Census of Agriculture

Census of Agriculture — 2012

The census of agriculture is the leading source of statistics about the Nation's agricultural production. It provides a detailed picture of farms every five years and is the only source of uniform agricultural data for every state and county in the United States. The census definition of a farm is any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year.

Highlights of Chester County Agriculture, 2012

• There were 1,730 farms, down less than 1 percent from 2007 but almost 10 percent less than the number of farms (1,918) present in 2002.
• There were 164,495 acres in farms in 2012, only 2 percent less than 2002.
• Farmland accounted for 33.9% of the land in Chester County.
• The average size of a farm was 95 acres, a decrease of 1 acre from 2007.
• Chester County ranked 2nd among all 67 Pennsylvania counties in the total value of agricultural products sold with annual sales of $660,744,000 (ranked 54th of over 3,000 counties in the U.S.).
• Chester County ranked 1st in PA and 1st in the U.S. in the value of nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, sod and mushrooms with sales of $475,480,000. Mushrooms accounted for $475,480,000. Mushrooms accounted for $396,757,000 of the total value.
• Chester County ranked 6th in PA in the value of milk from cows with sales of $73,185,000 (ranked 112th in the U.S.).
• Chester County ranked 2nd in PA and 22nd in the U.S. in the value of horses, ponies, mules, burros, and donkeys with sales of $5,249,000.
• Farming is the primary occupation of 61% of farm operators.

The census is used to study historical trends, assess current conditions, and plan for the future. The data are used to evaluate farm policies and programs, formulate market strategies, and develop new methods to increase agricultural production. The census is used to make energy projections and plan for operations during drought and emergency outbreaks of diseases or infestations of pests.

County Comparisons

Number of Farms, 2012

Delaware County had 76 farms

Land in Farms (acres), 2012

Delaware County had 4,725 acres

Market Value, 2012

Delaware County had $9,781,000

Agriculture in Chester County Trends

The following charts and tables present summary statistics describing agriculture in Chester County from 2002 to 2012. For more detailed information, please view the 2012 profile.

Chester County Farmland (acres), 2002-2012

ISERT BACKUP IMAGE  2002  INSERT BACKUP IMAGE 2007  INSERT BACKUP IMAGE 2012