Counties in California by farms

San Diego County had the highest farms of 58 counties in 2017, at 5,082. Alpine County had the lowest, at 6. The median was 870 and the figure for California was 70,521. Source: the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

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Highest5,082San Diego County
Median87058 counties
California70,521History

Map of counties, 2017

Alameda County: 446 countAlpine County: 6 countAmador County: 482 countButte County: 1,912 countCalaveras County: 699 countColusa County: 751 countContra Costa County: 459 countDel Norte County: 90 countEl Dorado County: 1,390 countFresno County: 4,774 countGlenn County: 1,173 countHumboldt County: 849 countImperial County: 396 countInyo County: 85 countKern County: 1,731 countKings County: 963 countLake County: 636 countLassen County: 377 countLos Angeles County: 1,035 countMadera County: 1,386 countMarin County: 343 countMariposa County: 299 countMendocino County: 1,128 countMerced County: 2,337 countModoc County: 423 countMono County: 65 countMonterey County: 1,104 countNapa County: 1,866 countNevada County: 673 countOrange County: 193 countPlacer County: 1,237 countPlumas County: 162 countRiverside County: 2,667 countSacramento County: 1,161 countSan Benito County: 610 countSan Bernardino County: 1,062 countSan Diego County: 5,082 countSan Francisco County: 10 countSan Joaquin County: 3,430 countSan Luis Obispo County: 2,349 countSan Mateo County: 241 countSanta Barbara County: 1,467 countSanta Clara County: 890 countSanta Cruz County: 625 countShasta County: 1,337 countSierra County: 38 countSiskiyou County: 745 countSolano County: 849 countSonoma County: 3,594 countStanislaus County: 3,621 countSutter County: 1,157 countTehama County: 1,479 countTrinity County: 185 countTulare County: 4,187 countTuolumne County: 417 countVentura County: 2,135 countYolo County: 949 countYuba County: 764 count
  • Under 270
  • 270 to 610
  • 610 to 870
  • 870 to 1,200
  • 1,200 to 2,000
  • 2,000 and over
count, 2017. Source: USDA NASS, Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022) via Data Commons. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2017

San Diego County: 5,082 countSan Diego County5,082Fresno County: 4,774 countFresno County4,774Tulare County: 4,187 countTulare County4,187Stanislaus County: 3,621 countStanislaus County3,621Sonoma County: 3,594 countSonoma County3,594San Joaquin County: 3,430 countSan Joaquin County3,430Riverside County: 2,667 countRiverside County2,667San Luis Obispo County: 2,349 countSan Luis Obispo County2,349Merced County: 2,337 countMerced County2,337Ventura County: 2,135 countVentura County2,135Butte County: 1,912 countButte County1,912Napa County: 1,866 countNapa County1,866Kern County: 1,731 countKern County1,731Tehama County: 1,479 countTehama County1,479Santa Barbara County: 1,467 countSanta Barbara County1,467El Dorado County: 1,390 countEl Dorado County1,390Madera County: 1,386 countMadera County1,386Shasta County: 1,337 countShasta County1,337Placer County: 1,237 countPlacer County1,237Glenn County: 1,173 countGlenn County1,173Sacramento County: 1,161 countSacramento County1,161Sutter County: 1,157 countSutter County1,157Mendocino County: 1,128 countMendocino County1,128Monterey County: 1,104 countMonterey County1,104San Bernardino County: 1,062 countSan Bernardino County1,062Los Angeles County: 1,035 countLos Angeles County1,035Kings County: 963 countKings County963Yolo County: 949 countYolo County949Santa Clara County: 890 countSanta Clara County890Humboldt County: 849 countHumboldt County849Solano County: 849 countSolano County849Yuba County: 764 countYuba County764Colusa County: 751 countColusa County751Siskiyou County: 745 countSiskiyou County745Calaveras County: 699 countCalaveras County699Nevada County: 673 countNevada County673Lake County: 636 countLake County636Santa Cruz County: 625 countSanta Cruz County625San Benito County: 610 countSan Benito County610Amador County: 482 countAmador County482Contra Costa County: 459 countContra Costa County459Alameda County: 446 countAlameda County446Modoc County: 423 countModoc County423Tuolumne County: 417 countTuolumne County417Imperial County: 396 countImperial County396Lassen County: 377 countLassen County377Marin County: 343 countMarin County343Mariposa County: 299 countMariposa County299San Mateo County: 241 countSan Mateo County241Orange County: 193 countOrange County193Trinity County: 185 countTrinity County185Plumas County: 162 countPlumas County162Del Norte County: 90 countDel Norte County90Inyo County: 85 countInyo County85Mono County: 65 countMono County65Sierra County: 38 countSierra County38San Francisco County: 10 countSan Francisco County10Alpine County: 6 countAlpine County6San Diego County: 5,082 countSan Diego County5,082Fresno County: 4,774 countFresno County4,774Tulare County: 4,187 countTulare County4,187Stanislaus County: 3,621 countStanislaus County3,621Sonoma County: 3,594 countSonoma County3,594San Joaquin County: 3,430 countSan Joaquin County3,430Riverside County: 2,667 countRiverside County2,667San Luis Obispo County: 2,349 countSan Luis Obispo County2,349Merced County: 2,337 countMerced County2,337Ventura County: 2,135 countVentura County2,135Butte County: 1,912 countButte County1,912Napa County: 1,866 countNapa County1,866Kern County: 1,731 countKern County1,731Tehama County: 1,479 countTehama County1,479Santa Barbara County: 1,467 countSanta Barbara County1,467El Dorado County: 1,390 countEl Dorado County1,390Madera County: 1,386 countMadera County1,386Shasta County: 1,337 countShasta County1,337Placer County: 1,237 countPlacer County1,237Glenn County: 1,173 countGlenn County1,173Sacramento County: 1,161 countSacramento County1,161Sutter County: 1,157 countSutter County1,157Mendocino County: 1,128 countMendocino County1,128Monterey County: 1,104 countMonterey County1,104San Bernardino County: 1,062 countSan Bernardino County1,062Los Angeles County: 1,035 countLos Angeles County1,035Kings County: 963 countKings County963Yolo County: 949 countYolo County949Santa Clara County: 890 countSanta Clara County890Humboldt County: 849 countHumboldt County849Solano County: 849 countSolano County849Yuba County: 764 countYuba County764Colusa County: 751 countColusa County751Siskiyou County: 745 countSiskiyou County745Calaveras County: 699 countCalaveras County699Nevada County: 673 countNevada County673Lake County: 636 countLake County636Santa Cruz County: 625 countSanta Cruz County625San Benito County: 610 countSan Benito County610Amador County: 482 countAmador County482Contra Costa County: 459 countContra Costa County459Alameda County: 446 countAlameda County446Modoc County: 423 countModoc County423Tuolumne County: 417 countTuolumne County417Imperial County: 396 countImperial County396Lassen County: 377 countLassen County377Marin County: 343 countMarin County343Mariposa County: 299 countMariposa County299San Mateo County: 241 countSan Mateo County241Orange County: 193 countOrange County193Trinity County: 185 countTrinity County185Plumas County: 162 countPlumas County162Del Norte County: 90 countDel Norte County90Inyo County: 85 countInyo County85Mono County: 65 countMono County65Sierra County: 38 countSierra County38San Francisco County: 10 countSan Francisco County10Alpine County: 6 countAlpine County6
count. Source: USDA NASS, Census of Agriculture: number of farms, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022) via Data Commons. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

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

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

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, 2017) [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, 2017. 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=2017. 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, 2017. 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=2017.

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, 2017 [Dataset]. Via Data Commons. Available at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/farms/california-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_california_by_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  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=2017. 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, 2017
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=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org).
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/farms/california-counties?period=2017.
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  - 
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Rank Counties in California by farms using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest farms?

San Diego County, with 5,082 in 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Which county has the lowest farms?

Alpine County, with 6 in 2017.

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.

Farms: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings