Counties with the most farmland in Pennsylvania
Farmland across the U.S. is disappearing by the millions of acres each decade by some estimates as sprawling urban development driven by rising housing costs pushes further into rural pastures.
The farmland that still exists in the U.S. is heavily dedicated to growing plants that Americans can't consume—grass. That grass, accounting for more than 300 million acres now, feeds our livestock, provides sod for new development, and serves as a cover crop to protect soil health between harvests.
Demand for major crops like corn and soybeans to feed Americans is only forecast by the USDA to grow in the coming decade, and demand for U.S. agricultural exports is expected to grow similarly.
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the way people purchased and consumed food, placing renewed attention on an increasingly consolidated agricultural industry where family farms have been swallowed up by large food corporations.
And after shifting behaviors caused massive economic swings in the U.S. and elsewhere, the Russian invasion of Ukraine forced food producers to once again account for yet another shock with so much of the world's grain capital taken offline by warfare.
War and corporate interests aside, farms have also had to reckon with a changing climate. Wheat fields were once commonplace across the country, but drought conditions of late have caused farmers to give up growing the crop entirely. Agitated by climate change, the shortage of water in parts of the country coupled with higher interest rates and the ongoing war in Ukraine are making agricultural businesses harder to run profitably.
To illustrate where American farms still persevere, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most farmland in Pennsylvania using data from the Agriculture Department's Farm Service Agency. Farmers reported the data as mandated by participation in USDA income support programs, including Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage as well as loan assistance. Counties are ranked by total acres of farmland.
In Pennsylvania, there are 2,738,399 acres of farmland, with yellow corn being the most common crop.
#25. Juniata
- Farmland: 47,878 acres (1.7% of state total)
- Farms: 649
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (15,689 acres, 32.8% of county farmland)
#24. Cambria
- Farmland: 47,985 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 999
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (12,455 acres, 26.0% of county farmland)
#23. Blair
- Farmland: 48,770 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 436
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (16,600 acres, 34.0% of county farmland)
#22. Perry
- Farmland: 49,728 acres (1.8% of state total)
- Farms: 684
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (15,890 acres, 32.0% of county farmland)
#21. Butler
- Farmland: 51,444 acres (1.9% of state total)
- Farms: 1,275
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (14,956 acres, 29.1% of county farmland)
#20. Lycoming
- Farmland: 54,241 acres (2.0% of state total)
- Farms: 1,070
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (15,417 acres, 28.4% of county farmland)
#19. Centre
- Farmland: 55,368 acres (2.0% of state total)
- Farms: 838
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (16,166 acres, 29.2% of county farmland)
#18. Columbia
- Farmland: 56,392 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,079
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (17,716 acres, 31.4% of county farmland)
#17. Huntingdon
- Farmland: 57,614 acres (2.1% of state total)
- Farms: 733
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (15,378 acres, 26.7% of county farmland)
#16. Schuylkill
- Farmland: 59,349 acres (2.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,391
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (20,113 acres, 33.9% of county farmland)
#15. Chester
- Farmland: 60,566 acres (2.2% of state total)
- Farms: 1,157
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (21,652 acres, 35.7% of county farmland)
#14. Erie
- Farmland: 65,695 acres (2.4% of state total)
- Farms: 1,618
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (17,919 acres, 27.3% of county farmland)
#13. Indiana
- Farmland: 67,568 acres (2.5% of state total)
- Farms: 1,328
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (21,819 acres, 32.3% of county farmland)
#12. Bedford
- Farmland: 73,379 acres (2.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,122
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (20,924 acres, 28.5% of county farmland)
#11. Mercer
- Farmland: 74,934 acres (2.7% of state total)
- Farms: 1,703
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (25,318 acres, 33.8% of county farmland)
#10. Adams
- Farmland: 78,531 acres (2.9% of state total)
- Farms: 1,300
- Most common crop: Common soybeans (24,030 acres, 30.6% of county farmland)
#9. Northumberland
- Farmland: 79,839 acres (2.9% of state total)
- Farms: 1,301
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (25,913 acres, 32.5% of county farmland)
#8. Cumberland
- Farmland: 80,267 acres (2.9% of state total)
- Farms: 1,045
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (23,707 acres, 29.5% of county farmland)
#7. Somerset
- Farmland: 80,725 acres (2.9% of state total)
- Farms: 1,023
- Most common crop: 2+ interseeded grass mix mixed forage (20,792 acres, 25.8% of county farmland)
#6. Crawford
- Farmland: 81,903 acres (3.0% of state total)
- Farms: 1,801
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (24,245 acres, 29.6% of county farmland)
#5. Bradford
- Farmland: 95,906 acres (3.5% of state total)
- Farms: 1,703
- Most common crop: 2+ interseeded grass mix mixed forage (21,585 acres, 22.5% of county farmland)
#4. Berks
- Farmland: 111,816 acres (4.1% of state total)
- Farms: 1,890
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (38,836 acres, 34.7% of county farmland)
#3. Franklin
- Farmland: 117,693 acres (4.3% of state total)
- Farms: 1,273
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (40,091 acres, 34.1% of county farmland)
#2. Lancaster
- Farmland: 137,941 acres (5.0% of state total)
- Farms: 2,173
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (39,408 acres, 28.6% of county farmland)
#1. York
- Farmland: 161,943 acres (5.9% of state total)
- Farms: 2,890
- Most common crop: Yellow corn (60,147 acres, 37.1% of county farmland)
