sales sit well below state median and it shows above-typical federal dependence.
Commodity sales
$650K
0.016× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$21K
3.2% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$-203K
2022 cash income -- Net loss
F
Farm economy grade: F -- Letcher County's net farm income sits at the 13th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Letcher County Farm Data Shows
Letcher County, Kentucky reads as a PASTURE-LED county with LIGHT federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is under 25% of agricultural land, a mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs; payments per agricultural acre fall in the second-lowest national quintile, $3.41 to $6.98 an acre, which is light federal support for the land base.
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 Letcher County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Letcher (LIGHT · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Essex County, VT · TRACE
$21K federal receipts is higher by - than Letcher; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Gilpin County, CO · LIGHT
$20K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Letcher; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Leon County, FL · TRACE
$20K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Letcher; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Roscommon County, MI · LIGHT
$20K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Letcher; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Swain County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Swain sits near Letcher on payments-per-acre ($4.33) while total receipts differ.
Pinellas County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Pinellas sits near Letcher on payments-per-acre ($4.54) while total receipts differ.
Kentucky ERS state roll-up
Letcher stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED 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 Letcher under the LIGHT intensity band.
What to do with this
Three ways to keep going from Letcher 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 Letcher County, Kentucky?
Letcher County, Kentucky has 71 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 69 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Letcher County?
Letcher County's total commodity sales are $650K (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #115 among 120 counties in Kentucky.
How much federal farm assistance does Letcher County receive?
Letcher County received $21K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($4.28/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Letcher County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Letcher County is $-203K (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 LIGHT · land stamp PASTURE-LED (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.