Farm operations
4,680
Avg 81 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census PA · FIPS 42071 4,680 farms Top quartile (#1/67) 78% cropland HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Lancaster County. Ranked #1 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
379K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 78.1% 296K acres
- Other land
- 21.9% 83K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Lancaster County received $11.56 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.4× the Pennsylvania county median of $8.38.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $11.56
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $8.38
- Pennsylvania county median per acre
- 1.38×
- 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.
4,680 farms · $1.9B sales
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania reports 4,680 farms and $1.9B in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #704 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #1 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #1 of 67
- National payments rank #704 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.2%
Commodity sales
$1.9B
26.6× state median -- Far above state median
Federal payments
$4.4M
0.2% of sales -- Low federal dependence
Net farm income
$673.2M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
A
Farm economy grade: A -- Lancaster County's net farm income sits at the 100th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Lancaster County Farm Data Shows
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania reported 4,680 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $1.9B in total commodity sales and receiving $4.4M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($11.56/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $673.2M. In-state sales rank #1 of 67 in Pennsylvania.
Of 378,574 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 295,545 acres (78.1%) - 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
$11.56 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
378,574 acres
Cropland
295,545 acres
Avg Farm Size
81 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 78.1%
295,545 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 378,574 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 295,545 | 78.1% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 83,029 | 21.9% |
| Average farm size | 81 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania?
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has 4,680 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 81 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Lancaster County?
Lancaster County's total commodity sales are $1.9B (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #1 among 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
How much federal farm assistance does Lancaster County receive?
Lancaster County received $4.4M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($11.56/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Lancaster County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Lancaster County is $673.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Lancaster County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Lancaster (HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-HEAVY
Davis County, IA · DENSE
$4.4M federal receipts is higher by - than Lancaster; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Humphreys County, MS · DENSE
$4.4M federal receipts is higher by - than Lancaster; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Lonoke County, AR · MID
$4.4M federal receipts is lower by $3K than Lancaster; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Panola County, MS · DENSE
$4.4M federal receipts is higher by $4K than Lancaster; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Stoddard County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Stoddard sits near Lancaster on payments-per-acre ($11.65) while total receipts differ.
Keith County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Keith sits near Lancaster on payments-per-acre ($11.37) while total receipts differ.
Pennsylvania ERS state roll-up
Lancaster stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY inside Pennsylvania's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#704)
Lancaster ranks #704 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
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania stamps HEAVY · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #704 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.