Farm Census

Mobile County, Alabama

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

657 farms108,529 acres in farms$127 million in farm sales

Mobile County's peanut acreage grew between 2017 and 2022, the fourth-largest increase among the 99 leading peanut counties of 2017 with figures in both years.

Its largest product group with a published figure, nursery and greenhouse crops, makes up 74.2% of farm sales, against 4.8% across Alabama.

Nursery and greenhouse: 74.2%Nursery and greenhouse74.2%Hay and other crops: 9.3%Hay and other crops9.3%Cattle and calves: 6.3%Cattle and calves6.3%Cotton: 5.0%Cotton5.0%Fruit and nuts: 1.8%1.8%Vegetables and melons: 1.1%1.1%Withheld groups: 0.7%0.7%Grains and oilseeds: 0.5%Other animals: 0.3%Aquaculture: 0.3%Poultry and eggs: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.1%Hogs and pigs: under 0.1%Nursery and greenhouse: 74.2%Nursery and greenhouse74.2%Hay and other crops: 9.3%9.3%Cattle and calves: 6.3%6.3%Cotton: 5.0%Cotton5.0%Fruit and nuts: 1.8%1.8%Vegetables and melons: 1.1%1.1%Withheld groups: 0.7%Grains and oilseeds: 0.5%Other animals: 0.3%Aquaculture: 0.3%Poultry and eggs: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.1%Hogs and pigs: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: milk and sheep and goat products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$94.3 million1st of 43
Hay and other crops$11.9 million5th of 67
Cattle and calves$8.0 million25th of 62
Cotton and cottonseed$6.4 million19th of 38
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$2.2 million2nd of 47
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$1.4 million10th of 50
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$639,00049th of 56
Other animals and animal products$437,0003rd of 35
Aquaculture$434,0008th of 10
Poultry and eggs$230,00046th of 58
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$178,00013th of 50
Hogs and pigs$27,00010th of 26

What the fields held

Mobile County harvested 33,017 acres of cropland in 2022, 26th of 67 counties in Alabama. Cotton covered acreage equal to 32% of that, peanuts 32%.

CropAcresShare of US
Cotton10,7230.14%
Peanuts10,6210.75%
Hay and haylage6,282under 0.1%
Orchard land1,348under 0.1%
of which citrus124under 0.1%
of which apples5under 0.1%
of which pecans1,1350.19%
Wheat720under 0.1%
Soybeans417under 0.1%
Vegetables334under 0.1%
of which potatoes1under 0.1%
Corn for grain128under 0.1%
Berries79under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for silage and grapes.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms13.8%

Mobile County ranks 56th of 67 counties in Alabama on this measure.

  • 39,631 acres of cropland, 37% of farmland
  • 25,520 acres of pastureland, 24% of farmland
  • 45,310 acres of woodland, 42% of farmland
  • 2,747 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Mobile County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 39 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 165 acres, 54th-largest of 67 in Alabama. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 39.9% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 2.4% of the total.

1–916%10–4940%50–17927%180–49911%500–9993%1,000–1,9991%2,000+1%
Mobile County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Goats1,023under 0.1%
Horses and ponies637under 0.1%
Cattle and calves17,207under 0.1%
Laying hens4,183under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs118under 0.1%
Turkeys76under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 202248under 0.1%

Withheld: beef cows, milk cows and sheep and lambs.

Who farms here

Decisions on Mobile County's 657 farms are made by 1,174 producers. Their average age is 57.1, 1.6 years below the Alabama average. Women are 38.7% of them.

Under 357%35–4412%45–5420%55–6428%65–7422%75+11%
Mobile County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms653+0.6%
Land in farms, acres94,944+14.3%
Average farm size, acres145+13.8%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$90.6 million+40.2%
Peanuts, acres7,351+44.5%
Pecans, acres1,151−1.4%
Cotton, acres7,962+34.7%
Goats, head1,040−1.6%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Mobile County accounts for 1.4% of farm sales in Alabama and 1.8% of the farms in Alabama. Rank Alabama counties for peanuts.

Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.