Farm operations
70
Avg 9,299 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census TX · FIPS 48431 70 farms Bottom quartile (#218/254) 2% cropland TRACE PASTURE-LED
Sterling County, Texas - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Sterling County. Ranked #218 of 254 counties in Texas.
651K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 2.4% 16K acres
- Other land
- 97.6% 635K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Sterling County received $1.65 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.
- $1.65
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $6.14
- Texas county median per acre
- 0.27×
- 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.
70 farms · $11.0M sales
Sterling County, Texas reports 70 farms and $11.0M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1794 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #218 of 254 counties in Texas; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #218 of 254
- National payments rank #1794 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 9.7%
Commodity sales
$11.0M
0.21× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$1.1M
9.7% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$-1.2M
2022 cash income -- Net loss
F
Farm economy grade: F -- Sterling County's net farm income sits at the 8th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Sterling County Farm Data Shows
Sterling County, Texas reported 70 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $11.0M in total commodity sales and receiving $1.1M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($1.65/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $-1.2M. In-state sales rank #218 of 254 in Texas.
Of 650,960 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 15,761 acres (2.4%) - 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
$1.65 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
650,960 acres
Cropland
15,761 acres
Avg Farm Size
9,299 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 2.4%
15,761 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 650,960 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 15,761 | 2.4% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 635,199 | 97.6% |
| Average farm size | 9,299 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Sterling County, Texas?
Sterling County, Texas has 70 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 9,299 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Sterling County?
Sterling County's total commodity sales are $11.0M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #218 among 254 counties in Texas.
How much federal farm assistance does Sterling County receive?
Sterling County received $1.1M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($1.65/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Sterling County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Sterling County is $-1.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Sterling County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Sterling (TRACE · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE PASTURE-LED
Camas County, ID · LIGHT
$1.1M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Sterling; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Pulaski County, IL · MID
$1.1M federal receipts is higher by $2K than Sterling; land stamp CROP-HEAVY vs PASTURE-LED.
Stone County, MO · HEAVY
$1.1M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Sterling; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Lampasas County, TX · TRACE
$1.1M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Sterling; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Zavala County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Zavala sits near Sterling on payments-per-acre ($1.63) while total receipts differ.
Lake County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Lake sits near Sterling on payments-per-acre ($1.83) while total receipts differ.
Texas ERS state roll-up
Sterling stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED inside Texas's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1794)
Sterling ranks #1794 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
Sterling County, Texas stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1794 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.