U.S. farming: total land in farms 2022 | Statista (2024)

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Mar 13, 2023

From 2000 onwards, the total area of land in U.S. farms has decreased annually, aside from a small increase in 2012. Over the time period displayed, the total farmland area has decreased by almost 50 million acres, reaching a total of 893.4 million acres as of 2022.

Farming in the U.S.

Not only has the land for farming been decreasing in the U.S., but so has the total number of farms. From 2000 to 2021, the number of farms in the U.S. decreased from about 2.17 million farms in 2000 to just over two million in 2022. Texas has more than double the number of farms compared to other U.S. states, with 246,000 farms in 2022.

U.S. agricultural exports

The U.S. is known for agriculture production and is the leading exporter of agricultural products worldwide. The total U.S. agricultural exports were valued at over 196 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. Over 4.6 billion dollars’ worth of agricultural exports came from fresh or processed vegetables in 2021.

Total area of land in United States farms from 2000 to 2022 (in 1,000 acres)*

CharacteristicLand in thousand acres
2022893,400
2021895,300
2020896,600
2019897,400
2018899,500
2017900,370
2016902,680
2015905,790
2014908,920
2013911,720
2012914,600
2011914,420
2010915,660
2009917,590
2008918,600
2007921,460
2006925,790
2005927,940
2004932,260
2003936,750
2002940,300
2001942,070
2000945,080

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U.S. farming: total land in farms 2022 | Statista (2024)

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U.S. farming: total land in farms 2022 | Statista? ›

Over the time period displayed, the total farmland area has decreased by almost 50 million acres, reaching a total of 893.4 million acres as of 2022.

How many acres of farmland in the US in 2022? ›

In the most recent survey, there were 2.00 million U.S. farms in 2022, down from 2.20 million in 2007. Similarly, the acres of land in farms continue its downward trend with 893 million acres in 2022, down from 915 million acres ten years earlier.

How much total farmland is there in the US? ›

Total land in farms decreased 1.9 million acres to 893,400,000 acres in 2022 versus 2021. Here is other noteworthy farmland data, courtesy of USDA's Farms and Land in Farms 2022 Summary. 2.003 million: The number of U.S. farms, which is down 9,350 farms from 2021.

How many acres of farmable land are there in the US? ›

Two fifths of all land. . .

. . . in the United States is farmland. 915 million acres. 2.1 million farms and ranches.

How much of the total land area is now used for farming? ›

Agricultural production is a major use of land, accounting for roughly 52 percent of the U.S. land base.

Which state is 90% farmland? ›

The United States had 895.3 million acres of land in farms in 2021. Texas had the most land in farms in the United States in 2021 followed by Montana and Kansas.

Who owns the most US farmland? ›

People own most farmland. Some 2.6 million owners are individuals or families, and they own more than two thirds of all farm acreage. Fewer than 32,500 non family held corpor ations own farmland, and they own less than 5 percent of all U.S. farmland.

Is farmland decreasing in the US? ›

In the most recent survey, there were 2.00 million U.S. farms in 2022, down from 2.20 million in 2007. Similarly, the acres of land in farms continue its downward trend with 893 million acres in 2022, down from 915 million acres ten years earlier.

What state has the richest farmland? ›

1. California

It is recognized as the agricultural powerhouse of the United States. California's crops account for around 73% of the state's agricultural revenue, with livestock commodities accounting for the remaining 27%, allowing it to surpass all other states in terms of farm income.

Where is most farmland being lost in the US? ›

Low-density residential (LDR) land use includes scattered subdivisions and large-lot housing, which fragments the agricultural land base and limits production. The Plains states are losing some of the most prime farmland in America, according to AFT. Kristopher Reynolds is the Midwest regional director with AFT.

Why is the US losing farmland? ›

Why Farmland is Shrinking: Agricultural land being converted into new developments is one of the primary causes of the shrinking supply. Developers have been purchasing farmland to expand suburbs and meet the growing housing demand.

What country has the most farmable land? ›

Agricultural land area - Ranking. China is the top country by agricultural land area in the world. As of 2020, agricultural land area in China was 5.29 million sq.

Why is farmland disappearing? ›

Our Farmland is Disappearing

The Earth has lost one-third of our arable farmland over the last 40 years alone due to erosion, pollution, overworking and global warming.

How many farms control 70% of farmland? ›

1% of farms operate 70% of world's farmland.

How much of the total earth land is for crop farming? ›

About one-third of this area, or 11 percent of Earth's total land, is used for crops. The balance, roughly one-fourth of Earth's land area, is pastureland, which includes cultivated or wild forage crops for animals and open land used for grazing (footnote 2).

How much usable land does the US have? ›

Download Table Data
CountryHectaresAcres
United States157.7M389.8M
India156.1M385.6M
Russia121.6M300.6M
China119.5M295.2M
126 more rows

What state is number 1 in farming? ›

Texas had the most farms in the United States in 2021 followed by Missouri and Iowa. Texas accounted for roughly 12% of the farms in the United States in 2021. Thirty nine (39) states had 12,000 or more farms in 2021.

What is the #1 agriculture state in the US? ›

What US states produce the most food? (Ranking 1-50)What US states produce the most food? (Ranking 1-50) California ranks first in the U.S. for agricultural cash receipts followed by Iowa, Texas, Nebraska and Illinois.

How much farmland is left in the US? ›

Over the time period displayed, the total farmland area has decreased by almost 50 million acres, reaching a total of 893.4 million acres as of 2022.

How much farmland does Jeff Bezos own in the US? ›

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is not only one of the richest men in the world, with a net worth of $190 billion at the time of this writing, but also he is one of the biggest private landowners in the United States. Bezos owns 420,000 acres. Much of his land is in West Texas.

Who is the largest farmer in the United States? ›

Bill Gates

What percent of US farmland is owned by foreigners? ›

In terms of percentages, as shown in Table 3, foreign entities owned 2 percent of U.S. agricultural land in 2011, and in 2021, foreign entities owned 3.1 percent of this land.

Are US farmers struggling? ›

Farmers are struggling to keep pace with inflation. Production costs for seed, fertilizer, equipment and other farming essentials are the highest we've seen in decades, subjecting farmers to higher cost of capital required to operate their business.

Which US state has the best farmland? ›

The best states for farmland in the US include Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas, Iowa, Kentucky, Wyoming, and California. Consider factors like profitability, cost of operation, infrastructure, and availability when selecting a location.

What percentage of farming is no till in USA? ›

The potential benefits of no-till are well-documented, from improving soil health to reducing annual fuel and labor investments. Still, continuous no-till has been adopted across only 21 percent of all cultivated cropland acres in the United States. Why?

What state has cheapest farm land? ›

Oklahoma. Oklahoma currently sits at the lowest cost per acre among the best states for farmland in the US, so this is another state to consider when looking to buy land for agricultural purposes.

What is the most fertile soil in the United States? ›

Mollisols are the best soils for farming because they contain large quantities of organic matter. Mollisols found in the Midwestern U.S. are the best for agriculture due to the grasslands that were present thousands of years ago.

What makes the most money on farmland? ›

Livestock is probably the most common way farmers make money from their land. And while animals have a few more expenses and a higher overhead, they usually bring in top dollar in terms of net income.

Why is farmland shrinking? ›

New study says California's farmland is shrinking due to years-long severe drought.

Why are family farms disappearing? ›

Why Are Family Farms Disappearing? There are many threats to the viability of small family farms, including regulatory and structural disadvantages that penalize small-scale agriculture, financial constraints, lack of support and infrastructure, climate change, and competition from giant factory farms.

Why does the US pay farmers not to farm? ›

Question: Why does the government pay farmers not to grow crops? Robert Frank: Paying farmers not to grow crops was a substitute for agricultural price support programs designed to ensure that farmers could always sell their crops for enough to support themselves.

Is the world running out of farmland? ›

We don't have nearly as much farmland as we did in 1900 because as food production increases, its marginal value decreases relative to that of houses, shopping centers, golf courses, and more.

What is the US farm problem? ›

The farm problem in the United States historically has been considered to be one of relatively low farm incomes. This problem can be traced in large measure to the destabilizing effects of economic growth.

Which country has the most livable land? ›

The world has 15.749 million km(2) of arable land. (Arable land is land ploughed or tilled regularly, generally under a system of crop rotation). India has the most arable land in the world followed by the United States, Russia, China and Brazil.

How much of the US is farmable? ›

Farms and Land

In 2017, the United States had just over 2 million farms, down 3.2 percent from 2012. These farms accounted for 900.2 million acres of land in farms, or 40 percent of all U.S. land.

Which country soil is most fertile? ›

There are 10 countries that have the most fertile lands(soils) in the world. They are: India, Bangladesh, Comoros, Denmark, Gambia, Hungary, Moldova, Rwanda, Togo and Ukraine.

Is Texas losing farmland? ›

The vast majority of Texas land — 83 percent — is part of a farm, ranch or forest. But Texas is losing such rural land more than any other state, in large part because of the exploding growth of metropolitan areas, according to newly released data.

How many years of farming do we have left? ›

At a recent conference, the U.N.'s Food and Agricultural Organization warned that if soil erosion continues at its current pace, the world could run out of topsoil in 60 years. “Soils are the basis of life,” said Maria-Helena Semedo, the Food and Agriculture Organization's deputy director general of natural resources.

Why are we running out of farmers? ›

Worldwide, the percentage of people who work in agriculture has dropped from 44% in 1991 to 26% in 2020, according to data from the International Labor Organization. That's partly down to the growing use of agricultural technology, but it also points to a bigger problem: many people don't want to work on farms anymore.

What is considered a large farm? ›

Midsize: 1582 acres. Large: 2926 acres. Very large: 4673 acres.

Why farmers are selling their land? ›

Financial Reasons Owners Sell Farmland

Sometimes a seller just wants to realize their gains in asset appreciation or trade land for cash to invest in another opportunity. For example, a landowner may find a desirable property and want to sell out of one piece of land to invest in the new one.

What is the average farm holding size in the US? ›

The average farm size for 2021 is 445 acres, up from 444 acres the previous year.

What percent of Earth is fertile? ›

The Land Area of the World is 13,003 million ha. 4,889 million ha are classified as 'agricultural area' by the FAO (this is 37.6% of the Land Area).

How much of Earth land is unused? ›

Just 5% of Earth's landscape is untouched.

What percentage of the earth is habitable by humans? ›

The total land surface area of Earth is about 57,308,738 square miles, of which about 33% is desert and about 24% is mountainous. Subtracting this uninhabitable 57% (32,665,981 mi2) from the total land area leaves 24,642,757 square miles or 15.77 billion acres (43%) of habitable land.

What percent of US land is empty? ›

Those empty blocks add up to 4.61 million square km (1.78 million sq. mi), which corresponds to just under 47% of the total area of the United States. So, despite having a population of 310 million – the world's third largest, after China and India – close to half of the U.S. is bereft of human habitation.

What percentage of US land is farmable? ›

Agricultural production is a major use of land, accounting for roughly 52 percent of the U.S. land base.

Who owns the most land in the US? ›

The 2022 Land Report 100, compiled each year by The Land Report magazine, released its annual list of landowners who own the most acres in the United States. The nation's largest private landowners are the Emmerson family in California who own over 2.4 million acres.

Why is the amount of farmland acreage decreasing in America? ›

Since 2015, America's farmland acreage has decreased by 12.39 million acres. That's an average loss of nearly 1.8 million acres per year. One of the main reasons behind this trend is urbanization. Cities and towns are expanding into previously rural areas.

Is the average US farm increasing or decreasing in acreage? ›

Total acreage in farmland was estimated at 893,400,000 for 2022, a decrease in one year of 1.9 million acres. The report noted that 41.2% of all farmland is now operated by farms with sales of $500,000 or more. The average farm size in 2022 was 446 acres, largely unchanged from year-earlier numbers.

How much does 1 acre of farmland cost in USA? ›

The United States farm real estate value, a measurement of the value of all land and buildings on farms, averaged $3,800 per acre for 2022, up $420 per acre (12.4 percent) from 2021. The United States cropland value averaged $5,050 per acre, an increase of $630 per acre (14.3 percent) from the previous year.

Is the US losing farmland? ›

Farmland acreage has decreased by over 13.62 million acres since 2014, an average loss of over 1.9 million acres per year. Why Farmland is Shrinking: Agricultural land being converted into new developments is one of the primary causes of the shrinking supply.

Why are American farms decreasing in size? ›

Rapidly falling farm numbers in the mid-20th century reflect the growing productivity of agriculture, increased mechanization, and increased nonfarm employment opportunities. Since 1982, the number of U.S. farms has continued to decline, but much more slowly.

Why are US farms declining? ›

Rising input costs, shrinking production values, commodity specialization, and challenges to land access all appear to be connected to declining farm operator livelihoods, the new study in Frontiers of Sustainable Food Systems concludes.

Where is the most fertile soil in the US? ›

Mollisols found in the Midwestern U.S. are the best for agriculture due to the grasslands that were present thousands of years ago. These prairies produced strong and fertile soils because after each year, the grasses would breakdown and contribute nutrients to the ground.

What is the cheapest state to own a farm in? ›

Texas. Texas tops the list of states offering cheap farmland. With its lengthy hot seasons and mild winters, the Lone Star State is especially ideal for growing cotton. The state is also a big beef cattle producer, so the price per acre may be lower due to the high demand for grazing land.

Which state has cheapest land per acre? ›

InMyArea.com performed a study that took a look at the median prices per acre in 2021 and found that Arizona had the cheapest median cost per acre, at $4,164. The data includes the price of land with existing homes and the cost of land designated as a homesite was also included so that you can have some comparison.

What state has cheapest land? ›

Lowest price per 5 acres: $6,500

Maybe it's because those 2 states have such a high amount of immigration right now? So for both 1 acre and 5 acre plots, the cheapest states to buy land in 2023 are New Mexico, Arizona, Mississippi, followed by Colorado and California.

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