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 
59,309 
63,163 
58,105 
60,222 
45,457 
44,870 
51,549 
55,535 
Land in farms 
acres 
7,704,444 
7,809,244 
7,745,336 
7,819,648 
7,167,906 
7,189,541 
7,866,289 
8,297,713 
Average size of farm 
acres 
130 
124 
133 
130 
158 
160 
153 
149 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
704,712 
590,376 
452,874 
331,252 
371,740 
328,795 
239,333 
225,794 
Average per acre 
dollars 
5,425 
4,775 
3,419 
2,524 
2,390 
2,056 
1,579 
1,520 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment ' 
....$1,000 
5,321,820 
4,609,776 
3,289,501 
2,868,791 
2,418,038 
2,214,947 
2,144,508 
2,141,296 
Average per farm 
dollars 
89,735 
72,988 
59,995 
47,657 
53,219 
49,383 
41,641 
38,624 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
5,575 
5,601 
5,102 
5,550 
3,431 
3,005 
3,759 
3,816 
1 0 to 49 acres 
17,721 
20,267 
16,862 
16,283 
9,833 
9,095 
10,264 
1 1 ,208 
50 to 1 79 acres 
24,841 
26,049 
24,168 
26,190 
19,941 
20,136 
23,696 
25,784 
1 80 to 499 acres 
8,750 
8,799 
9,560 
9,847 
9,815 
10,286 
1 1 ,453 
12,398 
500 to 999 acres 
1,768 
1,816 
1,800 
1,840 
1,925 
1,880 
1,961 
1,953 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
515 
490 
496 
409 
409 
391 
350 
324 
2,000 acres or more 
139 
141 
117 
103 
103 
77 
66 
52 
Total cropland 
farms 
49,838 
54,772 
52,365 
55,094 
42,573 
42,390 
48,546 
52,795 
acres 
4,546,052 
4,870,287 
5,120,685 
5,388,837 
5,032,151 
5,021,773 
5,398,072 
5,545,787 
Flarvested cropland 
farms 
42,981 
44,269 
45,374 
50,140 
39,689 
40,090 
46,157 
50,423 
acres 
3,957,000 
3,942,079 
4,079,276 
4,219,115 
4,014,564 
3,861,435 
4,080,153 
4,363,789 
Irrigated land 
farms 
4,539 
3,958 
4,108 
3,554 
2,814 
2,121 
2,208 
1,548 
acres 
38,990 
37,786 
42,516 
40,089 
36,150 
23,096 
29,505 
18,139 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
7,400,781 
5,808,803 
4,256,959 
4,247,568 
3,997,565 
3,570,191 
3,077,523 
2,848,207 
Average per farm 
dollars 
124,783 
91,965 
73,263 
70,532 
87,942 
79,567 
59,701 
51,287 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
2,782,911 
1,869,706 
1,320,914 
1,452,843 
1 ,282,526 
1,042,050 
826,666 
751,988 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
4,617,870 
3,939,097 
2,936,045 
2,794,725 
2,715,039 
2,528,141 
2,250,857 
2,092,219 
Farms by value of sales 
Less than $2,500 
19,621 
27,495 
24,394 
19,353 
10,299 
9,634 
12,747 
14,545 
$2,500 to $4,999 
5,144 
5,609 
5,881 
6,796 
5,036 
5,314 
6,517 
6,989 
$5,000 to $9,999 
6,002 
5,746 
5,134 
6,815 
5,546 
5,555 
6,378 
6,801 
$10,000 to $24,999 
7,801 
6,488 
5,984 
7,530 
6,384 
6,199 
6,720 
7,144 
$25,000 to $49,999 
4,883 
4,103 
3,292 
4,642 
3,964 
3,915 
4,680 
5,413 
$50,000 to $99,999 
4,044 
3,067 
3,823 
4,892 
4,630 
5,241 
6,893 
7,402 
$100,000 to $499,999 
8,913 
8,413 
8,172 
8,839 
8,299 
7,998 
6,846 
6,571 
$500,000 or more 
2,901 
2,242 
1,425 
1,355 
1,299 
1,014 
768 
633 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
52,390 
57,749 
53,201 
54,039 
40,176 
39,646 
45,796 
49,585 
Partnership 
3,808 
3,265 
3,428 
4,509 
3,957 
4,063 
4,581 
4,844 
Corporation 
2,294 
1,719 
1,249 
1,435 
1,141 
1,016 
982 
899 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
817 
430 
227 
239 
183 
145 
190 
207 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 
None 
24,370 
22,933 
26,797 
23,235 
19,503 
20,212 
21,461 
21,963 
Any 
34,939 
40,230 
31,308 
32,972 
22,778 
21 ,243 
26,610 
29,470 
200 days or more 
23,013 
24,880 
21,761 
22,087 
14,611 
13,501 
17,104 
18,949 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
30,638 
28,751 
32,939 
30,288 
25,635 
26,959 
29,797 
31,058 
Other 
28,671 
34,412 
25,166 
29,934 
19,822 
17,911 
21,752 
24,477 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
56.1 
55.2 
53.1 
52.4 
52.7 
52.2 
51.1 
50.0 
Total farm production 
expenses ' 
....$1,000 
6,041,767 
4,909,109 
3,614,072 
3,414,402 
3,091,953 
2,775,313 
2,386,060 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ^ 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
502,633 
482,913 
333,396 
313,794 
290,987 
306,690 
273,817 
261,842 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
1,832,951 
1,267,184 
937,355 
1,034,466 
973,221 
755,864 
621,876 
603,501 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased ® 
....$1,000 
351,184 
205,463 
135,921 
119,871 
109,826 
108,455 
115,061 
127,808 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
312,238 
245,604 
126,126 
128,375 
112,649 
107,247 
98,275 
140,305 
Flired farm labor 
....$1,000 
671 ,592 
590,891 
443,050 
412,247 
362,811 
352,456 
292,030 
224,174 
Interest expense ® 
....$1,000 
257,009 
220,775 
187,899 
165,762 
146,763 
144,542 
146,793 
182,961 
Chemicals purchased 
....$1,000 
156,725 
111,666 
77,774 
86,060 
77,519 
66,144 
59,518 
47,445 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
25,189 
25,975 
28,163 
33,210 
26,525 
27,984 
33,381 
38,682 
number 
1,626,374 
1,609,147 
1 ,632,649 
1 ,690,364 
1 ,672,295 
1 ,699,820 
1,745,617 
1,848,087 
Beef cows 
farms 
1 1 ,880 
12,253 
14,743 
13,768 
1 1 ,237 
11,461 
13,429 
15,986 
number 
148,249 
158,430 
212,234 
165,186 
169,134 
157,773 
160,694 
1 74,078 
Milk cows 
farms 
7,829 
8,333 
9,629 
11,981 
10,920 
12,448 
15,096 
1 7,894 
number 
532,335 
553,321 
591,531 
625,200 
621,530 
625,165 
673,054 
690,779 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
19,381 
19,784 
20,571 
29,063 
24,783 
26,008 
31,243 
34,855 
number 
880,431 
810,533 
808,556 
892,160 
857,149 
954,013 
975,472 
884,891 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
3,097 
3,637 
3,825 
4,359 
3,456 
5,097 
6,983 
9,229 
number 
1,134,957 
1,167,449 
1,226,845 
1,094,066 
1,100,754 
1,074,574 
919,755 
869,389 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
2,672 
3,440 
3,785 
3,552 
2,971 
4,577 
6,495 
8,176 
number 
4,677,032 
4,198,235 
4,269,350 
2,472,738 
2,469,824 
2,263,427 
1,997,713 
1,672,055 
See footnote(s) at end of tabie. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Pennsylvania 7 
