Farm operations
366
Avg 353 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MD · FIPS 24019 366 farms Top quartile (#3/23) 76% cropland MID CROP-HEAVY
Dorchester County, Maryland - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Dorchester County. Ranked #3 of 23 counties in Maryland.
129K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 76.4% 99K acres
- Other land
- 23.6% 31K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Dorchester County received $10.26 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.3× the Maryland county median of $7.71.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $10.26
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.71
- Maryland county median per acre
- 1.33×
- Maryland 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.
366 farms · $365.7M sales
Dorchester County, Maryland reports 366 farms and $365.7M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1654 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #3 of 23 counties in Maryland; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #3 of 23
- National payments rank #1654 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.4%
Commodity sales
$365.7M
3.3× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$1.3M
0.4% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$120.2M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Dorchester County's net farm income sits at the 89th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Dorchester County Farm Data Shows
Dorchester County, Maryland reported 366 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $365.7M in total commodity sales and receiving $1.3M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp MID ($10.26/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $120.2M. In-state sales rank #3 of 23 in Maryland.
Of 129,197 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 98,684 acres (76.4%) - a CROP-HEAVY profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is MID; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Maryland.
Land Use
$10.26 per acre of agricultural land · the median Maryland county receives $7.71. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
129,197 acres
Cropland
98,684 acres
Avg Farm Size
353 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 76.4%
98,684 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 129,197 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 98,684 | 76.4% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 30,513 | 23.6% |
| Average farm size | 353 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Dorchester County, Maryland?
Dorchester County, Maryland has 366 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 353 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Dorchester County?
Dorchester County's total commodity sales are $365.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #3 among 23 counties in Maryland.
How much federal farm assistance does Dorchester County receive?
Dorchester County received $1.3M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping MID on NASS payments-per-acre ($10.26/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Dorchester County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Dorchester County is $120.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Dorchester County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Dorchester (MID · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
MID CROP-HEAVY
Pope County, AR · MID
$1.3M federal receipts is higher by $1K than Dorchester; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Inyo County, CA · LIGHT
$1.3M federal receipts is higher by $1K than Dorchester; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Cleburne County, AR · HEAVY
$1.3M federal receipts is higher by $3K than Dorchester; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Caroline County, VA · DENSE
$1.3M federal receipts is lower by $3K than Dorchester; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Ripley County (MID $/acre pole)
Ripley sits near Dorchester on payments-per-acre ($10.36) while total receipts differ.
Smyth County (MID $/acre pole)
Smyth sits near Dorchester on payments-per-acre ($10.11) while total receipts differ.
Maryland ERS state roll-up
Dorchester stamps MID · CROP-HEAVY inside Maryland's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1654)
Dorchester ranks #1654 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the MID intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Dorchester County, Maryland stamps MID · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1654 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Maryland compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Maryland 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.