Farm operations
70
Avg 56 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census NC · FIPS 37173 70 farms Bottom quartile (#96/100) 30% cropland LIGHT MIXED
Swain County, North Carolina - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Swain County. Ranked #96 of 100 counties in North Carolina.
4K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 29.5% 1K acres
- Other land
- 70.5% 3K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Swain County received $4.33 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.3× the North Carolina county median of $12.60.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $4.33
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $12.60
- North Carolina county median per acre
- 0.34×
- 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.
70 farms · $1.3M sales
Swain County, North Carolina reports 70 farms and $1.3M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2903 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #96 of 100 counties in North Carolina; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #96 of 100
- National payments rank #2903 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.3%
Commodity sales
$1.3M
0.015× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$17K
1.3% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$142K
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
F
Farm economy grade: F -- Swain County's net farm income sits at the 15th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Swain County Farm Data Shows
Swain County, North Carolina reported 70 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $1.3M in total commodity sales and receiving $17K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($4.33/acre); land stamp MIXED. Net cash farm income came in at $142K. In-state sales rank #96 of 100 in North Carolina.
Of 3,930 acres agricultural land, cropland is 1,158 acres (29.5%) with the balance in pasture, range, woodland, or farmsteads, a MIXED footprint. Average farm size 56 acres. Federal intensity is LIGHT; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of North Carolina.
Land Use
$4.33 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
3,930 acres
Cropland
1,158 acres
Avg Farm Size
56 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 29.5%
1,158 cropland acres · MIXED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 3,930 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 1,158 | 29.5% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 2,772 | 70.5% |
| Average farm size | 56 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Swain County, North Carolina?
Swain County, North Carolina has 70 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 56 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Swain County?
Swain County's total commodity sales are $1.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #96 among 100 counties in North Carolina.
How much federal farm assistance does Swain County receive?
Swain County received $17K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($4.33/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Swain County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Swain County is $142K (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Swain County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Swain (LIGHT · MIXED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT MIXED
Pinellas County, FL · LIGHT
$17K federal receipts is higher by - than Swain; land stamp MIXED vs MIXED.
Coweta County, GA · TRACE
$17K federal receipts is higher by - than Swain; land stamp MIXED vs MIXED.
Grant County, KY · TRACE
$17K federal receipts is higher by - than Swain; land stamp MIXED vs MIXED.
Hancock County, MS · TRACE
$17K federal receipts is higher by - than Swain; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs MIXED.
Letcher County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Letcher sits near Swain on payments-per-acre ($4.28) while total receipts differ.
Roscommon County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Roscommon sits near Swain on payments-per-acre ($4.87) while total receipts differ.
North Carolina ERS state roll-up
Swain stamps LIGHT · MIXED inside North Carolina's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2903)
Swain ranks #2903 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the LIGHT intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Swain County, North Carolina stamps LIGHT · MIXED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2903 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.