Texas Agriculture Census Data: Farm Count, Size, and Demographics

The Census of Agriculture, conducted every five years by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, is the most comprehensive snapshot of farming in America — and Texas, given its sheer scale, tends to dominate a fair number of the tallest bars on those charts. This page covers what the census measures, how its farm count and size figures are constructed, what the demographic breakdowns actually reveal, and where the Texas data fits against national benchmarks.

Definition and scope

The Census of Agriculture defines a farm as any place that produced and sold — or normally would have sold — at least $1,000 worth of agricultural products during the census year (USDA NASS, Census of Agriculture). That $1,000 threshold has remained unchanged since 1974, which means the count of farms includes everything from 500-acre commercial row-crop operations to small hobby orchards sitting just above the sales floor. Texas falls under this federal definition without modification — the state does not maintain a separate enumeration standard.

The 2022 Census of Agriculture, released in February 2024, counted approximately 248,416 farms in Texas (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture, Texas State Profile). That figure makes Texas the most farm-dense state in the nation by count. Total land in farms across Texas reached roughly 125.5 million acres in the same census, representing an average farm size of approximately 505 acres — substantially above the national average of 463 acres.

Scope and limitations: This page addresses census data specific to Texas farms and ranches operating under USDA NASS enumeration methodology. It does not cover urban garden plots below the $1,000 threshold, tribal agricultural operations reported separately through Bureau of Indian Affairs channels, or commodity-level production forecasts (which are separate monthly NASS surveys). For broader commodity breakdowns, Texas Agriculture Statistics and Data covers the supplemental survey series that fill the gaps between census years.

How it works

The Census of Agriculture reaches every known agricultural operation through a mail-based questionnaire distributed from USDA NASS's Mailing List, which is constructed from farm program records, commodity board files, land use surveys, and state tax records. Response rates in Texas have historically hovered around 75 to 80 percent, with NASS statisticians imputing data for non-respondents using administrative records (USDA NASS Methodology and Quality Measures).

The census collects data across four primary categories:

  1. Farm count and structure — number of operations, legal organization (family/individual, partnership, corporation), and whether the principal operator considers farming a primary occupation
  2. Land in farms — total acreage, irrigated acres, harvested cropland, and pastureland
  3. Economic characteristics — total market value of agricultural products sold, production expenses, net cash farm income, and government payments received
  4. Operator demographics — age, sex, race, ethnicity, years on the current operation, and whether the operator is a beginning farmer (defined as 10 years or fewer on the operation)

Texas farms in the 2022 census reported a median age of principal operators at 60 years — one year above the national median — continuing a long-running upward trend documented in every census since 1978. The aging operator profile connects directly to Texas Beginning Farmer Resources, where succession and entry programs address the structural pressure that number represents.

Common scenarios

Three practical situations draw most users to census farm-count and demographic data.

Policy and program targeting. Federal agencies and the Texas Department of Agriculture use census operator demographics to determine whether minority and socially disadvantaged farmer populations are being reached by outreach programs. The 2022 census counted approximately 27,700 farms in Texas with a Hispanic or Latino principal operator, representing about 11 percent of all Texas farms — a figure that informs USDA Farm Service Agency staffing priorities in South Texas counties. See Texas Young and Minority Farmers for the program landscape that census data helps shape.

Land market analysis. Lenders, appraisers, and conservation organizations use farm size trends to benchmark against county-level parcelization or consolidation. Texas data from 2022 compared to 2017 showed a net decrease of roughly 13,000 farms — a 5 percent contraction — while total farmland acreage declined by approximately 3 million acres. That divergence (fewer farms, somewhat less land, but higher average size) signals consolidation dynamics that affect Texas Farm and Ranch Land valuations.

Academic and extension research. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service regularly cites census benchmarks in county-level agricultural economic impact studies. These studies feed into annual estimates of agriculture's contribution to regional economies, which the Texas Agricultural Economy profile draws upon.

Decision boundaries

Not all farm-count figures circulating in Texas agriculture reporting originate from the Census of Agriculture. Three distinctions matter:

The Texas Agriculture: Frequently Asked Questions page addresses several of these methodological questions in plain language. For the broadest orientation to Texas agriculture as a whole, the home resource at this site provides the starting framework into which census data fits.

References

Read Next

Texas Agriculture Statistics and Data: USDA NASS Reports This page explains what NASS reports cover, how the data collection and publication process works, which reports matter most... Texas Beginning Farmer Resources: Training, Loans, and Support This page covers the primary training programs, loan pathways, and institutional support available to beginning farmers in... Texas Young and Minority Farmers: Programs and Challenges Meanwhile, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Indigenous farm operators in Texas collectively represent a growing share of the...