Farm operations
411
Avg 4,443 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census NM · FIPS 35025 411 farms Top quartile (#5/33) 5% cropland TRACE PASTURE-LED
Lea County, New Mexico - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Lea County. Ranked #5 of 33 counties in New Mexico.
1.83M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 5.0% 92K acres
- Other land
- 95.0% 1.73M acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Lea County received $2.37 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.0× the New Mexico county median of $2.38.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $2.37
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $2.38
- New Mexico county median per acre
- 1.00×
- New Mexico 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.
411 farms · $259.3M sales
Lea County, New Mexico reports 411 farms and $259.3M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #712 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #5 of 33 counties in New Mexico; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #5 of 33
- National payments rank #712 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.7%
Commodity sales
$259.3M
10.5× state median -- Far above state median
Federal payments
$4.3M
1.7% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$64.2M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Lea County's net farm income sits at the 75th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Lea County Farm Data Shows
Lea County, New Mexico reported 411 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $259.3M in total commodity sales and receiving $4.3M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($2.37/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $64.2M. In-state sales rank #5 of 33 in New Mexico.
Of 1,826,208 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 92,019 acres (5.0%) - 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 New Mexico.
Land Use
$2.37 per acre of agricultural land · the median New Mexico county receives $2.38. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
1,826,208 acres
Cropland
92,019 acres
Avg Farm Size
4,443 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 5.0%
92,019 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 1,826,208 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 92,019 | 5.0% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 1,734,189 | 95.0% |
| Average farm size | 4,443 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Lea County, New Mexico?
Lea County, New Mexico has 411 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 4,443 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Lea County?
Lea County's total commodity sales are $259.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #5 among 33 counties in New Mexico.
How much federal farm assistance does Lea County receive?
Lea County received $4.3M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($2.37/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Lea County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Lea County is $64.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Lea County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Lea (TRACE · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE PASTURE-LED
Moffat County, CO · LIGHT
$4.3M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Lea; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Victoria County, TX · MID
$4.3M federal receipts is higher by $1K than Lea; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Newton County, MO · HEAVY
$4.3M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Lea; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Shelby County, IL · HEAVY
$4.3M federal receipts is lower by $7K than Lea; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Natrona County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Natrona sits near Lea on payments-per-acre ($2.39) while total receipts differ.
Union County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Union sits near Lea on payments-per-acre ($2.01) while total receipts differ.
New Mexico ERS state roll-up
Lea stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED inside New Mexico's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#712)
Lea ranks #712 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
Lea County, New Mexico stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #712 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how New Mexico compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. New Mexico 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.