Counties in California by land in farms

Kern County had the highest land in farms of 58 counties in 1997, at 2,875,932 acres. San Francisco County had the lowest, at 23 acres. The median was 366,503 acres and the figure for California was 28,795,834 acres. Source: the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest2,875,932Kern County
Median366,50358 counties
California28,795,834History

Map of counties, 1997

Alameda County: 272,881 acresAlpine County: 4,173 acresAmador County: 231,859 acresButte County: 429,484 acresCalaveras County: 287,446 acresColusa County: 442,556 acresContra Costa County: 168,270 acresDel Norte County: 14,051 acresEl Dorado County: 117,775 acresFresno County: 1,935,922 acresGlenn County: 499,793 acresHumboldt County: 619,450 acresImperial County: 495,144 acresInyo County: 205,114 acresKern County: 2,875,932 acresKings County: 661,363 acresLake County: 149,456 acresLassen County: 456,364 acresLos Angeles County: 142,960 acresMadera County: 678,198 acresMarin County: 172,454 acresMariposa County: 210,613 acresMendocino County: 656,105 acresMerced County: 920,813 acresModoc County: 681,687 acresMono County: 72,603 acresMonterey County: 1,531,933 acresNapa County: 228,821 acresNevada County: 78,086 acresOrange County: 60,499 acresPlacer County: 156,917 acresPlumas County: 118,075 acresRiverside County: 526,846 acresSacramento County: 330,804 acresSan Benito County: 536,613 acresSan Bernardino County: 935,682 acresSan Diego County: 505,006 acresSan Francisco County: 23 acresSan Joaquin County: 830,189 acresSan Luis Obispo County: 1,344,641 acresSan Mateo County: 58,140 acresSanta Barbara County: 835,271 acresSanta Clara County: 326,522 acresSanta Cruz County: 80,343 acresShasta County: 348,074 acresSierra County: 48,704 acresSiskiyou County: 639,819 acresSolano County: 372,936 acresSonoma County: 607,177 acresStanislaus County: 785,031 acresSutter County: 360,070 acresTehama County: 912,664 acresTrinity County: 125,295 acresTulare County: 1,375,820 acresTuolumne County: 171,788 acresVentura County: 377,715 acresYolo County: 554,729 acresYuba County: 229,135 acres
  • Under 120K
  • 120K to 210K
  • 210K to 370K
  • 370K to 540K
  • 540K to 810K
  • 810K and over
acres, 1997. Source: USDA NASS, Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022) via Data Commons. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 1997

Kern County: 2,875,932 acresKern County2,875,932Fresno County: 1,935,922 acresFresno County1,935,922Monterey County: 1,531,933 acresMonterey County1,531,933Tulare County: 1,375,820 acresTulare County1,375,820San Luis Obispo County: 1,344,641 acresSan Luis Obispo County1,344,641San Bernardino County: 935,682 acresSan Bernardino County935,682Merced County: 920,813 acresMerced County920,813Tehama County: 912,664 acresTehama County912,664Santa Barbara County: 835,271 acresSanta Barbara County835,271San Joaquin County: 830,189 acresSan Joaquin County830,189Stanislaus County: 785,031 acresStanislaus County785,031Modoc County: 681,687 acresModoc County681,687Madera County: 678,198 acresMadera County678,198Kings County: 661,363 acresKings County661,363Mendocino County: 656,105 acresMendocino County656,105Siskiyou County: 639,819 acresSiskiyou County639,819Humboldt County: 619,450 acresHumboldt County619,450Sonoma County: 607,177 acresSonoma County607,177Yolo County: 554,729 acresYolo County554,729San Benito County: 536,613 acresSan Benito County536,613Riverside County: 526,846 acresRiverside County526,846San Diego County: 505,006 acresSan Diego County505,006Glenn County: 499,793 acresGlenn County499,793Imperial County: 495,144 acresImperial County495,144Lassen County: 456,364 acresLassen County456,364Colusa County: 442,556 acresColusa County442,556Butte County: 429,484 acresButte County429,484Ventura County: 377,715 acresVentura County377,715Solano County: 372,936 acresSolano County372,936Sutter County: 360,070 acresSutter County360,070Shasta County: 348,074 acresShasta County348,074Sacramento County: 330,804 acresSacramento County330,804Santa Clara County: 326,522 acresSanta Clara County326,522Calaveras County: 287,446 acresCalaveras County287,446Alameda County: 272,881 acresAlameda County272,881Amador County: 231,859 acresAmador County231,859Yuba County: 229,135 acresYuba County229,135Napa County: 228,821 acresNapa County228,821Mariposa County: 210,613 acresMariposa County210,613Inyo County: 205,114 acresInyo County205,114Marin County: 172,454 acresMarin County172,454Tuolumne County: 171,788 acresTuolumne County171,788Contra Costa County: 168,270 acresContra Costa County168,270Placer County: 156,917 acresPlacer County156,917Lake County: 149,456 acresLake County149,456Los Angeles County: 142,960 acresLos Angeles County142,960Trinity County: 125,295 acresTrinity County125,295Plumas County: 118,075 acresPlumas County118,075El Dorado County: 117,775 acresEl Dorado County117,775Santa Cruz County: 80,343 acresSanta Cruz County80,343Nevada County: 78,086 acresNevada County78,086Mono County: 72,603 acresMono County72,603Orange County: 60,499 acresOrange County60,499San Mateo County: 58,140 acresSan Mateo County58,140Sierra County: 48,704 acresSierra County48,704Del Norte County: 14,051 acresDel Norte County14,051Alpine County: 4,173 acresAlpine County4,173San Francisco County: 23 acresSan Francisco County23Kern County: 2,875,932 acresKern County2,875,932Fresno County: 1,935,922 acresFresno County1,935,922Monterey County: 1,531,933 acresMonterey County1,531,933Tulare County: 1,375,820 acresTulare County1,375,820San Luis Obispo County: 1,344,641 acresSan Luis Obispo County1,344,641San Bernardino County: 935,682 acresSan Bernardino County935,682Merced County: 920,813 acresMerced County920,813Tehama County: 912,664 acresTehama County912,664Santa Barbara County: 835,271 acresSanta Barbara County835,271San Joaquin County: 830,189 acresSan Joaquin County830,189Stanislaus County: 785,031 acresStanislaus County785,031Modoc County: 681,687 acresModoc County681,687Madera County: 678,198 acresMadera County678,198Kings County: 661,363 acresKings County661,363Mendocino County: 656,105 acresMendocino County656,105Siskiyou County: 639,819 acresSiskiyou County639,819Humboldt County: 619,450 acresHumboldt County619,450Sonoma County: 607,177 acresSonoma County607,177Yolo County: 554,729 acresYolo County554,729San Benito County: 536,613 acresSan Benito County536,613Riverside County: 526,846 acresRiverside County526,846San Diego County: 505,006 acresSan Diego County505,006Glenn County: 499,793 acresGlenn County499,793Imperial County: 495,144 acresImperial County495,144Lassen County: 456,364 acresLassen County456,364Colusa County: 442,556 acresColusa County442,556Butte County: 429,484 acresButte County429,484Ventura County: 377,715 acresVentura County377,715Solano County: 372,936 acresSolano County372,936Sutter County: 360,070 acresSutter County360,070Shasta County: 348,074 acresShasta County348,074Sacramento County: 330,804 acresSacramento County330,804Santa Clara County: 326,522 acresSanta Clara County326,522Calaveras County: 287,446 acresCalaveras County287,446Alameda County: 272,881 acresAlameda County272,881Amador County: 231,859 acresAmador County231,859Yuba County: 229,135 acresYuba County229,135Napa County: 228,821 acresNapa County228,821Mariposa County: 210,613 acresMariposa County210,613Inyo County: 205,114 acresInyo County205,114Marin County: 172,454 acresMarin County172,454Tuolumne County: 171,788 acresTuolumne County171,788Contra Costa County: 168,270 acresContra Costa County168,270Placer County: 156,917 acresPlacer County156,917Lake County: 149,456 acresLake County149,456Los Angeles County: 142,960 acresLos Angeles County142,960Trinity County: 125,295 acresTrinity County125,295Plumas County: 118,075 acresPlumas County118,075El Dorado County: 117,775 acresEl Dorado County117,775Santa Cruz County: 80,343 acresSanta Cruz County80,343Nevada County: 78,086 acresNevada County78,086Mono County: 72,603 acresMono County72,603Orange County: 60,499 acresOrange County60,499San Mateo County: 58,140 acresSan Mateo County58,140Sierra County: 48,704 acresSierra County48,704Del Norte County: 14,051 acresDel Norte County14,051Alpine County: 4,173 acresAlpine County4,173San Francisco County: 23 acresSan Francisco County23
acres. Source: USDA NASS, Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022) via Data Commons. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

Other periods

About this ranking

Land operated by farms in the census year, in acres, including cropland, pasture, woodland and land under farm buildings, 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: land in farms, acres, 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: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022) (Counties in California by land in farms, 1997) [Data set]. Data Commons. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/

MLA 9

Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022), Counties in California by land in farms, 1997. 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/land-in-farms/california-counties?period=1997. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2026. Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Counties in California by land in farms, 1997. Dataset. Distributed by Data Commons. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/california-counties?period=1997.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (2026) Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022), Counties in California by land in farms, 1997 [Dataset]. Via Data Commons. Available at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/california-counties?period=1997 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_california_by_1997,
  author = {{U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service}},
  title = {{Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022): Counties in California by land in farms, 1997}},
  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/land-in-farms/california-counties?period=1997. Publisher attribution: Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, 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: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022): Counties in California by land in farms, 1997
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/11
PB  - Data Commons
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/california-counties?period=1997
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org).
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/california-counties?period=1997.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved through Data Commons (datacommons.org). https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
ER  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

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 land in farms using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"farmland_area","level":"province","within":"California","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=farmland_area&level=province&within=California&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest land in farms?

Kern County, with 2,875,932 acres in 1997, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Which county has the lowest land in farms?

San Francisco County, with 23 acres in 1997.

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: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Land in farms: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings