Farm operations
701
Avg 2,645 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30041 701 farms Top quartile (#3/56) 76% cropland HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Hill County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Hill County. Ranked #3 of 56 counties in Montana.
1.85M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 75.8% 1.41M acres
- Other land
- 24.2% 449K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Hill County received $14.41 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 2.0× the Montana county median of $7.13.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $14.41
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.13
- Montana county median per acre
- 2.02×
- 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.
701 farms · $189.0M sales
Hill County, Montana reports 701 farms and $189.0M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #25 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 56 counties in Montana; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #3 of 56
- National payments rank #25 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 14.1%
Commodity sales
$189.0M
2.5× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$26.7M
14.1% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$56.6M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Hill County's net farm income sits at the 72th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Hill County Farm Data Shows
Hill County, Montana reported 701 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $189.0M in total commodity sales and receiving $26.7M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($14.41/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $56.6M. In-state sales rank #3 of 56 in Montana.
Of 1,854,358 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 1,405,565 acres (75.8%) - a CROP-HEAVY profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is HEAVY; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Montana.
Land Use
$14.41 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
1,854,358 acres
Cropland
1,405,565 acres
Avg Farm Size
2,645 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 75.8%
1,405,565 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 1,854,358 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 1,405,565 | 75.8% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 448,793 | 24.2% |
| Average farm size | 2,645 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Hill County, Montana?
Hill County, Montana has 701 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 2,645 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Hill County?
Hill County's total commodity sales are $189.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #3 among 56 counties in Montana.
How much federal farm assistance does Hill County receive?
Hill County received $26.7M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($14.41/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Hill County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Hill County is $56.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Hill County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Hill (HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Edmunds County, SD · DENSE
$26.9M federal receipts is higher by $198K than Hill; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Walsh County, ND · DENSE
$25.8M federal receipts is lower by $944K than Hill; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Mchenry County, ND · DENSE
$25.7M federal receipts is lower by $1.0M than Hill; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Terry County, TX · DENSE
$25.5M federal receipts is lower by $1.2M than Hill; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Kern County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Kern sits near Hill on payments-per-acre ($14.21) while total receipts differ.
Lyman County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Lyman sits near Hill on payments-per-acre ($14.66) while total receipts differ.
Montana ERS state roll-up
Hill stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY inside Montana's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#25)
Hill ranks #25 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
Hill County, Montana stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #25 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.