Farm Census

Butte County, California

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,667 farms388,383 acres in farms$514 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Butte County ranks eighth for rice.

Its almond acreage shrank between 2017 and 2022, the fifth-steepest decline among the 22 leading almond counties of 2017 with figures in both years.

Fruit and nuts: 50.5%Fruit and nuts50.5%Grains and oilseeds: 40.3%Grains and oilseeds40.3%Cattle and calves: 3.5%3.5%Nursery and greenhouse: 2.5%2.5%Vegetables and melons: 1.7%1.7%Hay and other crops: 0.4%0.4%Poultry and eggs: 0.4%0.4%Milk: 0.2%Other animals: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Fruit and nuts: 50.5%Fruit and nuts50.5%Grains and oilseeds: 40.3%Grains and oilseeds40.3%Cattle and calves: 3.5%3.5%Nursery and greenhouse: 2.5%2.5%Vegetables and melons: 1.7%1.7%Hay and other crops: 0.4%Poultry and eggs: 0.4%Milk: 0.2%Other animals: 0.2%Horses and mules: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: hogs and pigs and aquaculture products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$260 million19th of 52
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$207 million1st of 34
Cattle and calves$17.9 million26th of 52
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$13.1 million23rd of 43
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$8.8 million30th of 48
Hay and other crops$2.0 million29th of 43
Poultry and eggs$1.8 million16th of 41
Milk from cows$1.0 million19th of 19
Other animals and animal products$924,00019th of 36
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$784,00014th of 47
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$531,00025th of 45

What the fields held

Butte County harvested 177,975 acres of cropland in 2022, 14th of 54 counties in California. Orchard land covered acreage equal to 55% of that, rice 39%.

CropAcresShare of US
Orchard land97,6701.6%
of which almonds39,0782.4%
of which grapes271under 0.1%
of which citrus203under 0.1%
of which apples30under 0.1%
of which pecans173under 0.1%
Rice69,4963.0%
Hay and haylage5,352under 0.1%
Corn for grain1,594under 0.1%
Vegetables1,142under 0.1%
of which potatoes1under 0.1%
Sunflower555under 0.1%
Wheat529under 0.1%
Berries21under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for silage, barley and dry edible beans.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms37.1%

Butte County ranks 22nd of 55 counties in California on this measure.

  • 207,138 acres of cropland, 53% of farmland
  • 162,373 acres of pastureland, 42% of farmland
  • 18,730 acres of woodland, 5% of farmland
  • 180,090 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Butte County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 20 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 233 acres, 37th-largest of 52 in California. The most common size class is 1–9 acres, with 33.1% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 4.6% of the total.

1–933%10–4932%50–17916%180–49911%500–9994%1,000–1,9993%2,000+2%
Butte County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Horses and ponies1,2940.05%
Goats1,062under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs2,115under 0.1%
Beef cows9,096under 0.1%
Cattle and calves19,927under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs3,481under 0.1%
Milk cows185under 0.1%
Laying hens5,141under 0.1%
Turkeys153under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 2022482under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Butte County's 1,667 farms are made by 3,076 producers. Their average age is 60.4, 0.5 years above the California average. Women are 39.1% of them.

Under 354%35–4412%45–5414%55–6426%65–7428%75+16%
Butte County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,912−12.8%
Land in farms, acres348,300+11.5%
Average farm size, acres182+28.0%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$524 million−1.9%
Rice, acres74,115−6.2%
Almonds, acres42,835−8.8%
Orchard land, acres108,709−10.2%
Horses and ponies, head1,626−20.4%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Butte County accounts for 0.9% of farm sales in California and 2.6% of the farms in California. Rank California counties for rice.

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