Farm Census

Sonoma County, California

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

3,097 farms466,810 acres in farms$976 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Sonoma County ranks fourth for grapes.

Its number of milk cows shrank between 2017 and 2022, the fifth-steepest decline among the 99 leading milk cow counties of 2017 with figures in both years.

Fruit and nuts: 58.9%Fruit and nuts58.9%Poultry and eggs: 16.3%Poultry and eggs16.3%Milk: 12.5%Milk12.5%Nursery and greenhouse: 6.2%6.2%Cattle and calves: 2.3%2.3%Hay and other crops: 2.1%2.1%Vegetables and melons: 1.1%1.1%Sheep and goats: 0.2%Other animals: 0.2%Christmas trees: 0.1%Horses and mules: 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: under 0.1%Fruit and nuts: 58.9%Fruit and nuts58.9%Poultry and eggs: 16.3%16.3%Milk: 12.5%Milk12.5%Nursery and greenhouse: 6.2%6.2%Cattle and calves: 2.3%2.3%Hay and other crops: 2.1%2.1%Vegetables and melons: 1.1%Sheep and goats: 0.2%Other animals: 0.2%Christmas trees: 0.1%Horses and mules: 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: under 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$575 million12th of 52
Poultry and eggs$159 million4th of 41
Milk from cows$122 million10th of 19
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$60.4 million19th of 43
Cattle and calves$22.7 million23rd of 52
Hay and other crops$21.0 million16th of 43
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$10.3 million29th of 48
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$2.0 million12th of 45
Other animals and animal products$1.6 million18th of 36
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$1.3 million2nd of 18
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$838,00012th of 47
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$262,00027th of 34

What the fields held

Sonoma County harvested 106,912 acres of cropland in 2022, 22nd of 54 counties in California. Orchard land covered acreage equal to 70% of that, hay and haylage 28%.

CropAcresShare of US
Orchard land74,4361.2%
of which grapes72,3586.5%
of which citrus41under 0.1%
of which apples1,3850.34%
Hay and haylage30,1920.06%
Vegetables656under 0.1%
of which potatoes12under 0.1%
Corn for silage372under 0.1%
Wheat347under 0.1%
Oats300under 0.1%
Berries2280.06%

Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for grain, sunflower, dry edible beans and pecans.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms46.3%

Sonoma County ranks 14th of 55 counties in California on this measure.

  • 131,237 acres of cropland, 28% of farmland
  • 235,506 acres of pastureland, 50% of farmland
  • 91,057 acres of woodland, 20% of farmland
  • 87,259 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Sonoma County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 12 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 151 acres, 43rd-largest of 52 in California. The most common size class is 1–9 acres, with 42.8% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 3.1% of the total.

1–943%10–4932%50–17914%180–4996%500–9992%1,000–1,9991%2,000+2%
Sonoma County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Laying hens1,196,3040.31%
Sheep and lambs14,1360.28%
Milk cows19,4270.21%
Horses and ponies2,7380.11%
Goats2,4330.10%
Cattle and calves52,3700.06%
Beef cows8,607under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs872under 0.1%
Turkeys900under 0.1%

Withheld: broilers sold.

Who farms here

Decisions on Sonoma County's 3,097 farms are made by 6,036 producers. Their average age is 61.1, 1.2 years above the California average. Women are 40.5% of them.

Under 355%35–4410%45–5415%55–6425%65–7427%75+18%
Sonoma County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms3,594−13.8%
Land in farms, acres567,284−17.7%
Average farm size, acres158−4.4%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$919 million+6.2%
Grapes, acres63,979+13.1%
Apples, acres3,137−55.8%
Laying hens, head1,612,494−25.8%
Sheep and lambs, head21,842−35.3%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Sonoma County accounts for 1.7% of farm sales in California and 4.9% of the farms in California. Rank California counties for grapes.

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