Counties in North Carolina by land in farms, 2022

Sampson County had the highest land in farms of 100 counties in 2022, at 292,205 acres. Dare County had the lowest, at 115 acres. The median was 70,318 acres and the figure for North Carolina was 8,128,136 acres. Source: the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest292,205Sampson County
Lowest115Dare County
Median70,318100 counties
North Carolina8,128,136History

Map of counties, 2022

Alamance County: 68,769 acresAlexander County: 50,799 acresAlleghany County: 63,298 acresAnson County: 84,695 acresAshe County: 84,498 acresAvery County: 22,598 acresBeaufort County: 139,853 acresBertie County: 161,862 acresBladen County: 146,195 acresBrunswick County: 45,150 acresBuncombe County: 78,245 acresBurke County: 44,077 acresCabarrus County: 64,227 acresCaldwell County: 35,964 acresCamden County: 54,621 acresCarteret County: 60,950 acresCaswell County: 84,373 acresCatawba County: 61,631 acresChatham County: 114,051 acresCherokee County: 25,410 acresChowan County: 73,439 acresClay County: 14,515 acresCleveland County: 104,633 acresColumbus County: 125,177 acresCraven County: 100,825 acresCumberland County: 65,919 acresCurrituck County: 37,917 acresDare County: 115 acresDavidson County: 73,655 acresDavie County: 74,899 acresDuplin County: 254,164 acresDurham County: 16,166 acresEdgecombe County: 145,050 acresForsyth County: 32,956 acresFranklin County: 107,923 acresGaston County: 36,859 acresGates County: 71,866 acresGraham County: 2,256 acresGranville County: 102,115 acresGreene County: 97,668 acresGuilford County: 94,798 acresHalifax County: 183,565 acresHarnett County: 109,179 acresHaywood County: 49,288 acresHenderson County: 32,743 acresHertford County: 67,209 acresHoke County: 36,788 acresHyde County: 112,445 acresIredell County: 119,481 acresJackson County: 22,208 acresJohnston County: 174,111 acresJones County: 66,287 acresLee County: 31,204 acresLenoir County: 136,277 acresLincoln County: 49,038 acresMcDowell County: 17,041 acresMacon County: 21,973 acresMadison County: 42,763 acresMartin County: 143,806 acresMecklenburg County: 7,704 acresMitchell County: 13,860 acresMontgomery County: 34,560 acresMoore County: 106,258 acresNash County: 133,252 acresNew Hanover County: 1,898 acresNorthampton County: 171,478 acresOnslow County: 53,032 acresOrange County: 53,068 acresPamlico County: 54,675 acresPasquotank County: 95,870 acresPender County: 78,903 acresPerquimans County: 78,264 acresPerson County: 88,571 acresPitt County: 151,433 acresPolk County: 24,076 acresRandolph County: 131,301 acresRichmond County: 57,946 acresRobeson County: 263,080 acresRockingham County: 109,295 acresRowan County: 104,888 acresRutherford County: 63,632 acresSampson County: 292,205 acresScotland County: 51,025 acresStanly County: 109,164 acresStokes County: 81,361 acresSurry County: 105,791 acresSwain County: 3,930 acresTransylvania County: 11,537 acresTyrrell County: 63,761 acresUnion County: 212,066 acresVance County: 38,231 acresWake County: 62,323 acresWarren County: 63,669 acresWashington County: 76,554 acresWatauga County: 29,402 acresWayne County: 149,752 acresWilkes County: 114,778 acresWilson County: 126,286 acresYadkin County: 98,329 acresYancey County: 21,341 acres
  • Under 30K
  • 30K to 53K
  • 53K to 70K
  • 70K to 98K
  • 98K to 130K
  • 130K and over
acres, 2022. 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.

Top 40 counties, 2022

Sampson County: 292,205 acresSampson County292,205Robeson County: 263,080 acresRobeson County263,080Duplin County: 254,164 acresDuplin County254,164Union County: 212,066 acresUnion County212,066Halifax County: 183,565 acresHalifax County183,565Johnston County: 174,111 acresJohnston County174,111Northampton County: 171,478 acresNorthampton County171,478Bertie County: 161,862 acresBertie County161,862Pitt County: 151,433 acresPitt County151,433Wayne County: 149,752 acresWayne County149,752Bladen County: 146,195 acresBladen County146,195Edgecombe County: 145,050 acresEdgecombe County145,050Martin County: 143,806 acresMartin County143,806Beaufort County: 139,853 acresBeaufort County139,853Lenoir County: 136,277 acresLenoir County136,277Nash County: 133,252 acresNash County133,252Randolph County: 131,301 acresRandolph County131,301Wilson County: 126,286 acresWilson County126,286Columbus County: 125,177 acresColumbus County125,177Iredell County: 119,481 acresIredell County119,481Wilkes County: 114,778 acresWilkes County114,778Chatham County: 114,051 acresChatham County114,051Hyde County: 112,445 acresHyde County112,445Rockingham County: 109,295 acresRockingham County109,295Harnett County: 109,179 acresHarnett County109,179Stanly County: 109,164 acresStanly County109,164Franklin County: 107,923 acresFranklin County107,923Moore County: 106,258 acresMoore County106,258Surry County: 105,791 acresSurry County105,791Rowan County: 104,888 acresRowan County104,888Cleveland County: 104,633 acresCleveland County104,633Granville County: 102,115 acresGranville County102,115Craven County: 100,825 acresCraven County100,825Yadkin County: 98,329 acresYadkin County98,329Greene County: 97,668 acresGreene County97,668Pasquotank County: 95,870 acresPasquotank County95,870Guilford County: 94,798 acresGuilford County94,798Person County: 88,571 acresPerson County88,571Anson County: 84,695 acresAnson County84,695Ashe County: 84,498 acresAshe County84,498Sampson County: 292,205 acresSampson County292,205Robeson County: 263,080 acresRobeson County263,080Duplin County: 254,164 acresDuplin County254,164Union County: 212,066 acresUnion County212,066Halifax County: 183,565 acresHalifax County183,565Johnston County: 174,111 acresJohnston County174,111Northampton County: 171,478 acresNorthampton County171,478Bertie County: 161,862 acresBertie County161,862Pitt County: 151,433 acresPitt County151,433Wayne County: 149,752 acresWayne County149,752Bladen County: 146,195 acresBladen County146,195Edgecombe County: 145,050 acresEdgecombe County145,050Martin County: 143,806 acresMartin County143,806Beaufort County: 139,853 acresBeaufort County139,853Lenoir County: 136,277 acresLenoir County136,277Nash County: 133,252 acresNash County133,252Randolph County: 131,301 acresRandolph County131,301Wilson County: 126,286 acresWilson County126,286Columbus County: 125,177 acresColumbus County125,177Iredell County: 119,481 acresIredell County119,481Wilkes County: 114,778 acresWilkes County114,778Chatham County: 114,051 acresChatham County114,051Hyde County: 112,445 acresHyde County112,445Rockingham County: 109,295 acresRockingham County109,295Harnett County: 109,179 acresHarnett County109,179Stanly County: 109,164 acresStanly County109,164Franklin County: 107,923 acresFranklin County107,923Moore County: 106,258 acresMoore County106,258Surry County: 105,791 acresSurry County105,791Rowan County: 104,888 acresRowan County104,888Cleveland County: 104,633 acresCleveland County104,633Granville County: 102,115 acresGranville County102,115Craven County: 100,825 acresCraven County100,825Yadkin County: 98,329 acresYadkin County98,329Greene County: 97,668 acresGreene County97,668Pasquotank County: 95,870 acresPasquotank County95,870Guilford County: 94,798 acresGuilford County94,798Person County: 88,571 acresPerson County88,571Anson County: 84,695 acresAnson County84,695Ashe County: 84,498 acresAshe County84,498
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

RankCounties2022
acres
1Sampson County292,205
2Robeson County263,080
3Duplin County254,164
4Union County212,066
5Halifax County183,565
6Johnston County174,111
7Northampton County171,478
8Bertie County161,862
9Pitt County151,433
10Wayne County149,752
11Bladen County146,195
12Edgecombe County145,050
13Martin County143,806
14Beaufort County139,853
15Lenoir County136,277
16Nash County133,252
17Randolph County131,301
18Wilson County126,286
19Columbus County125,177
20Iredell County119,481
21Wilkes County114,778
22Chatham County114,051
23Hyde County112,445
24Rockingham County109,295
25Harnett County109,179
26Stanly County109,164
27Franklin County107,923
28Moore County106,258
29Surry County105,791
30Rowan County104,888
31Cleveland County104,633
32Granville County102,115
33Craven County100,825
34Yadkin County98,329
35Greene County97,668
36Pasquotank County95,870
37Guilford County94,798
38Person County88,571
39Anson County84,695
40Ashe County84,498
41Caswell County84,373
42Stokes County81,361
43Pender County78,903
44Perquimans County78,264
45Buncombe County78,245
46Washington County76,554
47Davie County74,899
48Davidson County73,655
49Chowan County73,439
50Gates County71,866
51Alamance County68,769
52Hertford County67,209
53Jones County66,287
54Cumberland County65,919
55Cabarrus County64,227
56Tyrrell County63,761
57Warren County63,669
58Rutherford County63,632
59Alleghany County63,298
60Wake County62,323
61Catawba County61,631
62Carteret County60,950
63Richmond County57,946
64Pamlico County54,675
65Camden County54,621
66Orange County53,068
67Onslow County53,032
68Scotland County51,025
69Alexander County50,799
70Haywood County49,288
71Lincoln County49,038
72Brunswick County45,150
73Burke County44,077
74Madison County42,763
75Vance County38,231
76Currituck County37,917
77Gaston County36,859
78Hoke County36,788
79Caldwell County35,964
80Montgomery County34,560
81Forsyth County32,956
82Henderson County32,743
83Lee County31,204
84Watauga County29,402
85Cherokee County25,410
86Polk County24,076
87Avery County22,598
88Jackson County22,208
89Macon County21,973
90Yancey County21,341
91McDowell County17,041
92Durham County16,166
93Clay County14,515
94Mitchell County13,860
95Transylvania County11,537
96Mecklenburg County7,704
97Swain County3,930
98Graham County2,256
99New Hanover County1,898
100Dare County115

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 North Carolina by land in farms, 2022) [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 North Carolina by land in farms, 2022. 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/north-carolina-counties. 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 North Carolina by land in farms, 2022. 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/north-carolina-counties.

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 North Carolina by land in farms, 2022 [Dataset]. Via Data Commons. Available at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/north-carolina-counties (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_north_carolina_2022,
  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 North Carolina by land in farms, 2022}},
  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/north-carolina-counties. 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 North Carolina by land in farms, 2022
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/north-carolina-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org).
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/north-carolina-counties.
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  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest land in farms?

Sampson County, with 292,205 acres in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Which county has the lowest land in farms?

Dare County, with 115 acres in 2022.

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 North Carolina: more rankings