Farm operations
1,052
Avg 129 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census PA · FIPS 42049 1,052 farms Upper-middle (#23/67) 63% cropland HEAVY CROP-LED
Erie County, Pennsylvania - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Erie County. Ranked #23 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
136K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 62.8% 85K acres
- Other land
- 37.2% 51K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Erie County received $12.52 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.5× the Pennsylvania county median of $8.38.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $12.52
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $8.38
- Pennsylvania county median per acre
- 1.49×
- 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.
1,052 farms · $118.5M sales
Erie County, Pennsylvania reports 1,052 farms and $118.5M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1472 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #23 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #23 of 67
- National payments rank #1472 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.4%
Commodity sales
$118.5M
1.7× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$1.7M
1.4% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$32.9M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Erie County's net farm income sits at the 60th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Erie County Farm Data Shows
Erie County, Pennsylvania reported 1,052 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $118.5M in total commodity sales and receiving $1.7M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($12.52/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $32.9M. In-state sales rank #23 of 67 in Pennsylvania.
Of 136,116 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 85,416 acres (62.8%) - a CROP-LED 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
$12.52 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
136,116 acres
Cropland
85,416 acres
Avg Farm Size
129 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 62.8%
85,416 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 136,116 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 85,416 | 62.8% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 50,700 | 37.2% |
| Average farm size | 129 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Erie County, Pennsylvania?
Erie County, Pennsylvania has 1,052 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 129 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Erie County?
Erie County's total commodity sales are $118.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #23 among 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
How much federal farm assistance does Erie County receive?
Erie County received $1.7M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($12.52/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Erie County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Erie County is $32.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Erie County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Erie (HEAVY · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-LED
San Benito County, CA · TRACE
$1.7M federal receipts is higher by - than Erie; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-LED.
Mcclain County, OK · MID
$1.7M federal receipts is higher by $1K than Erie; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Monroe County, IL · MID
$1.7M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Erie; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Isanti County, MN · HEAVY
$1.7M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Erie; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Issaquena County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Issaquena sits near Erie on payments-per-acre ($12.50) while total receipts differ.
Crittenden County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Crittenden sits near Erie on payments-per-acre ($12.50) while total receipts differ.
Pennsylvania ERS state roll-up
Erie stamps HEAVY · CROP-LED inside Pennsylvania's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1472)
Erie ranks #1472 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
Erie County, Pennsylvania stamps HEAVY · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1472 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.