Farm operations
238
Avg 655 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census NE · FIPS 31173 238 farms Lower-middle (#56/93) 91% cropland DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Thurston County, Nebraska - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Thurston County. Ranked #56 of 93 counties in Nebraska.
156K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 91.4% 142K acres
- Other land
- 8.6% 13K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Thurston County received $21.31 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 2.2× the Nebraska county median of $9.57.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $21.31
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $9.57
- Nebraska county median per acre
- 2.23×
- Nebraska 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.
238 farms · $190.2M sales
Thurston County, Nebraska reports 238 farms and $190.2M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #937 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #56 of 93 counties in Nebraska; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #56 of 93
- National payments rank #937 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.7%
Commodity sales
$190.2M
0.85× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$3.3M
1.7% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$48.3M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Thurston County's net farm income sits at the 68th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Thurston County Farm Data Shows
Thurston County, Nebraska reported 238 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $190.2M in total commodity sales and receiving $3.3M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($21.31/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $48.3M. In-state sales rank #56 of 93 in Nebraska.
Of 155,821 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 142,379 acres (91.4%) - a CROP-HEAVY profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is DENSE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Nebraska.
Land Use
$21.31 per acre of agricultural land · the median Nebraska county receives $9.57. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
155,821 acres
Cropland
142,379 acres
Avg Farm Size
655 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 91.4%
142,379 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 155,821 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 142,379 | 91.4% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 13,442 | 8.6% |
| Average farm size | 655 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Thurston County, Nebraska?
Thurston County, Nebraska has 238 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 655 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Thurston County?
Thurston County's total commodity sales are $190.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #56 among 93 counties in Nebraska.
How much federal farm assistance does Thurston County receive?
Thurston County received $3.3M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($21.31/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Thurston County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Thurston County is $48.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Thurston County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Thurston (DENSE · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Converse County, WY · TRACE
$3.3M federal receipts is lower by $5K than Thurston; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Mercer County, MO · HEAVY
$3.3M federal receipts is lower by $9K than Thurston; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Clarendon County, SC · DENSE
$3.3M federal receipts is lower by $9K than Thurston; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Sedgwick County, CO · HEAVY
$3.3M federal receipts is higher by $13K than Thurston; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Bertie County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Bertie sits near Thurston on payments-per-acre ($21.41) while total receipts differ.
Green County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Green sits near Thurston on payments-per-acre ($21.09) while total receipts differ.
Nebraska ERS state roll-up
Thurston stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY inside Nebraska's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#937)
Thurston ranks #937 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the DENSE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Thurston County, Nebraska stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #937 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Nebraska compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Nebraska 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.