Farm operations
687
Avg 3,434 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30015 687 farms Top quartile (#1/56) 63% cropland MID CROP-LED
Chouteau County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Chouteau County. Ranked #1 of 56 counties in Montana.
2.36M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 62.8% 1.48M acres
- Other land
- 37.2% 877K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Chouteau County received $9.64 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.4× the Montana county median of $7.13.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $9.64
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.13
- Montana county median per acre
- 1.35×
- Montana 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.
687 farms · $213.8M sales
Chouteau County, Montana reports 687 farms and $213.8M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #43 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #1 of 56 counties in Montana; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #1 of 56
- National payments rank #43 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 10.6%
Commodity sales
$213.8M
2.9× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$22.8M
10.6% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$47.9M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Chouteau County's net farm income sits at the 67th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Chouteau County Farm Data Shows
Chouteau County, Montana reported 687 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $213.8M in total commodity sales and receiving $22.8M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp MID ($9.64/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $47.9M. In-state sales rank #1 of 56 in Montana.
Of 2,359,276 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 1,481,908 acres (62.8%) - a CROP-LED 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 Montana.
Land Use
$9.64 per acre of agricultural land · the median Montana county receives $7.13. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
2,359,276 acres
Cropland
1,481,908 acres
Avg Farm Size
3,434 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 62.8%
1,481,908 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 2,359,276 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 1,481,908 | 62.8% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 877,368 | 37.2% |
| Average farm size | 3,434 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Chouteau County, Montana?
Chouteau County, Montana has 687 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 3,434 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Chouteau County?
Chouteau County's total commodity sales are $213.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #1 among 56 counties in Montana.
How much federal farm assistance does Chouteau County receive?
Chouteau County received $22.8M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping MID on NASS payments-per-acre ($9.64/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Chouteau County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Chouteau County is $47.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Chouteau County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Chouteau (MID · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
MID CROP-LED
Dickey County, ND · DENSE
$22.8M federal receipts is higher by $60K than Chouteau; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Hockley County, TX · DENSE
$22.9M federal receipts is higher by $132K than Chouteau; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Kit Carson County, CO · HEAVY
$23.1M federal receipts is higher by $361K than Chouteau; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Williams County, ND · DENSE
$22.3M federal receipts is lower by $425K than Chouteau; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Harding County (MID $/acre pole)
Harding sits near Chouteau on payments-per-acre ($9.84) while total receipts differ.
Lincoln County (MID $/acre pole)
Lincoln sits near Chouteau on payments-per-acre ($9.40) while total receipts differ.
Montana ERS state roll-up
Chouteau stamps MID · CROP-LED inside Montana's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#43)
Chouteau ranks #43 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
Chouteau County, Montana stamps MID · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #43 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Montana compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Montana 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.