1

Of the 2.1 million farms in the United States in 2012, 97 percent were familyowned operations. Eighty-eight percent of all farms were small family farms, 

with less than $350,000 in gross cash farm income, and nearly 9 percent were 

midsize or large 

family farms. Only 

3 percent of U.S. 

farms were not 

family owned, but 

they accounted 

for 16 percent of 

the value of all 

U.S. agricultural 

products sold. 

(Table 1)

According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, West Virginia, Oklahoma, 

Tennessee, and Alabama have the highest concentrations of family farms. In 

each state,

98 percent of 

farms were 

family farms in 

2012. The states 

with the lowest 

concentrations 

were Nevada 

(94), Rhode 

Island (94), 

California (93), 

and Alaska (92). 

Family Farms 

97 percent of U.S. farms are family owned.

United States Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

www.agcensus.usda.gov

(800)727-9540

ACH12-26/March 2015

Highlights

88 percent . . . 

. . . of U.S. farms are small 

family farms.

Farm Typology

The 2012 Census of Agriculture farm 

typology categorizes farms on the 

basis of ownership, whether farming 

is the principal operator’s primary occupation, and gross cash farm income 

(GCFI), a measure of the total receipts 

the operator receives from the farming 

operation. For more information on 

farm typology, see 

http://bit.ly/2012AgCensusTypology.

Fig. 1

Family Farms as Percent of Total Farms, by State, 2012

percent

< 94.5

94.6 - 95.5

95.6 - 96.5

96.6 - 97.5

97.6 - 98.1

U.S. = 96.7%

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.

Table 1

Profile of U.S. Farms, by Type, 2012

U.S.

Total

Family Farms Nonfamily

Small Midsize Large Farms a

percent of U.S. total

No. of farms 2.1 million 88 6 3 3

Farmland 915 mil. acres 48 20 20 11

Value of land

and buildings $2.3 trillion 47 20 25 8

Agriculture sales $394.6 billion 20 19 45 16

a

Includes very large farms.

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.
2 Family Farms

Small Family Farms

The 88 percent of U.S. farms that are small family farms 

operate almost half (48 percent) of all farmland and own 

47 percent of the value of farm real estate (land and 

buildings). They accounted for 20 percent of agriculture 

sales and 5 percent of the country’s net farm income in 

2012. They held 40 percent of the U.S. cattle inventory and 

89 percent of the horse inventory, and grew 64 percent of 

all acres in forage production. (Table 2)

The small family farms category includes four types of 

operations (see box on Farm Types). Farms whose 

principal operator has a primary occupation other than 

farming was the largest category of farms, accounting for 

38 percent of all U.S. farms. The states with the highest 

proportion of such farms were Utah (46 percent), 

Oklahoma (45), Tennessee (44), Indiana (43), Kentucky 

(43), and Texas (43). This category of farms has a small

net negative income in the aggregate. On average the 

farms have higher expenses than receipts. But all small 

farm categories, even those with aggregate negative net 

income, had a significant proportion of farms with positive 

returns in 2012.

Farm Types

The 2012 Census of Agriculture farm typology report classifies 

all farms into unique categories based on three criteria: who 

owns the operation, whether farming is the principal operator’s 

primary occupation, and gross cash farm income (GCFI). GCFI 

includes not just crop and livestock sales receipts, but also 

fees for delivering commodities under production contracts, 

government payments, and farm-related income. 

Small Family Farms (GCFI <$350,000). This category includes 

four subcategories:

• Retirement. Farms whose principal operator is retired but

continues to farm on a small scale.

• Primary occupation off-farm. Farms whose principal

operator has a primary occupation other than farming.

• Primary occupation on-farm. Farms whose principal

operator’s primary occupation is farming. These farms

may be either low-sales farms (GCFI less than

$150,000) or moderate-sales farms (GCFI $150,000 to

$349,000).

Midsize Family Farms (GCFI $350,000 to $999,999).

Large-scale Family Farms (GCFI $1 million or more). This 

category includes two subcategories:

• Large family farms. GCFI is $1,000,000 to $4,999,999.

• Very large family farms. GCFI is $5 million or more.

Nonfamily Farms. Principal operator and persons related to 

the operator do not own a majority of the business.

States with the largest shares of small family farms are 

West Virginia (97 percent), Tennessee (95), New Hampshire (95), Alabama (95), and Oklahoma (94). States with 

the smallest shares are South Dakota (74), Nebraska (74), 

Iowa (73), and North Dakota (71). (Fig. 2)

Table 2

Small Family Farms: Selected Agriculture Assets and Receipts, 2012

(percent of U.S. total)

All 

Small

Family

Farms

Retirement

Primary

Occupation

Off-farm

Primary Occupation 

On-farm

Low

Sales

Moderate

Sales

Number of farms 88 29 38 16 5

Assets

Farmland 48 12 14 11 10

Value of land and 

buildings 47 13 16 10 8

Cattle inventory 40 10 12 10 9

Horse inventory 89 23 38 24 4

Forage acres 64 18 20 15 11

Receipts

Agriculture sales 20 3 4 4 8

Organic sales 17 1 2 5 9

Direct-to-consumer 

sales 58 11 14 20 13

Government 

payments 44 13 13 8 10

Net farm income 5 0 -2 -1 7

Subcategories may not add exactly to small family farm total due to rounding.

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.

Fig. 2

Small Family Farms as Percent of Total Farms, by State, 2012

percent

< 75

75 - 79.9

80 - 84.9

85 - 89.9

90 - 94.9

95 +

U.S. = 88.2%

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.
2012 Census of Agriculture 3

Top Commodities

More small family farms specialized in beef cattle than any 

other commodity; 32 percent had more than half of their 

sales come from beef. Beef was the top-ranking commodity for all subcategories of small farms except for moderate-sales farms; 45 percent of these farms specialized in 

oilseed and grain production. (Table 3)

Table 3

Small Family Farms: Top Commodities, 2012 

(by commodity specializationa)

All 

Small

Family

Farms

Retirement

Primary

Occupation

Off-farm

Primary Occupation 

On-farm

Low

Sales

Moderate

Sales

percent of category

Beef cattle 32 33 33 30 14

Combination cropsb 25 31 26 18 8

Oilseeds and grains 14 9 12 17 45

Combination 

livestockb 12 11 13 13 2

Specialty crops 9 9 8 11 7

All other 8 7 8 11 24

Total 100 100 100 100 100 a

More than half of a farm’s sales come from that commodity. 

b

Farms with no single majority commodity and farms specializing in miscellaneous commodities. 

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.

Producer Characteristics

Only 16 percent of small family farms depended upon the 

farm for the majority of their household income in 2012. 

However, in the moderate-sales group, 76 percent of operators did so, with 82 percent having positive net income 

from their farming operation. In the low-sales group,

31 percent depended upon the farm for the majority of 

household income; 44 percent had positive net income 

from the operation.

The youngest farmers 

were operators whose 

primary occupation is off 

the farm (average age of 

52.8 years in 2012). The 

oldest are operators of 

retirement farms. At 

69.3 years, their average 

age was eleven years 

more than the average 

for all U.S. principal 

operators (58.3 years). 

Retirement farms and 

low-sales farms had higher proportions of female principal 

operators (17 and 18 percent, respectively) than did all 

U.S. farms (14 percent). (Table 4)

Table 4

Small Family Farms: Key Characteristics of Principal Operators, 2012

(percent)

All 

Small

Family

Farms

Retirement

Primary

Occupation

Off-farm

Primary Occupation 

On-farm

Low

Sales

Moderate

Sales

Gender

Male / Female 85 / 15 83 / 17 87 / 13 82 / 18 96 / 4

Worked off farm

Yes / No 64 / 36 32 / 68 95 / 5 56 / 44 35 / 65

Years on present farm

<10 / 10+ 23 / 77 14 / 86 30 / 70 27 / 73 15 / 85

Internet access

Yes/ No 68 / 32 59 / 41 75 / 25 67 / 33 72 / 28

Positive income 

from farming

Yes / No 41 / 59 41 / 59 36 / 64 44 / 56 82 / 18

50% or more of 

household income 

from farming

Yes / No 16 / 84 11 / 89 6/ 94 31/ 69 76/ 24

Average age (years) n/a 69.3 52.8 54.6 54.5

Principal operator is the person responsible for the day-to-day operation of the farm.

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.

Midsize and Large Family Farms

Although midsize and large (including very large) family 

farms were fewer than 9 percent of all U.S. farms, they 

produced almost two thirds of agriculture sales. A midsize 

family farm has GCFI of $350,000 to $999,999; a large 

family farm has GCFI of $1 million to $4.9 million, and a 

very large family farm has GCFI of $5 million or more (see 

box on p. 2)

Fewer than 6 percent of 

U.S. farms were midsize 

family farms, but this 

group accounted for 

19 percent of all agriculture sales, 20 percent 

of farmland, 20 percent 

of the value of farm real 

estate, and 26 percent of 

Retirement Farms: Top States 

(percent of farms)

West Virginia 41 

New Mexico 37 

Mississippi 37 

Alabama 37 

Georgia 37 

Tennessee 36

South Carolina 36 

Texas 35 

Florida 35

Oregon 35

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.

Large Family Farms: Top Statesa

(percent of farms)

North Dakota 11 

Nebraska 8 

South Dakota 7 

Iowa 7 

California 6 

a

 Includes very large family farms.

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.
4

Producer Characteristics

Operators of midsize and larger family farms are predominantly male; only 2 or 3 percent are women. Operators of 

these farms rely on the farming operation for the majority 

of household income, even though a substantial minority in 

each category still engages in off-farm employment. Most 

midsize and larger operators are experienced farmers, 

with ten plus years on their current farm in 2012. (Table 7)

Table 7

Midsize and Large Family Farms: Key Characteristics of Principal Operators

(percent)

Midsize Large Very Large 

Gender

Male / Female 97 / 3 98 / 2 98 / 2

Worked off farm

Yes / No 33 / 67 25 / 75 27 / 73

Years on present farm

<10 / 10+ 11 / 89 8 / 92 10 / 90

Operator is a hired 

manager

Yes/ No 7 / 83 12/ 88 27 / 73

Internet access

Yes/ No 83 /17 91 / 9 95 / 5

Positive income 

from farming

Yes / No 87 / 13 89 / 11 84 / 16

50% or more of 

household income 

from farming

Yes / No 80 /20 84 /16 74 / 26

Average age (years) 55.2 55.4 57.0

Principal operator is the person responsible for the day-to-day operation of the farm.

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.

To learn more about family farms, the 2012 Census of Agriculture, and how to access national state and county data, visit our 

website. Here you will also find additional resources on family 

farms, including maps featuring the various kinds of family 

farms, infographics, and more.

www.agcensus.usda.gov

net farm income. Large and very large family farms together accounted for fewer than 3 percent of U.S. farms, but 

earned 56 percent of net farm income. (Table 5) 

Table 5 

Midsize and Large Family Farms: Selected Agriculture

Assets and Receipts, 2012

(percent of U.S. total) 

Midsize Large Very Large

Number of farms 5.6 2.6 0.3

Assets

Farmland 20 17 3

Value of land and buildings 20 20 4

Receipts

Agriculture sales 19 26 19

Organic sales 13 21 28

Government payments 25 22 2

Net farm income 26 40 16

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.

Top Commodities

Fifty-eight percent of midsize family farms and 55 percent 

of large family farms specialized in oilseed and grain production in 2012, meaning more than half their farm’s sales 

income came from production of these crops. Together, 

these two groups accounted for 70 percent of U.S. oilseed 

and grain sales.

Very large family farms differ in their commodity specialization from all other farms. One quarter of very large family 

farms specialized in dairy production in 2012, while another 

quarter produced specialty crops, which includes vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts, and greenhouse and nursery 

products. (Table 6) 

Table 6 

Midsize and Large Family Farms: Top Commodities, 2012

(by commodity specializationa

)

Midsize Large Very Large

percent of category

Oilseeds and grains 58 55 15

Beef cattle 10 7 6

Dairy 9 9 25

Combination cropsb 8 8 6

Specialty crops 7 11 26

All other 8 10 22

Total 100 100 100 a

More than half of a farm’s sales come from that commodity. 

b

Farms with no single majority commodity and farms specializing in miscellaneous commodities. 

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.

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