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 
5,248 
4,186 
414 
289 
Female 
2,507 
1,982 
169 
99 
Primary occupation: 
Farming 
3,878 
2,944 
336 
216 
Other 
3,877 
3,224 
247 
172 
Place of residence: 
On farm operated 
6,038 
5,079 
399 
263 
Not on farm operated 
1,717 
1,089 
184 
125 
Days worked off farm: 
None 
2,736 
2,036 
262 
168 
Any 
5,019 
4,132 
321 
220 
1 to 49 days 
743 
573 
57 
38 
50 to 99 days 
447 
396 
10 
7 
100 to 199 days 
759 
645 
27 
17 
200 days or more 
3,070 
2,518 
227 
158 
Years on present farm: 
2 years or less 
328 
260 
28 
14 
3 or 4 years 
507 
400 
47 
31 
5 to 9 years 
1,119 
863 
101 
83 
1 0 years or more 
5,801 
4,645 
407 
260 
Average years on present farm 
21.6 
21.8 
21.2 
20.1 
Years operating any farm (see text): 
2 years or less 
223 
185 
19 
11 
3 or 4 years 
433 
350 
39 
24 
5 to 9 years 
993 
751 
94 
75 
10 years or more 
6,106 
4,882 
431 
278 
Average years operating any farm 
23.6 
23.7 
23.8 
22.4 
Age group: 
Under 25 years 
60 
54 
6 
6 
25 to 34 years 
359 
233 
34 
28 
35 to 44 years 
655 
457 
80 
55 
45 to 49 years 
797 
675 
38 
26 
50 to 54 years 
1,136 
900 
82 
54 
55 to 59 years 
1,283 
998 
93 
71 
60 to 64 years 
1,132 
930 
73 
38 
65 to 69 years 
933 
761 
68 
47 
70 years and over 
1,400 
1,160 
109 
63 
Average age 
57.8 
58.4 
57.0 
55.8 
Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino origin (see text) 
142 
108 
2 
- 
Race: 
American Indian or Alaska Native 
15 
15 
- 
- 
Asian 
71 
32 
31 
6 
Black or African American 
80 
63 
12 
1 
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 
1 
1 
- 
- 
White 
7,559 
6,030 
540 
381 
More than one race reported 
29 
27 
- 
- 
Farms by number of persons living in 
operator's household: 
1 person 
1,201 
982 
38 
26 
2 people 
3,664 
2,968 
269 
177 
3 people 
1,161 
911 
94 
68 
4 people 
1,040 
792 
95 
62 
5 or more people 
689 
515 
87 
55 
Percent of operator's total 
household income from farming: 
Less than 25 percent 
5,727 
4,807 
360 
242 
25 to 49 percent 
575 
398 
94 
62 
50 to 74 percent 
636 
436 
55 
33 
75 to 99 percent 
368 
243 
25 
19 
100 percent 
449 
284 
49 
32 
Operator is a hired manager farms 
490 
199 
35 
23 
acres 
73,847 
11,458 
5,053 
2,606 
Farms with- 
Internet access 
6,207 
4,860 
490 
338 
Dial-up service 
341 
274 
27 
15 
DSL service 
1,417 
1,098 
128 
80 
Cable modem service 
3,104 
2,425 
268 
195 
Fiber-optic service 
766 
567 
35 
28 
Mobile broadband plan for a computer 
or cell phone 
776 
543 
59 
41 
Satellite service 
384 
304 
41 
25 
Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) 
235 
183 
10 
7 
Other Internet service 
63 
53 
1 
- 
Farms by number of households sharing 
in net income of operation: 
1 household 
6,737 
5,602 
404 
263 
2 households 
742 
455 
121 
83 
3 households 
168 
71 
35 
29 
4 households 
66 
23 
16 
8 
5 or more households 
42 
17 
7 
5 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
146 Massachusetts 2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
