Table 1. Historical Highlights: 2012 and Earlier Census Years 
[For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.] 
All farms 
2012 
2007 
2002 
1997 
Not adjusted for coverage 
1997 
1992 
1987 
1982 
Farms 
... number 
75,087 
76,860 
73,027 
79,112 
73,051 
77,610 
88,786 
98,483 
Land in farms 
acres 
26,937,721 
26,775,100 
27,310,833 
27,673,285 
27,204,780 
27,250,340 
28,526,664 
28,726,114 
Average size of farm 
acres 
359 
348 
374 
350 
372 
351 
321 
292 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
2,261,778 
1,321,080 
913,251 
736,255 
773,141 
539,181 
402,970 
538,886 
Average per acre 
dollars 
6,305 
3,792 
2,425 
2,136 
2,126 
1,548 
1,262 
1,837 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment ' 
....$1,000 
15,256,459 
10,499,792 
7,386,281 
6,854,940 
6,606,816 
5,516,277 
5,392,170 
6,092,937 
Average per farm 
dollars 
203,192 
136,609 
102,242 
86,662 
90,447 
71,219 
60,935 
61,982 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
5,776 
8,603 
3,510 
5,249 
4,254 
5,026 
5,931 
6,101 
1 0 to 49 acres 
19,801 
20,592 
16,162 
15,120 
12,604 
12,191 
12,971 
15,183 
50 to 1 79 acres 
20,941 
18,410 
19,991 
21,580 
19,606 
20,239 
23,824 
27,513 
1 80 to 499 acres 
13,216 
13,116 
15,862 
18,746 
18,231 
21,327 
26,720 
31,723 
500 to 999 acres 
7,617 
8,309 
9,847 
11,642 
11,619 
12,833 
14,320 
13,879 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
5,267 
5,520 
5,896 
5,447 
5,414 
5,115 
4,407 
3,606 
2,000 acres or more 
2,469 
2,310 
1,759 
1,328 
1,323 
879 
613 
478 
Total cropland 
farms 
67,609 
67,431 
68,750 
72,590 
68,082 
72,626 
83,056 
92,250 
acres 
23,752,778 
23,707,699 
24,171,260 
24,186,942 
23,920,923 
24,164,457 
25,102,092 
24,748,112 
Flarvested cropland 
farms 
53,155 
54,185 
56,083 
65,560 
62,712 
69,425 
79,986 
89,124 
acres 
22,373,010 
22,611,443 
22,562,904 
22,428,616 
22,274,230 
21,868,287 
20,102,388 
23,008,244 
Irrigated land 
farms 
2,644 
2,388 
2,031 
2,072 
2,021 
2,061 
1,635 
1,182 
acres 
522,479 
474,454 
390,843 
351,676 
349,799 
328,316 
208,105 
166,012 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
17,187,052 
13,329,107 
7,676,239 
8,634,730 
8,556,486 
7,336,864 
6,376,801 
7,313,529 
Average per farm 
dollars 
228,895 
173,421 
105,115 
109,146 
117,130 
94,535 
71 ,822 
74,262 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
14,144,740 
10,876,415 
5,871,542 
6,602,817 
6,567,164 
5,251,328 
4,158,936 
5,092,452 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
3,042,312 
2,452,692 
1,804,697 
2,031,913 
1 ,989,323 
2,085,535 
2,217,865 
2,221,076 
Farms by value of sales 
Less than $2,500 
25,025 
26,879 
20,801 
16,630 
12,210 
9,178 
10,630 
1 1 ,226 
$2,500 to $4,999 
4,256 
4,278 
4,316 
5,713 
5,107 
5,613 
6,741 
7,417 
$5,000 to $9,999 
4,860 
4,877 
5,146 
6,242 
5,949 
6,898 
8,728 
8,975 
$10,000 to $24,999 
5,908 
5,910 
7,980 
9,440 
9,082 
1 1 ,800 
14,962 
15,315 
$25,000 to $49,999 
4,563 
5,381 
7,258 
8,420 
8,243 
10,363 
13,313 
14,707 
$50,000 to $99,999 
5,666 
6,245 
8,052 
9,395 
9,290 
1 1 ,572 
14,765 
1 7,376 
$100,000 to $499,999 
15,289 
16,130 
16,629 
20,216 
20,153 
20,380 
18,588 
22,366 
$500,000 or more 
9,520 
7,160 
2,845 
3,056 
3,017 
1,806 
1,059 
1,085 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
64,927 
65,748 
64,468 
67,182 
61,748 
65,752 
75,409 
83,715 
Partnership 
4,562 
6,509 
5,296 
8,038 
7,603 
8,997 
10,651 
12,239 
Corporation 
3,716 
3,433 
2,584 
3,158 
3,043 
2,361 
2,135 
1,866 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
1,882 
1,170 
679 
734 
657 
500 
591 
663 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 
None 
31,838 
28,398 
33,260 
32,396 
31,043 
33,728 
38,565 
42,422 
Any 
43,249 
48,462 
39,767 
42,404 
37,953 
38,703 
43,651 
47,562 
200 days or more 
27,682 
29,513 
26,559 
27,732 
24,220 
24,056 
26,001 
27,906 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
37,835 
37,223 
46,822 
43,020 
41,645 
47,875 
57,122 
63,756 
Other 
37,252 
39,637 
26,205 
36,092 
31,406 
29,735 
31,664 
34,727 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
57.8 
56.2 
55.1 
53.2 
53.4 
51.7 
50.4 
49.2 
Total farm production 
expenses ^ 
....$1,000 
13,459,269 
9,045,080 
6,223,876 
5,680,557 
5,542,904 
5,088,894 
4,557,450 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ^ 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
689,855 
588,949 
411,546 
354,351 
334,161 
434,193 
460,761 
447,023 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
1,246,112 
705,155 
528,144 
583,150 
567,098 
531 ,978 
451,832 
477,619 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased ® 
....$1,000 
2,405,662 
1,480,395 
731 ,424 
726,810 
714,914 
645,280 
564,393 
712,705 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
736,736 
562,346 
280,056 
315,472 
309,146 
322,542 
299,486 
480,860 
Flired farm labor 
....$1,000 
594,616 
483,699 
421,803 
353,685 
344,362 
300,090 
275,128 
225,820 
Interest expense ® 
....$1,000 
565,142 
498,091 
476,340 
435,036 
424,977 
431 ,344 
448,150 
660,391 
Chemicals purchased 
....$1,000 
1,094,846 
731,968 
559,165 
558,393 
548,362 
439,672 
336,428 
344,575 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
16,550 
18,397 
19,928 
25,825 
24,452 
27,405 
33,305 
41,028 
number 
1,127,630 
1,231,105 
1,359,010 
1,512,898 
1,437,697 
1,601,261 
1 ,885,444 
2,315,397 
Beef cows 
farms 
12,646 
14,753 
14,766 
18,665 
17,682 
19,392 
23,087 
28,163 
number 
343,972 
429,111 
422,694 
474,009 
453,127 
447,201 
511,188 
622,002 
Milk cows 
farms 
1,149 
1,217 
1,658 
2,259 
2,238 
3,050 
4,304 
5,812 
number 
98,849 
99,677 
114,101 
127,526 
127,702 
151,503 
186,371 
206,827 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
14,160 
16,046 
1 7,699 
24,709 
23,622 
26,419 
32,798 
38,996 
number 
835,912 
894,593 
917,251 
1,007,769 
949,478 
1,130,433 
1 ,407,670 
1,532,199 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
2,045 
2,864 
3,929 
7,385 
7,168 
13,433 
17,084 
21,646 
number 
4,630,796 
4,298,716 
4,094,706 
4,677,231 
4,679,166 
5,641,115 
5,642,991 
5,988,994 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
2,019 
3,063 
4,313 
7,641 
7,447 
14,142 
17,837 
22,814 
number 
13,121,384 
13,196,581 
11,178,721 
9,390,266 
9,374,726 
10,330,124 
9,879,960 
9,531,614 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data Illinois? 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
