Farm operations
366
Avg 353 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MD · FIPS 24019 Top quartile by state sales MID CROP-HEAVY
Dorchester County, Maryland - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Dorchester County. Ranked #3 of 23 counties in Maryland.
129,197 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 76.4% 98,684 acres
- Other land
- 23.6% 30,513 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.
According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Dorchester County, Maryland is a CROP-HEAVY county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp MID; commodity sales sit above state median and it shows below-typical federal dependence.
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 reads as a CROP-HEAVY county with MID federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is 75% or more of agricultural land, a profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles; payments per agricultural acre fall in the middle national quintile, $6.98 to $11.30 an acre, a mid-range level of federal support for the land base.
The state comparisons on this page use the 23 of 23 Maryland counties with published commodity sales, averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 23 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 22 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Maryland.
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
Open the national ranking of U.S. counties by NASS federal farm program payments to see the counties around Dorchester under the MID intensity band.
What to do with this
Three places to go next from Dorchester County, Maryland:
- 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.
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).
State Overview
Maryland
23 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 MID · land stamp CROP-HEAVY (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.