Farm operations
940
Avg 152 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census TX · FIPS 48209 940 farms Lower-middle (#172/254) 8% cropland TRACE PASTURE-LED
Hays County, Texas - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Hays County. Ranked #172 of 254 counties in Texas.
142K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 8.0% 11K acres
- Other land
- 92.0% 131K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Hays County received $1.89 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.3× the Texas county median of $6.14.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $1.89
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $6.14
- Texas county median per acre
- 0.31×
- Texas 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.
940 farms · $29.2M sales
Hays County, Texas reports 940 farms and $29.2M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2420 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #172 of 254 counties in Texas; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #172 of 254
- National payments rank #2420 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 0.9%
Commodity sales
$29.2M
0.56× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$269K
0.9% of sales -- Below-typical dependence
Net farm income
$-4.9M
2022 cash income -- Net loss
F
Farm economy grade: F -- Hays County's net farm income sits at the 4th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Hays County Farm Data Shows
Hays County, Texas reported 940 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $29.2M in total commodity sales and receiving $269K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($1.89/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $-4.9M. In-state sales rank #172 of 254 in Texas.
Of 142,428 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 11,350 acres (8.0%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is TRACE; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Texas.
Land Use
$1.89 per acre of agricultural land · the median Texas county receives $6.14. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
142,428 acres
Cropland
11,350 acres
Avg Farm Size
152 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 8.0%
11,350 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 142,428 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 11,350 | 8.0% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 131,078 | 92.0% |
| Average farm size | 152 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Hays County, Texas?
Hays County, Texas has 940 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 152 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Hays County?
Hays County's total commodity sales are $29.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #172 among 254 counties in Texas.
How much federal farm assistance does Hays County receive?
Hays County received $269K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($1.89/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Hays County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Hays County is $-4.9M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Hays County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Hays (TRACE · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE PASTURE-LED
Warren County, NJ · LIGHT
$269K federal receipts is higher by - than Hays; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Choctaw County, AL · LIGHT
$268K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Hays; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Custer County, CO · TRACE
$270K federal receipts is higher by $1K than Hays; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
East Baton Rouge County, LA · LIGHT
$268K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Hays; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Washington County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Washington sits near Hays on payments-per-acre ($1.88) while total receipts differ.
Grant County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Grant sits near Hays on payments-per-acre ($1.86) while total receipts differ.
Texas ERS state roll-up
Hays stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED inside Texas's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2420)
Hays ranks #2420 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the TRACE intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Hays County, Texas stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2420 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how Texas compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. Texas 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.