Farm operations
446
Avg 588 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census NE · FIPS 31179 446 farms Upper-middle (#36/93) 90% cropland HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Wayne County, Nebraska - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Wayne County. Ranked #36 of 93 counties in Nebraska.
262K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 90.3% 237K acres
- Other land
- 9.7% 26K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Wayne County received $12.32 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.3× the Nebraska county median of $9.57.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $12.32
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $9.57
- Nebraska county median per acre
- 1.29×
- 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.
446 farms · $315.8M sales
Wayne County, Nebraska reports 446 farms and $315.8M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #960 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #36 of 93 counties in Nebraska; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #36 of 93
- National payments rank #960 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.0%
Commodity sales
$315.8M
1.4× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$3.2M
1.0% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$106.7M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Wayne County's net farm income sits at the 86th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Wayne County Farm Data Shows
Wayne County, Nebraska reported 446 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $315.8M in total commodity sales and receiving $3.2M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($12.32/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $106.7M. In-state sales rank #36 of 93 in Nebraska.
Of 262,185 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 236,676 acres (90.3%) - 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 Nebraska.
Land Use
$12.32 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
262,185 acres
Cropland
236,676 acres
Avg Farm Size
588 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 90.3%
236,676 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 262,185 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 236,676 | 90.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 25,509 | 9.7% |
| Average farm size | 588 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Wayne County, Nebraska?
Wayne County, Nebraska has 446 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 588 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Wayne County?
Wayne County's total commodity sales are $315.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #36 among 93 counties in Nebraska.
How much federal farm assistance does Wayne County receive?
Wayne County received $3.2M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($12.32/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Wayne County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Wayne County is $106.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Wayne County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Wayne (HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Seminole County, GA · DENSE
$3.2M federal receipts is lower by $8K than Wayne; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Nash County, NC · DENSE
$3.2M federal receipts is higher by $9K than Wayne; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Des Moines County, IA · DENSE
$3.2M federal receipts is lower by $10K than Wayne; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Wabasha County, MN · HEAVY
$3.2M federal receipts is lower by $10K than Wayne; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Fulton County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Fulton sits near Wayne on payments-per-acre ($12.35) while total receipts differ.
Webster County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Webster sits near Wayne on payments-per-acre ($12.28) while total receipts differ.
Nebraska ERS state roll-up
Wayne stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY inside Nebraska's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#960)
Wayne ranks #960 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
Wayne County, Nebraska stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #960 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.