Farm operations
1,078
Avg 553 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census MT · FIPS 30047 Lower-middle by state sales TRACE PASTURE-LED
Lake County, Montana - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Lake County. Ranked #31 of 56 counties in Montana.
596,272 acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 13.3% 79,393 acres
- Other land
- 86.7% 516,879 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.
According to the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, Lake County, Montana is a PASTURE-LED county with federal farm payments per acre that stamp TRACE; commodity sales sit near state median and it shows below-typical federal dependence.
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 reads as a PASTURE-LED county with TRACE federal payment intensity. In the NASS Census vocabulary this portal uses, cropland is under 25% of agricultural land, a mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs; payments per agricultural acre fall in the lowest national quintile, under $3.41 an acre, so program receipts are a marginal line beside market revenue.
The state comparisons on this page use the 56 of 56 Montana counties with published commodity sales, averaging the two central values when the count is even. Payments per acre use the 54 counties that report both receipts and acreage, and net-income peers are the 51 that reported a profit.
Pair the payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Montana.
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
Open the national ranking of U.S. counties by NASS federal farm program payments to see the counties around Lake under the TRACE intensity band.
What to do with this
Three places to go next from Lake County, Montana:
- 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.
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).
State Overview
Montana
56 counties · View state farm data
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 2022 Census of Agriculture · 2022
Dollar values reflect calendar year 2022 farm operations data.
PlainFarmData is an independent data portal, not affiliated with USDA, FSA, or any government agency. For official program eligibility or application guidance, contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office.
Intensity stamp TRACE · land stamp PASTURE-LED (NASS payments-per-acre / cropland share bands).
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Verify with USDA NASS Census of Agriculture →
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.