Farm operations
438
Avg 437 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census SD · FIPS 46027 438 farms Bottom quartile (#51/66) 94% cropland DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Clay County, South Dakota - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Clay County. Ranked #51 of 66 counties in South Dakota.
191K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 93.9% 180K acres
- Other land
- 6.1% 12K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Clay County received $31.02 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 1.7× the South Dakota county median of $18.22.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $31.02
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $18.22
- South Dakota county median per acre
- 1.70×
- South Dakota 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.
438 farms · $99.9M sales
Clay County, South Dakota reports 438 farms and $99.9M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #507 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #51 of 66 counties in South Dakota; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #51 of 66
- National payments rank #507 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 5.9%
Commodity sales
$99.9M
0.59× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$5.9M
5.9% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$45.5M
2022 cash income -- Typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Clay County's net farm income sits at the 66th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Clay County Farm Data Shows
Clay County, South Dakota reported 438 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $99.9M in total commodity sales and receiving $5.9M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp DENSE ($31.02/acre); land stamp CROP-HEAVY. Net cash farm income came in at $45.5M. In-state sales rank #51 of 66 in South Dakota.
Of 191,404 acres agricultural land, cropland dominates at 179,777 acres (93.9%) - 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 South Dakota.
Land Use
$31.02 per acre of agricultural land · the median South Dakota county receives $18.22. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
191,404 acres
Cropland
179,777 acres
Avg Farm Size
437 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 93.9%
179,777 cropland acres · CROP-HEAVY stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 191,404 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 179,777 | 93.9% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 11,627 | 6.1% |
| Average farm size | 437 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Clay County, South Dakota?
Clay County, South Dakota has 438 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 437 acres; land stamp CROP-HEAVY.
What is the total agricultural production value of Clay County?
Clay County's total commodity sales are $99.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #51 among 66 counties in South Dakota.
How much federal farm assistance does Clay County receive?
Clay County received $5.9M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping DENSE on NASS payments-per-acre ($31.02/acre) with a CROP-HEAVY land mix.
What is the net farm income in Clay County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Clay County is $45.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Clay County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Clay (DENSE · CROP-HEAVY), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
DENSE CROP-HEAVY
Ness County, KS · MID
$5.9M federal receipts is lower by $10K than Clay; land stamp CROP-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Torrance County, NM · LIGHT
$5.9M federal receipts is higher by $11K than Clay; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Pipestone County, MN · DENSE
$6.0M federal receipts is higher by $17K than Clay; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs CROP-HEAVY.
Starr County, TX · HEAVY
$6.0M federal receipts is higher by $21K than Clay; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs CROP-HEAVY.
Ida County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Ida sits near Clay on payments-per-acre ($31.07) while total receipts differ.
Stanton County (DENSE $/acre pole)
Stanton sits near Clay on payments-per-acre ($30.20) while total receipts differ.
South Dakota ERS state roll-up
Clay stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY inside South Dakota's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#507)
Clay ranks #507 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
Clay County, South Dakota stamps DENSE · CROP-HEAVY in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #507 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how South Dakota compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. South Dakota 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.