Farm operations
650
Avg 1,795 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census SD · FIPS 46103 650 farms Bottom quartile (#54/66) 21% cropland MID PASTURE-LED
Pennington County, South Dakota - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Pennington County. Ranked #54 of 66 counties in South Dakota.
1.17M acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 20.7% 242K acres
- Other land
- 79.3% 925K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Pennington County received $9.97 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.5× the South Dakota county median of $18.22.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $9.97
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $18.22
- South Dakota county median per acre
- 0.55×
- 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.
650 farms · $84.8M sales
Pennington County, South Dakota reports 650 farms and $84.8M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #198 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #54 of 66 counties in South Dakota; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #54 of 66
- National payments rank #198 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 13.7%
Commodity sales
$84.8M
0.50× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$11.6M
13.7% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$20.1M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
C
Farm economy grade: C -- Pennington County's net farm income sits at the 50th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Pennington County Farm Data Shows
Pennington County, South Dakota reported 650 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $84.8M in total commodity sales and receiving $11.6M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp MID ($9.97/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $20.1M. In-state sales rank #54 of 66 in South Dakota.
Of 1,166,970 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 242,020 acres (20.7%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is MID; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of South Dakota.
Land Use
$9.97 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
1,166,970 acres
Cropland
242,020 acres
Avg Farm Size
1,795 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 20.7%
242,020 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 1,166,970 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 242,020 | 20.7% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 924,950 | 79.3% |
| Average farm size | 1,795 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Pennington County, South Dakota?
Pennington County, South Dakota has 650 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 1,795 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Pennington County?
Pennington County's total commodity sales are $84.8M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #54 among 66 counties in South Dakota.
How much federal farm assistance does Pennington County receive?
Pennington County received $11.6M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping MID on NASS payments-per-acre ($9.97/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Pennington County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Pennington County is $20.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Pennington County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Pennington (MID · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
MID PASTURE-LED
Cedar County, IA · DENSE
$11.6M federal receipts is higher by $9K than Pennington; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Bowman County, ND · HEAVY
$11.6M federal receipts is lower by $21K than Pennington; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Hardin County, IA · DENSE
$11.6M federal receipts is lower by $25K than Pennington; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Meeker County, MN · DENSE
$11.6M federal receipts is lower by $45K than Pennington; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Morrow County (MID $/acre pole)
Morrow sits near Pennington on payments-per-acre ($9.95) while total receipts differ.
Roosevelt County (MID $/acre pole)
Roosevelt sits near Pennington on payments-per-acre ($10.09) while total receipts differ.
South Dakota ERS state roll-up
Pennington stamps MID · PASTURE-LED inside South Dakota's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#198)
Pennington ranks #198 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the MID intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Pennington County, South Dakota stamps MID · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #198 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.