Farm operations
467
Avg 164 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census KY · FIPS 21181 467 farms Lower-middle (#66/120) 45% cropland LIGHT MIXED
Nicholas County, Kentucky - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Nicholas County. Ranked #66 of 120 counties in Kentucky.
77K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 44.5% 34K acres
- Other land
- 55.5% 43K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Nicholas County received $4.76 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.5× the Kentucky county median of $3.27.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $4.76
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $3.27
- Kentucky county median per acre
- 1.45×
- 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.
467 farms · $32.0M sales
Nicholas County, Kentucky reports 467 farms and $32.0M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2310 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #66 of 120 counties in Kentucky; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #66 of 120
- National payments rank #2310 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.1%
Commodity sales
$32.0M
0.81× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$365K
1.1% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$4.4M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
D
Farm economy grade: D -- Nicholas County's net farm income sits at the 27th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Nicholas County Farm Data Shows
Nicholas County, Kentucky reported 467 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $32.0M in total commodity sales and receiving $365K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($4.76/acre); land stamp MIXED. Net cash farm income came in at $4.4M. In-state sales rank #66 of 120 in Kentucky.
Of 76,674 acres agricultural land, cropland is 34,157 acres (44.5%) with the balance in pasture, range, woodland, or farmsteads, a MIXED footprint. Average farm size 164 acres. Federal intensity is LIGHT; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Kentucky.
Land Use
$4.76 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
76,674 acres
Cropland
34,157 acres
Avg Farm Size
164 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 44.5%
34,157 cropland acres · MIXED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 76,674 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 34,157 | 44.5% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 42,517 | 55.5% |
| Average farm size | 164 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Nicholas County, Kentucky?
Nicholas County, Kentucky has 467 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 164 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Nicholas County?
Nicholas County's total commodity sales are $32.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #66 among 120 counties in Kentucky.
How much federal farm assistance does Nicholas County receive?
Nicholas County received $365K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($4.76/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Nicholas County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Nicholas County is $4.4M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Nicholas County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Nicholas (LIGHT · MIXED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT MIXED
Garrett County, MD · LIGHT
$365K federal receipts is higher by - than Nicholas; land stamp MIXED vs MIXED.
Bullock County, AL · TRACE
$366K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Nicholas; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs MIXED.
Honolulu County, HI · LIGHT
$367K federal receipts is higher by $2K than Nicholas; land stamp MIXED vs MIXED.
Hampshire County, WV · TRACE
$363K federal receipts is lower by $2K than Nicholas; land stamp MIXED vs MIXED.
Richland County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Richland sits near Nicholas on payments-per-acre ($4.75) while total receipts differ.
Monroe County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Monroe sits near Nicholas on payments-per-acre ($4.78) while total receipts differ.
Kentucky ERS state roll-up
Nicholas stamps LIGHT · MIXED inside Kentucky's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2310)
Nicholas ranks #2310 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
Nicholas County, Kentucky stamps LIGHT · MIXED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2310 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.