Farm operations
400
Avg 74 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census NC · FIPS 37189 400 farms Bottom quartile (#85/100) 32% cropland DENSE MIXED
Watauga County, North Carolina - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Watauga County. Ranked #85 of 100 counties in North Carolina.
29K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 31.7% 9K acres
- Other land
- 68.3% 20K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Watauga County received $31.83 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 2.5× the North Carolina county median of $12.60.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $31.83
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $12.60
- North Carolina county median per acre
- 2.53×
- 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.
400 farms · $13.2M sales
Watauga County, North Carolina reports 400 farms and $13.2M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1865 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #85 of 100 counties in North Carolina; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #85 of 100
- National payments rank #1865 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 7.1%
Commodity sales
$13.2M
0.15× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$936K
7.1% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$818K
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
F
Farm economy grade: F -- Watauga County's net farm income sits at the 18th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Watauga County Farm Data Shows
Watauga County, North Carolina reported 400 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $13.2M in total commodity sales and receiving $936K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($31.83/acre); land stamp MIXED. Net cash farm income came in at $818K. In-state sales rank #85 of 100 in North Carolina.
Of 29,402 acres agricultural land, cropland is 9,325 acres (31.7%) with the balance in pasture, range, woodland, or farmsteads, a MIXED footprint. Average farm size 74 acres. Federal intensity is DENSE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of North Carolina.
Land Use
$31.83 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
29,402 acres
Cropland
9,325 acres
Avg Farm Size
74 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 31.7%
9,325 cropland acres · MIXED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 29,402 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 9,325 | 31.7% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 20,077 | 68.3% |
| Average farm size | 74 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Watauga County, North Carolina?
Watauga County, North Carolina has 400 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 74 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Watauga County?
Watauga County's total commodity sales are $13.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #85 among 100 counties in North Carolina.
How much federal farm assistance does Watauga County receive?
Watauga County received $936K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($31.83/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Watauga County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Watauga County is $818K (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Watauga County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Watauga (DENSE · MIXED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE MIXED
Marion County, FL · TRACE
$939K federal receipts is higher by $3K than Watauga; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs MIXED.
Doniphan County, KS · LIGHT
$939K federal receipts is higher by $3K than Watauga; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Caswell County, NC · MID
$939K federal receipts is higher by $3K than Watauga; land stamp MIXED vs MIXED.
Dubois County, IN · LIGHT
$932K federal receipts is lower by $4K than Watauga; land stamp CROP-LED vs MIXED.
Bristol County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Bristol sits near Watauga on payments-per-acre ($31.48) while total receipts differ.
Echols County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Echols sits near Watauga on payments-per-acre ($32.43) while total receipts differ.
North Carolina ERS state roll-up
Watauga stamps DENSE · MIXED inside North Carolina's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1865)
Watauga ranks #1865 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
Watauga County, North Carolina stamps DENSE · MIXED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1865 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.