Farm operations
71
Avg 69 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census KY · FIPS 21133 71 farms Bottom quartile (#115/120) 14% cropland LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Letcher County, Kentucky - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Letcher County. Ranked #115 of 120 counties in Kentucky.
5K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 13.5% 661 acres
- Other land
- 86.5% 4K 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.
71 farms · $650K sales
Letcher County, Kentucky reports 71 farms and $650K in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2887 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #115 of 120 counties in Kentucky; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #115 of 120
- National payments rank #2887 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 3.2%
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 reported 71 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $650K in total commodity sales and receiving $21K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($4.28/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $-203K. In-state sales rank #115 of 120 in Kentucky.
Of 4,912 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 661 acres (13.5%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is LIGHT; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Kentucky.
Land Use
$4.28 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
4,912 acres
Cropland
661 acres
Avg Farm Size
69 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 13.5%
661 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 4,912 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 661 | 13.5% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 4,251 | 86.5% |
| Average farm size | 69 | acres / farm |
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).
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 (#2887)
Letcher ranks #2887 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the LIGHT intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Letcher County, Kentucky stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2887 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.