Farm operations
1,078
Avg 553 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30047 1,078 farms Lower-middle (#31/56) 13% cropland TRACE PASTURE-LED
Lake County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Lake County. Ranked #31 of 56 counties in Montana.
596K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 13.3% 79K acres
- Other land
- 86.7% 517K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Lake County received $1.83 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.3× the Montana county median of $7.13.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $1.83
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $7.13
- Montana county median per acre
- 0.26×
- 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.
1,078 farms · $69.0M sales
Lake County, Montana reports 1,078 farms and $69.0M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1783 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #31 of 56 counties in Montana; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #31 of 56
- National payments rank #1783 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.6%
Commodity sales
$69.0M
0.93× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$1.1M
1.6% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$9.9M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
D
Farm economy grade: D -- Lake County's net farm income sits at the 37th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Lake County Farm Data Shows
Lake County, Montana reported 1,078 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $69.0M in total commodity sales and receiving $1.1M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($1.83/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $9.9M. In-state sales rank #31 of 56 in Montana.
Of 596,272 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 79,393 acres (13.3%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is TRACE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Montana.
Land Use
$1.83 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
596,272 acres
Cropland
79,393 acres
Avg Farm Size
553 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 13.3%
79,393 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 596,272 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 79,393 | 13.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 516,879 | 86.7% |
| Average farm size | 553 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Lake County, Montana?
Lake County, Montana has 1,078 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 553 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Lake County?
Lake County's total commodity sales are $69.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #31 among 56 counties in Montana.
How much federal farm assistance does Lake County receive?
Lake County received $1.1M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($1.83/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Lake County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Lake County is $9.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Lake County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Lake (TRACE · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE PASTURE-LED
Hardin County, KY · LIGHT
$1.1M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Lake; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Menominee County, MI · HEAVY
$1.1M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Lake; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Currituck County, NC · DENSE
$1.1M federal receipts is higher by $2K than Lake; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Plumas County, CA · MID
$1.1M federal receipts is lower by $3K than Lake; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Sterling County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Sterling sits near Lake on payments-per-acre ($1.65) while total receipts differ.
Osceola County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Osceola sits near Lake on payments-per-acre ($2.01) while total receipts differ.
Montana ERS state roll-up
Lake stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED inside Montana's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1783)
Lake ranks #1783 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the TRACE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Lake County, Montana stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1783 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.