Farm operations
407
Avg 1,414 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census TX · FIPS 48227 407 farms Lower-middle (#161/254) 41% cropland HEAVY MIXED
Howard County, Texas - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Howard County. Ranked #161 of 254 counties in Texas.
575K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 41.2% 237K acres
- Other land
- 58.8% 338K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Howard County received $13.37 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 2.2× the Texas county median of $6.14.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $13.37
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $6.14
- Texas county median per acre
- 2.18×
- 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.
407 farms · $32.6M sales
Howard County, Texas reports 407 farms and $32.6M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #374 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #161 of 254 counties in Texas; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #161 of 254
- National payments rank #374 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 23.6%
Commodity sales
$32.6M
0.63× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$7.7M
23.6% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$3.5M
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
D
Farm economy grade: D -- Howard County's net farm income sits at the 25th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Howard County Farm Data Shows
Howard County, Texas reported 407 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $32.6M in total commodity sales and receiving $7.7M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp HEAVY ($13.37/acre); land stamp MIXED. Net cash farm income came in at $3.5M. In-state sales rank #161 of 254 in Texas.
Of 575,487 acres agricultural land, cropland is 237,055 acres (41.2%) with the balance in pasture, range, woodland, or farmsteads, a MIXED footprint. Average farm size 1,414 acres. Federal intensity is HEAVY; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Texas.
Land Use
$13.37 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
575,487 acres
Cropland
237,055 acres
Avg Farm Size
1,414 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 41.2%
237,055 cropland acres · MIXED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 575,487 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 237,055 | 41.2% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 338,432 | 58.8% |
| Average farm size | 1,414 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Howard County, Texas?
Howard County, Texas has 407 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 1,414 acres; land stamp MIXED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Howard County?
Howard County's total commodity sales are $32.6M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #161 among 254 counties in Texas.
How much federal farm assistance does Howard County receive?
Howard County received $7.7M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping HEAVY on NASS payments-per-acre ($13.37/acre) with a MIXED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Howard County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Howard County is $3.5M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Howard County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Howard (HEAVY · MIXED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
HEAVY MIXED
Floyd County, IA · DENSE
$7.7M federal receipts is higher by $5K than Howard; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Butte County, CA · DENSE
$7.7M federal receipts is lower by $10K than Howard; land stamp CROP-LED vs MIXED.
Douglas County, MN · DENSE
$7.7M federal receipts is higher by $21K than Howard; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs MIXED.
Johnson County, MO · DENSE
$7.7M federal receipts is lower by $37K than Howard; land stamp CROP-LED vs MIXED.
Klickitat County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Klickitat sits near Howard on payments-per-acre ($13.41) while total receipts differ.
Hill County (HEAVY $/acre pole)
Hill sits near Howard on payments-per-acre ($13.42) while total receipts differ.
Texas ERS state roll-up
Howard stamps HEAVY · MIXED inside Texas's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#374)
Howard ranks #374 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
Howard County, Texas stamps HEAVY · MIXED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #374 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.