Farm operations
345
Avg 109 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MD · FIPS 24027 345 farms Bottom quartile (#18/23) 53% cropland LIGHT CROP-LED
Howard County, Maryland - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Howard County. Ranked #18 of 23 counties in Maryland.
38K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 52.6% 20K acres
- Other land
- 47.4% 18K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Howard County received $6.00 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.8× the Maryland county median of $7.71.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $6.00
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.71
- Maryland county median per acre
- 0.78×
- 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.
345 farms · $29.6M sales
Howard County, Maryland reports 345 farms and $29.6M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2491 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #18 of 23 counties in Maryland; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #18 of 23
- National payments rank #2491 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.8%
Commodity sales
$29.6M
0.27× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$226K
0.8% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$483K
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
F
Farm economy grade: F -- Howard County's net farm income sits at the 17th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Howard County Farm Data Shows
Howard County, Maryland reported 345 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $29.6M in total commodity sales and receiving $226K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($6.00/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $483K. In-state sales rank #18 of 23 in Maryland.
Of 37,639 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 19,811 acres (52.6%) - 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 Maryland.
Land Use
$6.00 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
37,639 acres
Cropland
19,811 acres
Avg Farm Size
109 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 52.6%
19,811 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 37,639 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 19,811 | 52.6% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 17,828 | 47.4% |
| Average farm size | 109 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Howard County, Maryland?
Howard County, Maryland has 345 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 109 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Howard County?
Howard County's total commodity sales are $29.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #18 among 23 counties in Maryland.
How much federal farm assistance does Howard County receive?
Howard County received $226K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($6.00/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Howard County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Howard County is $483K (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Howard County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Howard (LIGHT · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT CROP-LED
Waldo County, ME · LIGHT
$226K federal receipts is higher by - than Howard; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Polk County, NC · MID
$226K federal receipts is higher by - than Howard; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Wayne County, MS · TRACE
$227K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Howard; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-LED.
Scioto County, OH · TRACE
$227K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Howard; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Androscoggin County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Androscoggin sits near Howard on payments-per-acre ($5.97) while total receipts differ.
Lyon County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Lyon sits near Howard on payments-per-acre ($6.05) while total receipts differ.
Maryland ERS state roll-up
Howard stamps LIGHT · CROP-LED inside Maryland's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2491)
Howard ranks #2491 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
Howard County, Maryland stamps LIGHT · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2491 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.