Farm operations
1,767
Avg 118 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census PA · FIPS 42011 1,767 farms Top quartile (#3/67) 78% cropland HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Berks County, Pennsylvania - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Berks County. Ranked #3 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
208K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 78.2% 163K acres
- Other land
- 21.8% 45K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Berks County received $13.34 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.6× the Pennsylvania county median of $8.38.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $13.34
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $8.38
- Pennsylvania county median per acre
- 1.59×
- Pennsylvania 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.
1,767 farms · $701.4M sales
Berks County, Pennsylvania reports 1,767 farms and $701.4M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1088 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #3 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #3 of 67
- National payments rank #1088 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.4%
Commodity sales
$701.4M
10.1× state median -- Far above state median
Federal payments
$2.8M
0.4% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$239.6M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
A
Farm economy grade: A -- Berks County's net farm income sits at the 97th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Berks County Farm Data Shows
Berks County, Pennsylvania reported 1,767 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $701.4M in total commodity sales and receiving $2.8M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($13.34/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $239.6M. In-state sales rank #3 of 67 in Pennsylvania.
Of 208,478 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 163,086 acres (78.2%) - 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 Pennsylvania.
Land Use
$13.34 per acre of agricultural land · the median Pennsylvania county receives $8.38. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
208,478 acres
Cropland
163,086 acres
Avg Farm Size
118 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 78.2%
163,086 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 208,478 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 163,086 | 78.2% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 45,392 | 21.8% |
| Average farm size | 118 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Berks County, Pennsylvania?
Berks County, Pennsylvania has 1,767 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 118 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Berks County?
Berks County's total commodity sales are $701.4M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #3 among 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
How much federal farm assistance does Berks County receive?
Berks County received $2.8M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($13.34/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Berks County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Berks County is $239.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Berks County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Berks (HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Routt County, CO · LIGHT
$2.8M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Berks; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Grundy County, IL · HEAVY
$2.8M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Berks; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Washington County, NE · HEAVY
$2.8M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Berks; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Benewah County, ID · DENSE
$2.8M federal receipts is higher by $3K than Berks; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Gosper County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Gosper sits near Berks on payments-per-acre ($13.29) while total receipts differ.
Paulding County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Paulding sits near Berks on payments-per-acre ($13.43) while total receipts differ.
Pennsylvania ERS state roll-up
Berks stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY inside Pennsylvania's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1088)
Berks ranks #1088 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
Berks County, Pennsylvania stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1088 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Pennsylvania compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Pennsylvania 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.