Farm operations
308
Avg 436 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census SC · FIPS 45061 308 farms Top quartile (#11/46) 64% cropland HEAVY CROP-LED
Lee County, South Carolina - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Lee County. Ranked #11 of 46 counties in South Carolina.
134K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 64.3% 86K acres
- Other land
- 35.7% 48K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Lee County received $18.00 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.8× the South Carolina county median of $10.04.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $18.00
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $10.04
- South Carolina county median per acre
- 1.79×
- South Carolina 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.
308 farms · $165.1M sales
Lee County, South Carolina reports 308 farms and $165.1M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1201 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #11 of 46 counties in South Carolina; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #11 of 46
- National payments rank #1201 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.5%
Commodity sales
$165.1M
2.7× state median -- Above state median
Federal payments
$2.4M
1.5% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$78.3M
2022 cash income -- Well above-typical net income
B
Farm economy grade: B -- Lee County's net farm income sits at the 79th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Lee County Farm Data Shows
Lee County, South Carolina reported 308 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $165.1M in total commodity sales and receiving $2.4M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($18.00/acre); land stamp CROP-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $78.3M. In-state sales rank #11 of 46 in South Carolina.
Of 134,144 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 86,304 acres (64.3%) - 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 South Carolina.
Land Use
$18.00 per acre of agricultural land · the median South Carolina county receives $10.04. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
134,144 acres
Cropland
86,304 acres
Avg Farm Size
436 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 64.3%
86,304 cropland acres · CROP-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 134,144 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 86,304 | 64.3% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 47,840 | 35.7% |
| Average farm size | 436 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Lee County, South Carolina?
Lee County, South Carolina has 308 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 436 acres; land stamp CROP-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Lee County?
Lee County's total commodity sales are $165.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #11 among 46 counties in South Carolina.
How much federal farm assistance does Lee County receive?
Lee County received $2.4M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($18.00/acre) with a CROP-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Lee County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Lee County is $78.3M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Lee County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Lee (HEAVY · CROP-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY CROP-LED
Todd County, KY · HEAVY
$2.4M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Lee; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-LED.
Broadwater County, MT · LIGHT
$2.4M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Lee; land stamp MIXED vs CROP-LED.
Searcy County, AR · HEAVY
$2.4M federal receipts is higher by $2K than Lee; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-LED.
Sharkey County, MS · HEAVY
$2.4M federal receipts is higher by $2K than Lee; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-LED.
Marin County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Marin sits near Lee on payments-per-acre ($18.29) while total receipts differ.
Calumet County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Calumet sits near Lee on payments-per-acre ($18.43) while total receipts differ.
South Carolina ERS state roll-up
Lee stamps HEAVY · CROP-LED inside South Carolina's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1201)
Lee ranks #1201 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
Lee County, South Carolina stamps HEAVY · CROP-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1201 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how South Carolina compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. South Carolina 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.