Counties in North Carolina by farms

Randolph County had the highest farms of 100 counties in 2012, at 1,486. Dare County had the lowest, at 9. The median was 406 and the figure for North Carolina was 50,218. Source: the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

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Highest1,486Randolph County
Median406100 counties
North Carolina50,218History

Map of counties, 2012

Alamance County: 732 countAlexander County: 603 countAlleghany County: 567 countAnson County: 429 countAshe County: 1,140 countAvery County: 483 countBeaufort County: 364 countBertie County: 325 countBladen County: 492 countBrunswick County: 254 countBuncombe County: 1,060 countBurke County: 486 countCabarrus County: 589 countCaldwell County: 411 countCamden County: 60 countCarteret County: 125 countCaswell County: 543 countCatawba County: 698 countChatham County: 1,138 countCherokee County: 255 countChowan County: 141 countClay County: 154 countCleveland County: 1,036 countColumbus County: 731 countCraven County: 256 countCumberland County: 389 countCurrituck County: 82 countDare County: 9 countDavidson County: 1,062 countDavie County: 640 countDuplin County: 940 countDurham County: 232 countEdgecombe County: 272 countForsyth County: 662 countFranklin County: 542 countGaston County: 520 countGates County: 182 countGraham County: 107 countGranville County: 589 countGreene County: 260 countGuilford County: 962 countHalifax County: 341 countHarnett County: 797 countHaywood County: 597 countHenderson County: 468 countHertford County: 162 countHoke County: 202 countHyde County: 158 countIredell County: 1,203 countJackson County: 245 countJohnston County: 1,175 countJones County: 170 countLee County: 246 countLenoir County: 401 countLincoln County: 651 countMcDowell County: 334 countMacon County: 326 countMadison County: 719 countMartin County: 357 countMecklenburg County: 237 countMitchell County: 286 countMontgomery County: 250 countMoore County: 718 countNash County: 430 countNew Hanover County: 50 countNorthampton County: 319 countOnslow County: 347 countOrange County: 645 countPamlico County: 80 countPasquotank County: 136 countPender County: 335 countPerquimans County: 185 countPerson County: 395 countPitt County: 391 countPolk County: 290 countRandolph County: 1,486 countRichmond County: 277 countRobeson County: 941 countRockingham County: 902 countRowan County: 1,011 countRutherford County: 638 countSampson County: 1,067 countScotland County: 150 countStanly County: 664 countStokes County: 926 countSurry County: 1,256 countSwain County: 94 countTransylvania County: 221 countTyrrell County: 78 countUnion County: 1,059 countVance County: 242 countWake County: 783 countWarren County: 256 countWashington County: 156 countWatauga County: 609 countWayne County: 563 countWilkes County: 972 countWilson County: 297 countYadkin County: 952 countYancey County: 450 count
  • Under 180
  • 180 to 280
  • 280 to 410
  • 410 to 600
  • 600 to 930
  • 930 and over
count, 2012. 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.

Top 40 counties, 2012

Randolph County: 1,486 countRandolph County1,486Surry County: 1,256 countSurry County1,256Iredell County: 1,203 countIredell County1,203Johnston County: 1,175 countJohnston County1,175Ashe County: 1,140 countAshe County1,140Chatham County: 1,138 countChatham County1,138Sampson County: 1,067 countSampson County1,067Davidson County: 1,062 countDavidson County1,062Buncombe County: 1,060 countBuncombe County1,060Union County: 1,059 countUnion County1,059Cleveland County: 1,036 countCleveland County1,036Rowan County: 1,011 countRowan County1,011Wilkes County: 972 countWilkes County972Guilford County: 962 countGuilford County962Yadkin County: 952 countYadkin County952Robeson County: 941 countRobeson County941Duplin County: 940 countDuplin County940Stokes County: 926 countStokes County926Rockingham County: 902 countRockingham County902Harnett County: 797 countHarnett County797Wake County: 783 countWake County783Alamance County: 732 countAlamance County732Columbus County: 731 countColumbus County731Madison County: 719 countMadison County719Moore County: 718 countMoore County718Catawba County: 698 countCatawba County698Stanly County: 664 countStanly County664Forsyth County: 662 countForsyth County662Lincoln County: 651 countLincoln County651Orange County: 645 countOrange County645Davie County: 640 countDavie County640Rutherford County: 638 countRutherford County638Watauga County: 609 countWatauga County609Alexander County: 603 countAlexander County603Haywood County: 597 countHaywood County597Cabarrus County: 589 countCabarrus County589Granville County: 589 countGranville County589Alleghany County: 567 countAlleghany County567Wayne County: 563 countWayne County563Caswell County: 543 countCaswell County543Randolph County: 1,486 countRandolph County1,486Surry County: 1,256 countSurry County1,256Iredell County: 1,203 countIredell County1,203Johnston County: 1,175 countJohnston County1,175Ashe County: 1,140 countAshe County1,140Chatham County: 1,138 countChatham County1,138Sampson County: 1,067 countSampson County1,067Davidson County: 1,062 countDavidson County1,062Buncombe County: 1,060 countBuncombe County1,060Union County: 1,059 countUnion County1,059Cleveland County: 1,036 countCleveland County1,036Rowan County: 1,011 countRowan County1,011Wilkes County: 972 countWilkes County972Guilford County: 962 countGuilford County962Yadkin County: 952 countYadkin County952Robeson County: 941 countRobeson County941Duplin County: 940 countDuplin County940Stokes County: 926 countStokes County926Rockingham County: 902 countRockingham County902Harnett County: 797 countHarnett County797Wake County: 783 countWake County783Alamance County: 732 countAlamance County732Columbus County: 731 countColumbus County731Madison County: 719 countMadison County719Moore County: 718 countMoore County718Catawba County: 698 countCatawba County698Stanly County: 664 countStanly County664Forsyth County: 662 countForsyth County662Lincoln County: 651 countLincoln County651Orange County: 645 countOrange County645Davie County: 640 countDavie County640Rutherford County: 638 countRutherford County638Watauga County: 609 countWatauga County609Alexander County: 603 countAlexander County603Haywood County: 597 countHaywood County597Cabarrus County: 589 countCabarrus County589Granville County: 589 countGranville County589Alleghany County: 567 countAlleghany County567Wayne County: 563 countWayne County563Caswell County: 543 countCaswell County543
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

RankCounties2012
count
1Randolph County1,486
2Surry County1,256
3Iredell County1,203
4Johnston County1,175
5Ashe County1,140
6Chatham County1,138
7Sampson County1,067
8Davidson County1,062
9Buncombe County1,060
10Union County1,059
11Cleveland County1,036
12Rowan County1,011
13Wilkes County972
14Guilford County962
15Yadkin County952
16Robeson County941
17Duplin County940
18Stokes County926
19Rockingham County902
20Harnett County797
21Wake County783
22Alamance County732
23Columbus County731
24Madison County719
25Moore County718
26Catawba County698
27Stanly County664
28Forsyth County662
29Lincoln County651
30Orange County645
31Davie County640
32Rutherford County638
33Watauga County609
34Alexander County603
35Haywood County597
36Cabarrus County589
36Granville County589
38Alleghany County567
39Wayne County563
40Caswell County543
41Franklin County542
42Gaston County520
43Bladen County492
44Burke County486
45Avery County483
46Henderson County468
47Yancey County450
48Nash County430
49Anson County429
50Caldwell County411
51Lenoir County401
52Person County395
53Pitt County391
54Cumberland County389
55Beaufort County364
56Martin County357
57Onslow County347
58Halifax County341
59Pender County335
60McDowell County334
61Macon County326
62Bertie County325
63Northampton County319
64Wilson County297
65Polk County290
66Mitchell County286
67Richmond County277
68Edgecombe County272
69Greene County260
70Craven County256
70Warren County256
72Cherokee County255
73Brunswick County254
74Montgomery County250
75Lee County246
76Jackson County245
77Vance County242
78Mecklenburg County237
79Durham County232
80Transylvania County221
81Hoke County202
82Perquimans County185
83Gates County182
84Jones County170
85Hertford County162
86Hyde County158
87Washington County156
88Clay County154
89Scotland County150
90Chowan County141
91Pasquotank County136
92Carteret County125
93Graham County107
94Swain County94
95Currituck County82
96Pamlico County80
97Tyrrell County78
98Camden County60
99New Hanover County50
100Dare County9

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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-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 North Carolina by farms, 2012 [Dataset]. Via Data Commons. Available at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/farms/north-carolina-counties?period=2012 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_north_carolina_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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-counties?period=2012
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org).
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/farms/north-carolina-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  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest farms?

Randolph County, with 1,486 in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Which county has the lowest farms?

Dare County, with 9 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.

Farms: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings