Farm operations
374
Avg 162 ac / farm
2022 USDA Census WV · FIPS 54055 374 farms Lower-middle (#30/55) 18% cropland TRACE PASTURE-LED
Mercer County, West Virginia - Farm Data
Agricultural and commodity intelligence for Mercer County. Ranked #30 of 55 counties in West Virginia.
61K acres of agricultural land
- Cropland
- 17.6% 11K acres
- Other land
- 82.4% 50K acres
USDA NASS · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Mercer County received $1.27 in Census government payments per agricultural acre, 0.7× the West Virginia county median of $1.84.
According to the USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- $1.27
- government payments per agricultural acre
- $1.84
- West Virginia county median per acre
- 0.69×
- West Virginia 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.
374 farms · $4.1M sales
Mercer County, West Virginia reports 374 farms and $4.1M in commodity sales in the 2022 USDA NASS Census of Agriculture, ranking #2738 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. According to the Census extract on PlainFarmData, in-state commodity-sales rank is #30 of 55 counties in West Virginia; Census county totals are not a roll-up of USDA ERS state payment series.
- In-state sales rank #30 of 55
- National payments rank #2738 of 2943
- Govt payments / sales ratio 1.9%
Commodity sales
$4.1M
0.85× state median -- Near state median
Federal payments
$77K
1.9% of sales -- Above-typical dependence
Net farm income
$741K
2022 cash income -- Below-typical net income
F
Farm economy grade: F -- Mercer County's net farm income sits at the 17th percentile among 3,046 NASS-reporting counties nationally (2022 Census). Percentile-benchmarked, not a same-state comparison like the tier label above.
What the Mercer County Farm Data Shows
Mercer County, West Virginia reported 374 farm operations in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, generating $4.1M in total commodity sales and receiving $77K in federal farm program payments. Intensity stamp TRACE ($1.27/acre); land stamp PASTURE-LED. Net cash farm income came in at $741K. In-state sales rank #30 of 55 in West Virginia.
Of 60,763 acres agricultural land, cropland is only 10,713 acres (17.6%) - 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 West Virginia.
Land Use
$1.27 per acre of agricultural land · the median West Virginia county receives $1.84. Payments per acre normalise federal support for farm size; both figures come from the same USDA NASS 2022 Census county table.
Total Ag Land
60,763 acres
Cropland
10,713 acres
Avg Farm Size
162 ac
Cropland share of agricultural land 17.6%
10,713 cropland acres · PASTURE-LED stamp.
Land Use Breakdown
| Category | Acres | Share of Ag Land |
|---|---|---|
| Total agricultural land | 60,763 | 100.0% |
| Cropland | 10,713 | 17.6% |
| Pasture, range, woodland, other | 50,050 | 82.4% |
| Average farm size | 162 | acres / farm |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many farms are in Mercer County, West Virginia?
Mercer County, West Virginia has 374 farms (2022 USDA Census). Average farm size 162 acres; land stamp PASTURE-LED.
What is the total agricultural production value of Mercer County?
Mercer County's total commodity sales are $4.1M (2022 Census of Agriculture), ranking #30 among 55 counties in West Virginia.
How much federal farm assistance does Mercer County receive?
Mercer County received $77K in federal government farm program receipts (2022), stamping TRACE on NASS payments-per-acre ($1.27/acre) with a PASTURE-LED land mix.
What is the net farm income in Mercer County?
Net cash farm income for operations in Mercer County is $741K (2022 Census of Agriculture).
Read with Mercer County
Nearest NASS federal-payment peers and $/acre poles for Mercer (TRACE · PASTURE-LED), replacing the old fixed Related and same-state alphabetical strip.
TRACE PASTURE-LED
Sevier County, TN · TRACE
$77K federal receipts is higher by - than Mercer; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Mcduffie County, GA · TRACE
$76K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Mercer; land stamp MIXED vs PASTURE-LED.
Floyd County, IN · LIGHT
$76K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Mercer; land stamp CROP-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Lee County, KY · TRACE
$76K federal receipts is lower by $1K than Mercer; land stamp PASTURE-LED vs PASTURE-LED.
Carroll County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Carroll sits near Mercer on payments-per-acre ($1.27) while total receipts differ.
Wolfe County (TRACE $/acre pole)
Wolfe sits near Mercer on payments-per-acre ($1.27) while total receipts differ.
West Virginia ERS state roll-up
Mercer stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED inside West Virginia's NASS county table, open the state ERS payment stack next.
Census payments leaderboard (#2738)
Mercer ranks #2738 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
Mercer County, West Virginia stamps TRACE · PASTURE-LED in the 2022 NASS Census, ranking #2738 of 2943 U.S. counties by federal farm program payments. Three places to go next:
- See how West Virginia compares nationally on ERS farm payments and income. West Virginia 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.