Top North Carolina Agriculture Facts From the 2024 Census of Agriculture
In partnership with: North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
Download North Carolina Census of Ag Infographic PDF
From the mountains to the coast, North Carolina’s diverse geography and climates make it an agricultural powerhouse. North Carolina agriculture produces everything from sweet potatoes and peanuts to hogs, chickens, dairy products and more, and the ag industry is a major boon to the state economy. According to the USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture, there are 42,817 farms in North Carolina with a market value of agricultural products sold totaling nearly $18.7 billion. (The 2022 Census of Agriculture data was released in February 2024 and is the most recent census data available.)
The number of farms in North Carolina has decreased by 8% since 2017 and by 21% since 2002. However, there are still more than 8.1 million acres of farm land in North Carolina, and the state’s average farm size is 190 acres.
The market value of crops grown in North Carolina, including nursery and greenhouse crops, totaled more than $4.7 billion in 2022. The market value of livestock, poultry and their products, including beef, pork, chicken, dairy and eggs, came to nearly $14 billion.
What Are North Carolina’s Top Agricultural Products?
According to the most recent available cash receipts (the total amount of crops or livestock sold in a calendar year), North Carolina’s top agricultural products include broilers (chickens raised for meat), hogs, turkeys, soybeans, corn and chicken eggs, to name a few.
See More: North Carolina Agriculture
Who Owns North Carolina Farms?
The Census of Agriculture calculates farm ownership by the farm’s legal status for tax purposes. Like many states, North Carolina farms are primarily owned and operated by families or individuals, with 35,740 family farms as of 2022, or about 83.5% of all farms in the state. Corporations accounted for 3,818 farms, or 8.9%, while 2,722 farms, or 6.4%, are owned by partnerships. Other farms, such as estates or trusts, prison farms, grazing associations, American Indian Reservations, etc., make up about 1.2% of farms in North Carolina.
North Carolina farmers are predominantly men. According to the Census of Agriculture, there were 48,319 male farmers in North Carolina in 2022, making up 67% of the state’s total producers. North Carolina’s 24,160 women farmers accounted for 33% of the total.
See More: Women are the New Face of Farming in North Carolina
How Old Are North Carolina Farmers?
Out of 72,479 farmers in North Carolina, most are over the age of 55. In fact, the average age of a North Carolina farmer in 2022 was 58.1 years old, the same as in 2017.
Just under a quarter of North Carolina farmers (around 24.9%) fall into the age group of 55 to 64 years, and 23.6% of farmers are ages 65 to 74. Farmers ranging from 45 to 54 years old account for 16.3%, followed by farmers aged 75 or older (14.2%), then farmers ages 35 to 44 (12.3%). Only 6.9% of farmers are ages 25 to 34, and just 1,182 North Carolina farmers are under 25, or about 1.6%.
See More: How North Carolina Organizations Are Reducing Food Waste
More North Carolina Farm Facts
Though the state counts more than 72,000 agricultural producers, 57% of North Carolina farmers have a primary occupation other than farming. Only about 31,000 respondents to the Census of Agriculture said their primary occupation was farming.
Active duty military members and veterans also account for some farmers. North Carolina has 7,212 farmers with current or past military service.
There are 1,891 Black farmers in North Carolina who farm 197,898 acres of land across 1,262 farms.
There are 1,007 producers of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin in North Carolina, up from 769 in 2017.
See More: North Carolina’s Small and Minority Farm Program Assists Underrepresented Farmers
North Carolina is home to 346 USDA-certified organic farms.
The state counts 22,940 new and beginning producers, up from 20,298 in 2017.
North Carolina leads the nation in sweet potato production. State farmers harvested 87,126 acres of sweet potatoes across 528 farms in 2022.
See More: North Carolina Sweet Potatoes Are Making It on to More American Tables Than Ever