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 
25,266 
25,867 
24,541 
25,807 
20,189 
20,242 
20,517 
24,929 
Land in farms 
acres 
4,971,244 
4,889,339 
4,845,923 
4,974,138 
4,593,452 
4,472,569 
4,758,631 
5,589,799 
Average size of farm 
acres 
197 
189 
197 
193 
228 
221 
232 
224 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings 
Average per farm 
dollars 
586,518 
540,200 
410,897 
293,342 
324,834 
251,583 
201,169 
208,524 
Average per acre 
dollars 
2,981 
2,858 
2,067 
1,552 
1,482 
1,137 
871 
946 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment 1 
....$1,000 
1,829,250 
1,680,701 
1,208,945 
1,055,358 
902,193 
667,725 
639,734 
761,038 
Average per farm 
dollars 
72,400 
64,977 
53,108 
40,896 
44,687 
33,077 
31,252 
30,576 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
2,135 
1,970 
1,706 
1,843 
1,224 
1,302 
1,337 
1,471 
1 0 to 49 acres 
8,996 
8,959 
8,536 
8,124 
5,712 
5,495 
5,437 
6,956 
50 to 1 79 acres 
8,364 
9,033 
8,504 
9,637 
7,502 
7,591 
7,742 
9,421 
1 80 to 499 acres 
3,731 
3,981 
3,749 
4,043 
3,611 
3,699 
3,762 
4,490 
500 to 999 acres 
1,121 
1,059 
1,107 
1,254 
1,225 
1,263 
1,303 
1,560 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
555 
553 
626 
629 
638 
642 
673 
708 
2,000 acres or more 
364 
312 
313 
277 
277 
250 
263 
323 
Total cropland 
farms 
16,853 
18,534 
19,450 
21,181 
17,514 
18,037 
18,578 
23,166 
acres 
1,967,288 
2,151,219 
2,270,084 
2,603,915 
2,462,818 
2,588,525 
2,686,117 
3,179,278 
Harvested cropland 
farms 
13,135 
12,962 
13,321 
15,972 
13,426 
14,587 
15,556 
20,144 
acres 
1,634,706 
1,551,670 
1,374,617 
1,732,870 
1,654,535 
1,590,794 
1,589,636 
2,474,025 
Irrigated land 
farms 
1,973 
2,030 
1,918 
1,435 
1,248 
1,219 
1,216 
946 
acres 
159,239 
132,439 
95,642 
88,898 
86,477 
75,681 
80,689 
81,326 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
3,040,069 
2,352,681 
1,489,750 
1,679,193 
1,588,173 
1,066,079 
878,683 
968,554 
Average per farm 
dollars 
120,323 
90,953 
60,705 
65,067 
78,665 
52,667 
42,827 
38,853 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
1,293,558 
798,490 
593,245 
821,107 
791,104 
562,036 
451,285 
601,018 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
1,746,511 
1,554,190 
896,505 
858,086 
797,069 
504,043 
427,398 
367,536 
Farms by value of sales 2 : 
Less than $2,500 
13,133 
14,336 
14,496 
11,602 
8,155 
7,341 
7,419 
9,288 
$2,500 to $4,999 
2,630 
2,609 
2,543 
3,940 
3,060 
3,317 
3,516 
3,756 
$5,000 to $9,999 
2,671 
2,875 
2,204 
3,335 
2,714 
2,897 
2,900 
3,308 
$10,000 to $24,999 
2,608 
2,289 
2,117 
2,603 
2,274 
2,428 
2,547 
3,101 
$25,000 to $49,999 
1,211 
1,289 
921 
1,137 
1,003 
1,301 
1,276 
1,621 
$50,000 to $99,999 
852 
664 
600 
776 
703 
937 
954 
1,511 
$100,000 to $499,999 
909 
844 
970 
1,515 
1,432 
1,554 
1,592 
2,044 
$500,000 or more 
1,252 
961 
690 
899 
848 
467 
313 
287 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
22,393 
22,989 
22,755 
23,328 
18,078 
17,933 
18,337 
22,297 
Partnership 
1,482 
1,827 
1,050 
1,576 
1,337 
1,621 
1,583 
2,078 
Corporation 
1,108 
845 
556 
746 
649 
547 
488 
417 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
283 
206 
180 
157 
125 
141 
109 
137 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 3 : 
None 
9,395 
9,066 
10,917 
9,041 
7,443 
7,573 
7,335 
8,390 
Any 
15,871 
16,801 
13,624 
15,355 
11,615 
11,271 
11,791 
14,172 
200 days or more 
10,719 
10,239 
10,075 
1 1 ,320 
8,472 
8,326 
8,549 
10,118 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
10,361 
9,739 
1 1 ,377 
9,484 
7,959 
8,866 
8,983 
11,299 
Other 
14,905 
16,128 
13,164 
16,323 
12,230 
11,376 
1 1 ,534 
13,630 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
59.5 
58.5 
56.9 
55.9 
56.3 
55.5 
54.5 
52.6 
Total farm production 
expenses 1 
....$1,000 
2,575,752 
2,012,179 
1,313,233 
1,361,270 
1,233,736 
897,923 
736,918 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ': 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
209,463 
170,676 
97,058 
98,683 
88,949 
66,195 
62,818 
53,566 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
917,181 
761,414 
369,275 
453,846 
410,005 
199,673 
170,086 
141,310 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased 4 5 
....$1,000 
196,212 
143,408 
86,434 
99,913 
92,169 
83,614 
68,222 
97,736 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
134,969 
102,948 
59,334 
65,681 
59,101 
54,384 
41,808 
73,992 
Hired farm labor 
....$1,000 
227,501 
173,196 
158,993 
140,709 
129,512 
111,836 
92,317 
79,734 
Interest expense 6 
....$1,000 
78,517 
58,971 
55,104 
52,833 
47,350 
40,773 
42,815 
74,196 
Chemicals purchased 4 
....$1,000 
146,452 
73,930 
62,783 
82,265 
76,319 
57,191 
42,545 
59,103 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
8,121 
8,835 
10,000 
12,600 
9,902 
10,026 
10,227 
12,133 
number 
297,286 
400,996 
432,265 
479,758 
453,631 
451,719 
428,491 
507,279 
Beef cows 
farms 
7,232 
8,177 
8,730 
10,867 
8,671 
8,998 
8,903 
10,278 
number 
166,745 
230,419 
218,650 
242,808 
229,048 
222,566 
205,344 
226,482 
Milk cows 
farms 
193 
106 
326 
498 
394 
540 
697 
1,219 
number 
15,997 
17,830 
20,182 
25,240 
24,766 
31,923 
40,113 
47,559 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
5,778 
6,782 
7,139 
11,610 
9,287 
9,337 
9,635 
10,583 
number 
134,445 
187,787 
179,594 
234,940 
216,812 
200,396 
218,766 
213,608 
Hogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
838 
812 
900 
1,420 
1,226 
2,237 
3,249 
4,709 
number 
224,076 
293,793 
291,743 
311,650 
304,793 
327,572 
352,413 
399,810 
Hogs and pigs sold 
farms 
571 
700 
736 
1,183 
1,031 
2,048 
3,031 
3,965 
number 
758,876 
1,091,982 
1,065,420 
754,048 
711,109 
637,592 
619,986 
646,956 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
South Carolina 7 
