Farm operations
447
Avg 280 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census NC · FIPS 37047 447 farms Upper-middle (#27/100) 68% cropland DENSE CROP-LED
Columbus County, North Carolina - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Columbus County. Ranked #27 of 100 counties in North Carolina.
125K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 68.4% 86K acres
- Other land
- 31.6% 40K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Columbus County received $24.45 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.9× the North Carolina county median of $12.60.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $24.45
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $12.60
- North Carolina county median per acre
- 1.94×
- North Carolina 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.
447 farms · $221.8M sales
Columbus County, North Carolina reports 447 farms and $221.8M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1011 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #27 of 100 counties in North Carolina; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #27 of 100
- National payments rank #1011 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.4%
Commodity sales
$221.8M
2.5× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$3.1M
1.4% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$93.1M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Columbus County's net farm income sits at the 83th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Columbus County Farm Data Shows
Columbus County, North Carolina reported 447 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $221.8M in total commodity sales and receiving $3.1M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($24.45/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $93.1M. In-state sales rank #27 of 100 in North Carolina.
Of 125,177 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 85,669 acres (68.4%) - a CROP-LED 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 North Carolina.
Land Use
$24.45 per acre of agricultural land · the median North Carolina county receives $12.60. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
125,177 acres
Cropland
85,669 acres
Avg Farm Size
280 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 68.4%
85,669 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 125,177 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 85,669 | 68.4% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 39,508 | 31.6% |
| Average farm size | 280 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Columbus County, North Carolina?
Columbus County, North Carolina has 447 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 280 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Columbus County?
Columbus County's total commodity sales are $221.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #27 among 100 counties in North Carolina.
How much federal farm assistance does Columbus County receive?
Columbus County received $3.1M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($24.45/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Columbus County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Columbus County is $93.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Columbus County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Columbus (DENSE · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-LED
Green County, KY · DENSE
$3.1M federal receipts is higher by - than Columbus; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Stafford County, KS · MID
$3.1M federal receipts is higher by $4K than Columbus; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Grant County, SD · MID
$3.1M federal receipts is higher by $5K than Columbus; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Rogers County, OK · HEAVY
$3.1M federal receipts is higher by $6K than Columbus; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-LED.
Perry County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Perry sits near Columbus on payments-per-acre ($24.39) while total receipts differ.
Nash County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Nash sits near Columbus on payments-per-acre ($24.31) while total receipts differ.
North Carolina ERS state roll-up
Columbus stamps DENSE · CROP-LED inside North Carolina's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1011)
Columbus ranks #1011 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
Columbus County, North Carolina stamps DENSE · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1011 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how North Carolina compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. North Carolina 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.