How to Read the USDA Farms and Land in Farms Report — Number of Farms, Farmland and Average Farm Size
USDA NASS Farms and Land in Farms 2025 (released February 2026, model-based): 1,865,000 U.S. farms (-15,000 from 2024), 873.95 million acres, average size 469 acres.
Key figures (Farms and Land in Farms 2025 Summary, February 2026)
As of 1 November 2026, 00:44 KST; most recently published report: Farms and Land in Farms 2025 Summary (February 2026), from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), with the number of U.S. farms, land in farms and average farm size for 2025 by state and sales class. The NASS Reports by Release Day page lists the release day as Friday, February 13, 2026; the sources used give no time of day, and the publication page showed no next date when checked. Primary source: https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/795776/fnlo0226.txt[1][2][3]
| Indicator (United States) | Previous (2024, as printed in the 2025 summary) | Current (2025) | Change vs previous | Change vs year ago: same as previous for an annual series | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of farms | 1,880,000 | 1,865,000 | -15,000 farms (published); -0.8% (calculated) | same comparison | levels and published changes: USDA NASS primary statistical record; calculated %: this page's calculation |
| Land in farms (1,000 acres) | 876,460 | 873,950 | -2,510,000 acres (published); -0.3% (calculated) | same comparison | levels and published changes: USDA NASS primary statistical record; calculated %: this page's calculation |
| Average farm size (acres) | 466 | 469 | +3 acres (published levels) | same comparison | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record |
| Farms with sales of $1,000,000 or more | 114,980 | 115,030 | +50 farms (calculated) | same comparison | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record; change: this page's calculation |
| Farms with sales of $1,000-$9,999 | 903,990 | 895,990 | -8,000 farms; -0.9% (calculated) | same comparison | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record; change: this page's calculation |
Comparison basis: levels are as published; 2024 values are those printed in the 2025 summary, which NASS says are subject to revision. The report states changes as counts (farms and acres); this page's percentage changes are calculated from the levels and rounded to one decimal. Because the series is annual, the previous and year-ago columns are the same comparison. The report, publication page and release-day page are all from USDA and count as one source.[1]
In three lines
1. The annual NASS summary estimates the number of U.S. farms (places selling or normally selling $1,000 or more of agricultural products a year), land in farms and average farm size, by state and sales class.
2. For 2025, NASS estimates 1,865,000 farms (down 15,000) on 873,950,000 acres (down 2,510,000), with an average size of 469 acres.
3. The 2025 figures come from a statistical model, used because the June Area survey was not conducted.[1]
What the report says (in NASS's words)
"The number of farms in the United States for 2025 is estimated at 1,865,000, down 15,000 farms from 2024." "The number of farms decreased in all sales classes except the $1,000,000 or more sales class." "In 2025, 48.0 percent of all farms had less than $10,000 in sales and 78.8 percent of all farms had less than $100,000 in sales." "Total land in farms, at 873,950,000 acres, decreased 2,510,000 acres from 2024." "In 2025, 25.7 percent of all farmland was operated by farms with less than $100,000 in sales, while 50.1 percent of all farmland was operated by farms with sales of $500,000 or more." "The average farm size for 2025 is 469 acres, up from 466 acres the previous year."[1]
How 2025 was estimated. "In 2025, NASS implemented a statistical modeling approach to generate survey indications." "This approach was in response to the decision to not conduct the June Area survey while continuing to produce critical data about American agriculture." "In 2025, the modeling effort incorporated historic trends and previous ten years of survey estimates." "This stop-gap approach allowed the data series to continue and was roughly consistent with prior year procedures when survey data were available."[1]
What counts as a farm. NASS defines a farm as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the year. "Government payments are included in sales." "The current definition was first used for the 1974 Census."[1]
Reading in pairs
Model error vs survey error. For 2025: "The model error CV for the United States number of farms was 0.5 percent and land in farms was 0.2 percent." "Additional sources of measurement error may arise from the model selection." "The source of error is not reflected in the CV's reported above." For the survey-based 2024 estimates: "In 2024, the CV's for the United States number of farms was 1.8 percent and land in farms 2.2 percent." The two coefficients of variation measure different things (model error versus sampling error), and neither is a test of whether the 15,000-farm decline is significant.[1]
Count vs size. The number of farms fell 0.8% while land in farms fell 0.3% (this page's calculation), so average size rose from 466 to 469 acres; farms with $1,000,000 or more in sales rose by 50 to 115,030 (this page's subtraction), the only class to grow.[1]
Small farms vs farmland. Nearly half of farms (48.0%) sold less than $10,000, but farms with sales of $500,000 or more operated 50.1% of farmland, as the report states. The report does not explain the changes by class.[1]
First estimate vs revised. "Estimates are subject to revision the following year and following review of the five-year Census of Agriculture." States are listed individually; Texas had the most farms (229,000) and Wyoming the largest average size (2,743 acres) among them.[1]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
NASS estimated 1,865,000 U.S. farms in 2025, down 15,000 from 2024.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
U.S. land in farms totaled 873,950,000 acres in 2025, down 2,510,000 acres from 2024.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
The average U.S. farm size was 469 acres in 2025, up from 466 acres in 2024.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
In 2025, 48.0 percent of U.S. farms had less than $10,000 in sales.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
NASS produced the 2025 farm estimates with a statistical model because the June Area survey was not conducted.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
The number of U.S. farms fell 0.8% in 2025 while land in farms fell 0.3%.[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from the 2025 summary
U.S. farms with sales of $1,000,000 or more increased by 50, to 115,030, in 2025.[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from the 2025 summary
Timeline
What this page could not establish
These are questions this page tried to answer and could not. The gaps are left open rather than filled with a guess.- How would the 2025 figures differ if the June Area survey had been conducted?
- Why did the number of farms fall in all sales classes except the largest?
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 11/01/2026, 00:47
- Body characters
- 5,506
- Sources
- 3 sources adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 11/01/2026, 00:55
- Verdict
- Passed
Show revision history (2)
| 11/01/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 11/01/2026 | First version. Read in full the USDA NASS Farms and Land in Farms 2025 Summary (February 2026), including the national, state and sales-class tables, methodology, definitions and farm definition history, plus the publication page and the NASS Reports by Release Day page; quotations are complete sentences matched against the source text. | Updated |
Frequently asked
How many farms were in the United States in 2025?
1,865,000, down 15,000 from 2024, according to the NASS Farms and Land in Farms 2025 Summary published in February 2026.[1]
How much U.S. land was in farms in 2025?
873,950,000 acres, down 2,510,000 acres from 2024; it includes cropland, pasture, woodland and land in government conservation programs that are part of farm operations.[1]
What was the average U.S. farm size in 2025?
469 acres, up from 466 acres in 2024, because land in farms fell less than the number of farms.[1]
Why were the 2025 U.S. farm numbers based on a model?
NASS says it used a statistical model in 2025 in response to the decision not to conduct the June Area survey; the model used historic trends and 10 years of survey estimates.[1]
How reliable are the 2025 U.S. farm number estimates?
NASS reports a model error CV of 0.5% for farm numbers and 0.2% for land in farms, excluding model-selection error; these measure the level, not the significance of the change.[1]
What counts as a farm in the 2025 U.S. Farms and Land in Farms report?
Any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been, during the year, with government payments included in sales.[1]