Farm operations
685
Avg 128 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census PA · FIPS 42043 685 farms Upper-middle (#20/67) 76% cropland DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Dauphin County. Ranked #20 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
87K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 75.7% 66K acres
- Other land
- 24.3% 21K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Dauphin County received $21.25 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 2.5× the Pennsylvania county median of $8.38.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $21.25
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $8.38
- Pennsylvania county median per acre
- 2.54×
- 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.
685 farms · $142.7M sales
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania reports 685 farms and $142.7M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1409 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #20 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #20 of 67
- National payments rank #1409 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.3%
Commodity sales
$142.7M
2.0× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$1.9M
1.3% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$46.7M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Dauphin County's net farm income sits at the 67th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Dauphin County Farm Data Shows
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania reported 685 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $142.7M in total commodity sales and receiving $1.9M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($21.25/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $46.7M. In-state sales rank #20 of 67 in Pennsylvania.
Of 87,399 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 66,180 acres (75.7%) - a CROP-HEAVY 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 Pennsylvania.
Land Use
$21.25 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
87,399 acres
Cropland
66,180 acres
Avg Farm Size
128 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 75.7%
66,180 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 87,399 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 66,180 | 75.7% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 21,219 | 24.3% |
| Average farm size | 128 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania?
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania has 685 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 128 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Dauphin County?
Dauphin County's total commodity sales are $142.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #20 among 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
How much federal farm assistance does Dauphin County receive?
Dauphin County received $1.9M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($21.25/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Dauphin County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Dauphin County is $46.7M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Dauphin County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Dauphin (DENSE · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Menard County, IL · HEAVY
$1.9M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Dauphin; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Chippewa County, WI · LIGHT
$1.9M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Dauphin; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Andrew County, MO · HEAVY
$1.9M federal receipts is higher by $2K than Dauphin; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Wilson County, TX · LIGHT
$1.9M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Dauphin; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Kanabec County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Kanabec sits near Dauphin on payments-per-acre ($21.09) while total receipts differ.
Columbia County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Columbia sits near Dauphin on payments-per-acre ($20.85) while total receipts differ.
Pennsylvania ERS state roll-up
Dauphin stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY inside Pennsylvania's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1409)
Dauphin ranks #1409 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
Dauphin County, Pennsylvania stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1409 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.