Farm operations
427
Avg 2,756 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30021 427 farms Upper-middle (#22/56) 34% cropland HEAVY MIXED
Dawson County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Dawson County. Ranked #22 of 56 counties in Montana.
1.18M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 33.9% 399K acres
- Other land
- 66.1% 778K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Dawson County received $13.27 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.9× the Montana county median of $7.13.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $13.27
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.13
- Montana county median per acre
- 1.86×
- 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.
427 farms · $97.6M sales
Dawson County, Montana reports 427 farms and $97.6M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #113 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #22 of 56 counties in Montana; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #22 of 56
- National payments rank #113 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 16.0%
Commodity sales
$97.6M
1.3× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$15.6M
16.0% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$33.4M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Dawson County's net farm income sits at the 60th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Dawson County Farm Data Shows
Dawson County, Montana reported 427 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $97.6M in total commodity sales and receiving $15.6M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($13.27/acre); land stamp MIXED. Net cash farm income came in at $33.4M. In-state sales rank #22 of 56 in Montana.
Of 1,177,000 acres agricultural land, cropland is 398,960 acres (33.9%) with the balance in pasture, range, woodland, or farmsteads, a MIXED footprint. Average farm size 2,756 acres. Federal intensity is HEAVY; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Montana.
Land Use
$13.27 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
1,177,000 acres
Cropland
398,960 acres
Avg Farm Size
2,756 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 33.9%
398,960 cropland acres · MIXED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 1,177,000 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 398,960 | 33.9% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 778,040 | 66.1% |
| Average farm size | 2,756 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Dawson County, Montana?
Dawson County, Montana has 427 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 2,756 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Dawson County?
Dawson County's total commodity sales are $97.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #22 among 56 counties in Montana.
How much federal farm assistance does Dawson County receive?
Dawson County received $15.6M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($13.27/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Dawson County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Dawson County is $33.4M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Dawson County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Dawson (HEAVY · MIXED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY MIXED
Redwood County, MN · DENSE
$15.7M federal receipts is higher by $42K than Dawson; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Beadle County, SD · DENSE
$15.8M federal receipts is higher by $134K than Dawson; land stamp CROP-LED vs MIXED.
Kiowa County, CO · HEAVY
$15.5M federal receipts is lower by $159K than Dawson; land stamp CROP-LED vs MIXED.
Plymouth County, IA · DENSE
$15.9M federal receipts is higher by $252K than Dawson; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Toole County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Toole sits near Dawson on payments-per-acre ($13.35) while total receipts differ.
Yuma County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Yuma sits near Dawson on payments-per-acre ($12.80) while total receipts differ.
Montana ERS state roll-up
Dawson stamps HEAVY · MIXED inside Montana's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#113)
Dawson ranks #113 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the HEAVY intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Dawson County, Montana stamps HEAVY · MIXED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #113 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.