New data on the total number of farms in the U.S. is out and the overall numbers continue to dwindle. USDA’s Economic Research Service released the data tracking the information from 1850 to 2022.
The number of farms in the U.S. has been on the decline since 1982. In 2022, USDA says there were 2 million farms. That’s roughly 200,000 fewer farms than in 2007. It’s also well below the peak of 6.8 million farms counted in 1935. Economists say those shrinking farm numbers are due to improved productivity in agriculture, increased mechanization and better non-farm employment opportunities.
The average farm size is rising. In 2022, the average farm size was 446 acres. That’s 1 acre more than 2021 and 6 acres more than the average from the early 1970s.
Wyoming has the largest average farm size at 2,395 acres. Other states with large average farm sizes include:
- Montana - 2,137 acres
- Nevada - 1,788 acres
- New Mexico - 1,660 acres
- North Dakota - 1,514 acres
- South Dakota - 1,469 acres
- Arizona - 1,388 acres
- Nebraska - 1,011 acres
Land in farms has remained relatively constant. In 2022, USDA says there are 893 million acres in production. That is 22 million fewer acres than just 10 years ago.
