Top States in Farm 

Expenditures ($ bil)

California 35.5

Iowa 27.8

Texas 24.1

Nebraska 22.7

Kansas 20.2

About this Survey

U.S. farm production expenditure data 

are collected as part of the Agricultural 

Resource Management Survey (ARMS). 

USDA's National Agricultural Statistics 

Service and USDA's Economic Reseach 

Service jointly conduct ARMS in the 48 

contiguous states.

ARMS provides annual data on the 

financial health of the farm sector and 

farm household finances. For more on 

the information ARMS provides, go to 

http://go.usa.gov/x27WH.

Access all farm expenditure data 

through the Quick Stats database 

(https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov). 

United States Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service www.nass.usda.gov

Farm Production Expenditures, 2015

NASS Highlights August 2016 • No. 2016-6

Expenditures down

8.8 percent 

Both total and per farm production expenditures in the United States were 

lower in 2015 than in recent years. Expenditures were down in every region, 

in most economic classes, and in almost all spending categories. Both crop 

and livestock farm expenditures were down.

Total Farm Expenditures

After several years of steady increases, total expenditures by U.S. farms (not 

including Alaska and Hawaii) were $362.8 billion in 2015, down 8.8 percent 

from $397.6 billion in 2014. (Fig. 1) As Table 1 shows, five categories (feed,

Fig. 1. U.S. Total Farm Expenditures, 2006 – 2015 ($ billion)

237.8

2006

283.5

2007

307.0

2008

287.4

2009

289.1

2010

318.7

2011

360.1

2012

367.3

2013

397.6

2014

362.8

2015

Source: USDA NASS.

Table 1. Farm Expenditures, by Category, 2015 ($ billion and percent)

$ billion %

Feed 58.5 16.1

Livestock, poultry, and related expenses 45.4 12.5

Farm services 41.6 11.5

Labor 31.8 8.8

Rent 31.0 8.5

Fertilizer, lime, and soil conditioners 25.5 7.0

Seeds and plants 21.3 5.9

Farm supplies and repairs 18.7 5.2

Farm improvements and construction 16.1 4.4

Agricultural chemicals 14.6 4.0

Taxes 12.8 3.5

Fuel 12.3 3.4

Other expenses 33.2 9.2

Total 362.8 100.0

Source: USDA NASS.

At $58.5 billion, 

feed was the 

largest expense 

item, accounting 

for 16.1 percent 

of farm 

expenditures.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

livestock/poultry and related expenses, farm services, 

labor, and rent) accounted for 57.4 percent of 2015 

farm expenditures. Twelve categories accounted for 

90.8 percent of the total. "Other" includes tractors, 

trucks/autos, machinery, interest. 

Farm expenditures for fuel declined $4.4 billion between 

2014 and 2015 – one of the largest dollar and percentage 

decreases. Expenditures for diesel, which accounted 

for nearly two thirds of the $12.3 billion in 2015 fuel 

expenditures, declined 24.5 percent. Gasoline and liquid 

petroleum gas expenditures declined 25.8 percent and 

34.1 percent, respectively. 

In recent years, crop farm expenditures have exceeded 

livestock farm expenditures. But between 2014 and 2015, 

expenditures by crop farms declined 10.9 percent and 

expenditures by livestock farms declined 6.6 percent. In 

2015, expenditures for livestock farms ($182.6 billion) 

exceeded those for crop farms ($180.3 billion). (Fig. 2)

Fig. 2. Total Farm Expenditures, Crop and Livestock Farms, 

2006 – 2015 ($ billion)

100.0

150.0

200.0

250.0

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

 Crop Farms Livestock Farms

Source: USDA NASS.

Per Farm Average Expenditures

Per farm average expenditures in 2015 were $176,181, 

down 8.0 percent from 2014. But they were higher for 

crop farms ($189,710) than for livestock farms ($164,591). 

The difference between average crop farm and average 

livestock farm expenditures was smaller in 2015 than any 

time in the last ten years. (Fig. 3) 

Fig. 3. Per Farm Average Expenditures, Crop and Livestock Farms, 

2006 – 2015 ($ per farm)

 Crop Farms Livestock Farms

$189,710

$164,591

50,000

75,000

100,000

125,000

150,000

175,000

200,000

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Source: USDA NASS.

Of fifteen large 

agricultural states, 

Nebraska had the highest 

per farm expenditures, and 

Texas had the lowest.

Per Farm Average Expenditures, 

Selected States, 2015 

($ per farm)

Nebraska 466,940

California 458,581

Kansas 334,934

Iowa 317,143

Illinois 242,663

Minnesota 235,462

Washington 233,889

North Carolina 215,574

Arkansas 189,195

Georgia 187,407

Indiana 180,243

Wisconsin 158,345

Florida 122,410

 Missouri 109,166

Texas 99,752

Regional Shares of U.S. Farm Expenditures, 2015

The Midwest accounted for 31 percent of farm expenditures; the South had the smallest share.

U.S. = $362.8 billion

Source: USDA NASS.

Midwest 31%

Plains 26%

West 21%

Atlantic 12%

South 10%