Table 67. Summary by Legal Status For Tax Purposes: 2012 (continued) 
[For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.] 
Item 
Total 
Family or 
individual 
Partnership 
Total 
Registered 
under 
state law 
PRINCIPAL OPERATOR CHARACTERISTICS 
Sex of operator: 
Male 
23,765 
18,093 
2,026 
1,623 
Female 
4,243 
3,471 
294 
244 
Primary occupation: 
Farming 
15,434 
10,927 
1,487 
1,212 
Other 
12,574 
10,637 
833 
655 
Place of residence: 
On farm operated 
22,057 
17,279 
1,659 
1,306 
Not on farm operated 
5,951 
4,285 
661 
561 
Days worked off farm: 
None 
12,116 
8,633 
1,156 
933 
Any 
15,892 
12,931 
1,164 
934 
1 to 49 days 
2,688 
2,085 
230 
196 
50 to 99 days 
1,232 
971 
110 
87 
100 to 199 days 
2,383 
1,978 
170 
140 
200 days or more 
9,589 
7,897 
654 
511 
Years on present farm: 
2 years or less 
962 
779 
64 
56 
3 or 4 years 
1,195 
958 
115 
98 
5 to 9 years 
3,851 
3,056 
301 
261 
1 0 years or more 
22,000 
16,771 
1,840 
1,452 
Average years on present farm 
23.3 
22.7 
24.2 
23.7 
Years operating any farm (see text): 
2 years or less 
690 
576 
39 
31 
3 or 4 years 
882 
717 
89 
73 
5 to 9 years 
3,141 
2,520 
252 
216 
10 years or more 
23,295 
17,751 
1,940 
1,547 
Average years operating any farm 
26.1 
25.3 
27.4 
26.9 
Age group: 
Under 25 years 
123 
108 
5 
3 
25 to 34 years 
1,264 
1,029 
97 
80 
35 to 44 years 
2,690 
2,156 
219 
194 
45 to 49 years 
2,226 
1,709 
184 
156 
50 to 54 years 
3,641 
2,730 
283 
231 
55 to 59 years 
4,371 
3,236 
379 
290 
60 to 64 years 
4,375 
3,314 
369 
285 
65 to 69 years 
3,354 
2,615 
261 
232 
70 years and over 
5,964 
4,667 
523 
396 
Average age 
58.9 
58.8 
59.3 
58.9 
Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin (see text) 
246 
214 
16 
14 
Race: 
American Indian or Alaska Native 
1,318 
1,176 
38 
26 
Asian 
31 
25 
3 
3 
Black or African American 
10 
8 
- 
- 
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 
7 
7 
- 
- 
White 
26,494 
20,225 
2,270 
1,829 
More than one race reported 
148 
123 
9 
9 
Farms by number of persons living in 
operator's household: 
1 person 
4,773 
3,871 
282 
221 
2 people 
14,681 
11,085 
1,311 
1,054 
3 people 
3,310 
2,558 
290 
237 
4 people 
2,925 
2,274 
232 
186 
5 or more people 
2,319 
1,776 
205 
169 
Percent of operator's total 
household income from farming: 
Less than 25 percent 
16,877 
14,007 
1,239 
984 
25 to 49 percent 
2,158 
1,691 
189 
142 
50 to 74 percent 
3,062 
2,142 
315 
246 
75 to 99 percent 
3,446 
2,254 
352 
303 
100 percent 
2,465 
1,470 
225 
192 
Operator is a hired manager farms 
1,394 
404 
173 
160 
acres 
11,729,886 
1,511,876 
1,262,119 
1,228,457 
Farms with- 
Internet access 
20,884 
15,739 
1,825 
1,503 
Dial-up service 
1,854 
1,440 
178 
132 
DSL service 
9,435 
7,025 
842 
706 
Cable modem service 
1,730 
1,332 
149 
122 
Fiber-optic service 
2,210 
1,507 
230 
187 
Mobile broadband plan for a computer 
or cell phone 
2,896 
2,225 
259 
231 
Satellite service 
4,738 
3,520 
396 
321 
Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) 
359 
259 
39 
29 
Other Internet service 
452 
347 
34 
28 
Farms by number of households sharing 
in net income of operation: 
1 household 
22,265 
18,329 
1,228 
978 
2 households 
4,239 
2,577 
763 
612 
3 households 
928 
411 
201 
165 
4 households 
380 
175 
83 
71 
5 or more households 
196 
72 
45 
41 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
146 Montana 2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
