FAQs

In 2017, the top 10 agricultural producing States in terms of cash receipts were (in descending order): California, Iowa, Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Indiana. These and related statistics can be found in ERS's Farm Income and Wealth Statistics. 

In 2017, the 10 largest sources of cash receipts from the sale of U.S.-produced farm commodities were (in descending order): cattle and calves, corn, soybeans, dairy products/milk, broilers, miscellaneous crops, hogs, wheat, chicken eggs, and cotton lint (upland). These and related statistics can be found in ERS's Farm Income and Wealth Statistics.

No. In fact, family farms still account for a large majority of farms and farm production. But as production shifts to larger farms, family-owned farm businesses often become larger. Farms with gross revenue of at least $1 million now account for 54 percent of farm production, and 93 percent of the 64,800 million-dollar operations are family farms.  These large family farms account for 84 percent of production by million-dollar farms. See the ERS report for more information:

Since the mid-1990s, the median income of U.S. farm households has surpassed that of nonfarm households, and farm household income today is derived from a number of income sources. The financial well-being of the majority of farm households today depends less on the income from the farm business and more on the availability of remunerative off-farm employment. However, households operating commercial farms (those with more than $350,000 in gross cash farm income) typically derive most of their income from the farm operation, although many of those households also have substantial off-farm income. These and related statistics can be found in the ERS's topic on Farm Household Well-being. 

While total per capita food consumption has increased in the U.S. since 1970, Americans are consuming less beef per capita than in the 1970s or 1980s. The ERS loss-adjusted food availability (LAFA) data series in the ERS Food Consumption (Per Capita) Data System provides data on over 200 foods in the American diet. LAFA is derived from ERS’s food availability data series by adjusting for food spoilage, plate waste, and other losses to more closely approximate actual intake.

ERS forecasts retail food price inflation on a 12 to 18-month forecast horizon, with the new year of forecasts published each July. These forecasts are based on current conditions as well as an assumption of normal weather conditions throughout the remainder of the year; however, severe weather or other unforeseen events could potentially drive food prices above or below the current forecasts. For this reason, our forecasts are updated on a monthly basis. For the most current forecasts and analysis see the Food Price Outlook.

In 2017, 88.2 percent of U.S. households were food secure throughout the year, meaning that they had access, at all times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. An estimated 11.8 percent of American households were food insecure in 2017, meaning that they had difficulty at some time during the year providing enough food for all their members due to a lack of resources. In 2017, 4.5 percent of U.S. households had very low food security. In this more severe range of food insecurity, the food intake of some household members was reduced, and normal eating patterns were disrupted at times during the year due to limited resources. See Key Statistics & Graphics under the Food Security in the U.S. topic.

ERS’ Food Access Research Atlas estimates and maps census tracts that are low income and have low access to a supermarket, where low access is defined as having a significant number or share of people more than 1 mile from a supermarket in urban areas and more than 10 miles in rural areas. An estimated 19 million people in these low-income and low-access census tracts were far from a supermarket in 2015. The Food Access Research Atlas provides measures of neighborhood access to healthy, affordable food for the entire Nation using ½-mile and 1-mile demarcations to the nearest supermarket for urban areas, 10-mile and 20-mile demarcations to the nearest supermarket for rural areas, and vehicle availability for all tracts. Users can map low-income and low-supermarket access census tracts for 2015 and now compare the results with those for 2010.

U.S. agriculture enjoys a trade surplus, with the value of exports exceeding imports. In fiscal year 2016, the value of agricultural exports reached $129.7 billion compared to $113.1 billion worth of agricultural imports, resulting in a trade surplus of $16.6 billion. The level of the surplus varies over time, and reached a high of $43.1 billion in fiscal year 2014 when agricultural exports reached a record $152.3 billion. In more recent years the surplus has declined somewhat, as the value of imports continues to rise while the value of exports has declined from record-high levels amid lower commodity prices and higher volatility. ERS publishes monthly trade updates that provide up-to-date information on agricultural trade and the trade balance.

Trade is essential to the U.S. agricultural sector, with agricultural exports accounting for more than 20 percent of the volume of U.S. agricultural production. In recent years, the leading agricultural export products in terms of value have consistently been bulk commodities including soybeans, corn, and wheat. Top U.S. exports of high-value products include feeds and fodder, beef and veal (fresh or frozen), and almonds. State export calculations produced by ERS estimate the volume of agricultural production within each state that contributes to US export sales.

The number of people living in nonmetro counties increased by 33,000 between July 2016 and July 2017, ending 6 years of modest population losses. Annual population losses averaged 48,000 per year between 2010-11 and 2014-15, but dropped to a loss of just 15,000 people in 2015-16 before switching to overall population growth in 2016-17. ERS provides details, data, and analysis on demographic trends in nonmetro areas, including how "nonmetro" is defined.

For calendar year 2016, the farm share was 14.8 cents of each food dollar expenditure, and the marketing bill was 85.2 cents, accounting for the remainder of the food dollar. This means that for every dollar spent in 2016 in the U.S. on domestically produced food (food dollar), U.S. farmers sold 14.8 cents of farm products, on average, to non-farm establishments (farm share), down from 15.5 cents in 2015. The farm share is at its lowest recorded level between the years 1993 and 2016. The farm share covers the cost of purchased inputs used in farm production plus the value added on farms which is attributed to the use of farmland, farm labor, farm machinery and equipment. Farm production costs per food dollar fell to 7.8 cents in 2016 and are at their lowest level since 2002. For more information, see the Food Dollar Series.

U.S. agricultural-environmental policy addresses a range of environmental concerns including soil quality, water quality, wildlife habitat, and air quality. The United States relies heavily on financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers who agree to adopt practices designed to improve their environmental performance. Financial and technical assistance support a number of conservation activities including land retirement, conservation practices on land in production (e.g., conservation tillage, nutrient management, or rotational grazing), protection of wetlands and grasslands, and preservation of productive farmland at risk of residential or commercial development. Key programs include the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Conservation Compliance also ties conservation effort to participation in other agricultural programs. Under Conservation Compliance, farmers must apply an approved soil conservation system on highly erodible cropland and refrain from draining wetlands to maintain eligibility for a wide range of agriculture-related benefits, including farm income support and crop insurance premium subsidies.

In 2015, agriculture and its related industries had a 4.5 percent value-added share of nominal GDP, consisting of a 0.8-percent share for farms; a 1.4-percent share for food, beverage, and tobacco products; a 1.9-percent share for food service and drinking establishments; a 0.2-percent share of textiles and leather apparel; and a 0.2-percent share for forestry, fishing, and related activities.

USDA does not have an official estimate of the number of jobs associated with specific industries or sectors. Published U.S. Government data are available for direct farm employment and for employment in selected industries or sectors related to agriculture. The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes data on the number of full- and part-time jobs for agricultural and related industry sectors. In 2017, 21.6 million full- and part-time jobs were related to the agricultural and food sectors—11.0 percent of total U.S. employment. Direct on-farm employment accounted for about 2.6 million of these jobs, or 1.3 percent of U.S. employment. Employment in agriculture- and food-related industries supported another 19.0 million jobs. Of this, food service, eating and drinking places accounted for the largest share—12.5 million jobs—and food/beverage stores supported 3.2 million jobs. The remaining agriculture-related industries together added another 3.3 million jobs. See the section on Ag and Food Sectors and the Economy in the ERS data product, Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials for more information.