Farm operations
402
Avg 161 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census PA · FIPS 42077 402 farms Upper-middle (#24/67) 85% cropland LIGHT CROP-HEAVY
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Lehigh County. Ranked #24 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
65K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 85.2% 55K acres
- Other land
- 14.8% 10K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Lehigh County received $4.01 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.5× the Pennsylvania county median of $8.38.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $4.01
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $8.38
- Pennsylvania county median per acre
- 0.48×
- 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.
402 farms · $117.8M sales
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania reports 402 farms and $117.8M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2440 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #24 of 67 counties in Pennsylvania; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #24 of 67
- National payments rank #2440 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.2%
Commodity sales
$117.8M
1.7× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$259K
0.2% of sales -- Low federal dependence
Net farm income
$28.9M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Lehigh County's net farm income sits at the 57th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Lehigh County Farm Data Shows
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania reported 402 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $117.8M in total commodity sales and receiving $259K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($4.01/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $28.9M. In-state sales rank #24 of 67 in Pennsylvania.
Of 64,550 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 54,982 acres (85.2%) - a CROP-HEAVY profile where ARC/PLC eligibility and crop insurance density matter more than pasture-side disaster titles. Federal intensity is LIGHT; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Pennsylvania.
Land Use
$4.01 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
64,550 acres
Cropland
54,982 acres
Avg Farm Size
161 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 85.2%
54,982 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 64,550 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 54,982 | 85.2% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 9,568 | 14.8% |
| Average farm size | 161 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania?
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania has 402 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 161 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Lehigh County?
Lehigh County's total commodity sales are $117.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #24 among 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
How much federal farm assistance does Lehigh County receive?
Lehigh County received $259K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($4.01/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Lehigh County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Lehigh County is $28.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Lehigh County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Lehigh (LIGHT · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT CROP-HEAVY
Pendleton County, WV · TRACE
$259K federal receipts is higher by - than Lehigh; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Washington County, AL · LIGHT
$260K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Lehigh; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Union County, AR · LIGHT
$258K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Lehigh; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Webster County, LA · MID
$258K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Lehigh; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Perry County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Perry sits near Lehigh on payments-per-acre ($4.02) while total receipts differ.
Jackson County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Jackson sits near Lehigh on payments-per-acre ($3.97) while total receipts differ.
Pennsylvania ERS state roll-up
Lehigh stamps LIGHT · CROP-HEAVY inside Pennsylvania's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2440)
Lehigh ranks #2440 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the LIGHT intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania stamps LIGHT · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2440 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.