2022 Census of Agriculture: Nationally, about 40 percent of farmers work at least 200 days off the farm

About 40 percent of U.S. farmers worked 200 or more days off the farm in 2022, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The majority—93.2 percent—of the 3,078 U.S. counties for which data were reported had at least 30 percent of producers working 200 days or more off the farm. Further, 83 counties (2.7 percent) had at least 50 percent of producers working off farm 200 days or more. Counties with relatively few producers working 200 days or more off farm were scattered across the country, with many in remote areas of the western United States, and several located in metro areas. The majority of U.S. farm operations have more than one producer engaged in decisions or duties related to the farm business, which would increase the time available for off-farm work for any single producer. For farms with two producers, 41 percent of producers worked off farm 200 days or more, with a similar portion of producers on farms with either three or four producers doing so. In comparison, 35 percent of producers on farms with only one producer did so. Off-farm work is a significant source of income for most farm households and can additionally provide health and retirement benefits. According to Agricultural Resource Management Survey data, more than half of family farms did not turn a profit in 2022, and 84 percent of farm households earned at least half their total income from off-farm sources. For more details from the 2022 Census of Agriculture, see the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Census of Agriculture website. Information on producers and households can be found on the USDA, Economic Research Service’s topic page Farm Household Well-being.

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