Most farmers receive off-farm income; small-scale operators depend on it

Median total household income among all farm households ($97,984) exceeded the median total household income for all U.S. households ($80,610) in 2023. Median household income and income from farming increased with farm size and most households earned some income from off-farm employment. Small family farms account for 86 percent of total farms, with gross cash farm income less than $350,000. The households operating these farms typically rely on off-farm sources for the majority of their household income. In contrast, the median household operating large-scale family farms earned $414,436 in 2023, and most of that came from farming.