Farm operations
541
Avg 182 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census KY · FIPS 21161 541 farms Upper-middle (#60/120) 55% cropland LIGHT CROP-LED
Mason County, Kentucky - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Mason County. Ranked #60 of 120 counties in Kentucky.
98K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 55.0% 54K acres
- Other land
- 45.0% 44K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Mason County received $6.35 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.9× the Kentucky county median of $3.27.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $6.35
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $3.27
- Kentucky county median per acre
- 1.94×
- 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.
541 farms · $41.0M sales
Mason County, Kentucky reports 541 farms and $41.0M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2089 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #60 of 120 counties in Kentucky; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #60 of 120
- National payments rank #2089 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.5%
Commodity sales
$41.0M
1.0× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$625K
1.5% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$7.3M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
D
Farm economy grade: D -- Mason County's net farm income sits at the 33th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Mason County Farm Data Shows
Mason County, Kentucky reported 541 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $41.0M in total commodity sales and receiving $625K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($6.35/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $7.3M. In-state sales rank #60 of 120 in Kentucky.
Of 98,439 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 54,185 acres (55.0%) - a CROP-LED profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is LIGHT; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Kentucky.
Land Use
$6.35 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
98,439 acres
Cropland
54,185 acres
Avg Farm Size
182 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 55.0%
54,185 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 98,439 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 54,185 | 55.0% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 44,254 | 45.0% |
| Average farm size | 182 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Mason County, Kentucky?
Mason County, Kentucky has 541 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 182 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Mason County?
Mason County's total commodity sales are $41.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #60 among 120 counties in Kentucky.
How much federal farm assistance does Mason County receive?
Mason County received $625K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($6.35/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Mason County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Mason County is $7.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Mason County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Mason (LIGHT · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT CROP-LED
Orange County, FL · LIGHT
$626K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Mason; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-LED.
Walton County, FL · LIGHT
$626K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Mason; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Lewis County, WA · LIGHT
$624K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Mason; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Mason County, WV · LIGHT
$626K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Mason; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Taney County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Taney sits near Mason on payments-per-acre ($6.31) while total receipts differ.
Santa Cruz County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Santa Cruz sits near Mason on payments-per-acre ($6.30) while total receipts differ.
Kentucky ERS state roll-up
Mason stamps LIGHT · CROP-LED inside Kentucky's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2089)
Mason ranks #2089 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
Mason County, Kentucky stamps LIGHT · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2089 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.