Farm operations
305
Avg 942 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census TX · FIPS 48505 305 farms Bottom quartile (#240/254) 2% cropland LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Zapata County, Texas - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Zapata County. Ranked #240 of 254 counties in Texas.
287K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 2.1% 6K acres
- Other land
- 97.9% 281K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Zapata County received $4.43 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.7× the Texas county median of $6.14.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $4.43
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $6.14
- Texas county median per acre
- 0.72×
- 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.
305 farms · $5.2M sales
Zapata County, Texas reports 305 farms and $5.2M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #1684 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #240 of 254 counties in Texas; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #240 of 254
- National payments rank #1684 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 24.5%
Commodity sales
$5.2M
0.100× state median -- Well below state median
Federal payments
$1.3M
24.5% of sales -- High federal dependence
Net farm income
$-666K
2022 cash income -- Net loss
F
Farm economy grade: F -- Zapata County's net farm income sits at the 10th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Zapata County Farm Data Shows
Zapata County, Texas reported 305 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $5.2M in total commodity sales and receiving $1.3M in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp LIGHT ($4.43/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $-666K. In-state sales rank #240 of 254 in Texas.
Of 287,324 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 5,980 acres (2.1%) - a PASTURE-LED mix where livestock forage and disaster titles (LFP/ELAP) usually outweigh row-crop commodity programs. Federal intensity is LIGHT; pair the ABS payment peers below before treating any single county as representative of Texas.
Land Use
$4.43 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
287,324 acres
Cropland
5,980 acres
Avg Farm Size
942 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 2.1%
5,980 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 287,324 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 5,980 | 2.1% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 281,344 | 97.9% |
| Average farm size | 942 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Zapata County, Texas?
Zapata County, Texas has 305 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 942 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Zapata County?
Zapata County's total commodity sales are $5.2M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #240 among 254 counties in Texas.
How much federal farm assistance does Zapata County receive?
Zapata County received $1.3M in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping LIGHT on NASS payments-per-acre ($4.43/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Zapata County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Zapata County is $-666K (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Zapata County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Zapata (LIGHT · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
LIGHT PASTURE-LED
Mason County, MI · HEAVY
$1.3M federal receipts is higher by $1K than Zapata; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Cass County, MN · MID
$1.3M federal receipts is lower by $1K than Zapata; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
New Haven County, CT · DENSE
$1.3M federal receipts is lower by $2K than Zapata; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Jefferson County, GA · MID
$1.3M federal receipts is higher by $3K than Zapata; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Okeechobee County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Okeechobee sits near Zapata on payments-per-acre ($4.45) while total receipts differ.
Burleson County (LIGHT $/acre pole)
Burleson sits near Zapata on payments-per-acre ($4.32) while total receipts differ.
Texas ERS state roll-up
Zapata stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED inside Texas's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#1684)
Zapata ranks #1684 of 2943 on NASS federal farm program payments under the LIGHT intensity band.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
What to do with this
Zapata County, Texas stamps LIGHT · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #1684 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.