Counties in California by farms
San Diego County had the highest farms of 58 counties in 2012, at 5,732. Alpine County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 967 and the figure for California was 77,857. Source: the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Map of counties, 2012
- Under 330
- 330 to 630
- 630 to 970
- 970 to 1,400
- 1,400 to 2,100
- 2,100 and over
All counties, 2012
Full ranking
Other periods
About this ranking
Places from which 1,000 dollars or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year, as counted by the USDA Census of Agriculture every five years.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved through Data Commons (datacommons.org). https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.Citation styles
APA 7
U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. (2026). Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022) (Counties in California by farms, 2012) [Data set]. Data Commons. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/
MLA 9
Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022), Counties in California by farms, 2012. U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, 11 Oct. 2026, https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Data Commons, https://datacommons.org. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/farms/california-counties?period=2012. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2026. Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Counties in California by farms, 2012. Dataset. Distributed by Data Commons. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/farms/california-counties?period=2012.
Harvard
U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (2026) Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022), Counties in California by farms, 2012 [Dataset]. Via Data Commons. Available at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/farms/california-counties?period=2012 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_california_by_2012,
author = {{U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service}},
title = {{Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022): Counties in California by farms, 2012}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
publisher = {Data Commons},
url = {https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/},
urldate = {2026-10-11},
note = {Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org). Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/farms/california-counties?period=2012. Publisher attribution: Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved through Data Commons (datacommons.org). https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service
TI - Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022): Counties in California by farms, 2012
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/11
PB - Data Commons
DB - Invokely
UR - https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/farms/california-counties?period=2012
Y2 - 2026/10/11
N1 - Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org).
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/farms/california-counties?period=2012.
N1 - Publisher attribution: Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved through Data Commons (datacommons.org). https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
ER -
Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank Counties in California by farms using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"farms","level":"province","within":"California","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=farms&level=province&within=California&limit=10Questions
Which county has the highest farms?
San Diego County, with 5,732 in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Which county has the lowest farms?
Alpine County, with 3 in 2012.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved 2026-10-11.