Need statistics to make the case for farmland protection? Find frequently requested data from AFT's Farms Under Threat: The State of America's Farmland, the National Resources Inventory, the Census of Agriculture, and Farmland Information Center surveys of purchase of agricultural conservation easement programs. Or, follow links to additional information and data sources. Need help? Call us at 800-370-4879.
See the tables below for statistics at the National level.
For statistics by State use the drop down menu to the right.
On This Page
Farms Under Threat
National Resources Inventory
Census of Agriculture
Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land
Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs
Other Data Sources
Farms Under Threat
Acres Developed by Land Cover/Use 1992 – 2012
| Land Cover/Use | Urban Development | Low Density Residential | Total Developed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cropland | 7,408,000 | 4,385,000 | 11,793,000 |
| Pastureland | 4,662,000 | 4,379,000 | 9,041,000 |
| Rangeland | 4,285,000 | 1,408,000 | 5,693,000 |
| Woodland | 1,674,000 | 2,527,000 | 4,201,000 |
| Total agricultural land | 18,029,000 | 12,698,000 | 30,727,000 |
| Forestland | 5,107,000 | 9,739,000 | 14,846,000 |
| Other | 2,463,000 | 1,297,000 | 3,761,000 |
| Total | 25,600,000 | 23,735,000 | 49,335,000 |
- Farms Under Threat: The State of America’s Farmland
- Farms Under Threat Technical Report
- Farms Under Threat Fact Sheet
2012 National Resources Inventory
| 1997-2002 | 2002-2007 | 2007-2012 | 1982-2012 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural land converted to developed land (acres) | 4,867,400 | 3,539,100 | 1,824,500 | 24,498,500 |
| Agricultural land at the beginning of the reporting period (acres) | 937,815,600 | 926,494,400 | 918,305,300 | 971,232,700 |
| Prime agricultural land at the beginning of the reporting period (acres) | 271,816,400 | 267,502,300 | 264,112,000 | 281,483,300 |
| Forest land converted to developed land (acres) | 4,062,400 | 2,718,200 | 1,406,700 | 17,705,200 |
| Other rural land converted to developed land (acres) | 253,700 | 215,900 | 137,300 | 1,177,100 |
| Total surface area (acres) | 1,944,142,600 | 1,944,142,600 | 1,944,142,600 | 1,944,142,600 |
- 2012 NRI: Changes in Land Cover/Use
- Download Changes in Developed Land
- Download Changes in Prime Land
- Go to NRI Web site
Census of Agriculture
| 2002 | 2007 | 2012 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farms | 2,128,982 | 2,204,792 | 2,109,303 | 2,042,220 |
| Land in farms (acres) | 938,279,056 | 922,095,840 | 914,527,657 | 900,217,576 |
| Total land area (acres) | 2,263,960,501 | 2,260,994,361 | 2,260,583,852 | 2,260,681,965 |
| Principal operators / Primary producers* | 2,128,982 | 2,204,792 | 2,109,303 | 2,042,220 |
| Total operators / All producers* | 3,115,172 | 3,337,450 | 3,180,074 | 3,399,834 |
| Principal operators / Primary producers 34 and younger | 123,059 | 118,613 | 119,833 | 121,754 |
| Principal operators / Primary producers 65 and older | 557,830 | 655,654 | 701,276 | 780,672 |
| Land owned by principal operators 65 and older (acres) | 200,722,873 | 232,257,320 | 239,753,356 | |
| Principal operators / Primary producers with less than 10 years on present farm | 593,109 | 583,286 | 469,098 | 510,536 |
| All producers / primary producers with 10 years or less on any farm | 908,274 / 472,360 | |||
| Market value of agricultural products sold ($1,000) | 200,646,355 | 297,220,491 | 394,646,980 | 388,522,695 |
| *Reflects new terms in 2017 Census of Agriculture |
- Table of Changes in Land in Farms by State
- All Producers by Age Infographic
- All New and Beginning Producers by Age Infographic
- FIC 2017 Census of Agriculture page
- Go to Census of Agriculture Web site
Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land
| Agricultural Landlords | 2014 |
| Agricultural landlords–operators and non-operators | 2,131,840 |
| Agricultural land rented out by agricultural landlords (acres) | 353,768,136 |
| Non-operator landlords | 1,851,796 |
| Agricultural land owned and rented out by non-operator landlords (acres) | 283,447,669 |
| Principal Landlords | 2014 |
| Principal landlords | 1,432,065 |
| Agricultural land rented out by principal landlords (acres) | 190,969,367 |
| Principal landlords 65 and older | 821,803 |
| Land owned and rented out by principal landlords 65 and older (acres) | 131,823,201 |
| Women principal landlords | 543,728 |
- 2014 Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land Survey Talking Points
- 2014 TOTAL Report and Resources
Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs
| State-Level Program Activity Totals | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Easements or Restrictions Acquired | 14,541 | 15,020 | 15,551 | 16,065 |
| Acres Protected | 2,579,878 | 2,672,364 | 2,799,539 | 2,943,019 |
| Program Funds Spent to Date | $3,887,170,187 | $3,969,625,889 | $4,103,081,243 | $4,245,393,339 |
Other Data Sources
- Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Foreign Agricultural Trade of the United States
- Statistical Abstract of the United States
- U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. Census Bureau Housing Topics
U.S. Census Bureau State and County Quick Facts