Farm Census

Hillsborough County, Florida

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,992 farms201,712 acres in farms$704 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Hillsborough County ranks sixth for berries.

Its largest product group with a published figure, fruit and nuts, makes up 62.6% of farm sales, against 14.1% across Florida.

Fruit and nuts: 62.6%Fruit and nuts62.6%Nursery and greenhouse: 19.0%Nursery and greenhouse19.0%Vegetables and melons: 12.0%Vegetables and melons12.0%Aquaculture: 4.1%Aquaculture4.1%Cattle and calves: 1.4%1.4%Horses and mules: 0.4%0.4%Hay and other crops: 0.4%Other animals: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Hogs and pigs: under 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: under 0.1%Fruit and nuts: 62.6%Fruit and nuts62.6%Nursery and greenhouse: 19.0%19.0%Vegetables and melons: 12.0%12.0%Aquaculture: 4.1%4.1%Cattle and calves: 1.4%Horses and mules: 0.4%Hay and other crops: 0.4%Other animals: 0.1%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Hogs and pigs: under 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: milk and poultry and eggs.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$440 million1st of 56
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$133 million6th of 55
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$84.2 million6th of 52
Aquaculture$28.6 million2nd of 27
Cattle and calves$9.8 million20th of 56
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$2.9 million7th of 50
Hay and other crops$2.8 million24th of 49
Other animals and animal products$500,00025th of 47
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$480,0003rd of 52
Hogs and pigs$341,0002nd of 34
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$67,00029th of 37

What the fields held

Hillsborough County harvested 48,130 acres of cropland in 2022, tenth of 62 counties in Florida. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 31% of that, berries 25%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage14,819under 0.1%
Berries12,1463.4%
Vegetables8,3830.19%
Orchard land3,4550.06%
of which citrus3,2240.42%
Corn for grain59under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: soybeans, wheat, potatoes, pecans and grapes.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms30.9%

Hillsborough County ranks 23rd of 62 counties in Florida on this measure.

  • 69,061 acres of cropland, 34% of farmland
  • 98,796 acres of pastureland, 49% of farmland
  • 14,433 acres of woodland, 7% of farmland
  • 29,392 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Hillsborough County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 12 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 101 acres, 52nd-largest of 61 in Florida. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 46.8% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 1.4% of the total.

1–937%10–4947%50–17910%180–4993%500–9991%1,000–1,9991%2,000+1%
Hillsborough County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Horses and ponies2,5640.11%
Goats1,9640.08%
Beef cows20,4550.07%
Cattle and calves32,943under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs936under 0.1%
Laying hens6,790under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs1,114under 0.1%
Milk cows65under 0.1%
Turkeys473under 0.1%

Withheld: broilers sold.

Who farms here

Decisions on Hillsborough County's 1,992 farms are made by 3,544 producers. Their average age is 60.1, 0.6 years above the Florida average. Women are 41.4% of them.

Under 355%35–4410%45–5416%55–6429%65–7424%75+16%
Hillsborough County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms2,265−12.1%
Land in farms, acres180,300+11.9%
Average farm size, acres80+26.2%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$448 million+57.3%
Berries, acres9,066+34.0%
Citrus, acres4,959−35.0%
Vegetables, acres10,455−19.8%
Horses and ponies, head3,361−23.7%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Hillsborough County accounts for 6.9% of farm sales in Florida and 4.5% of the farms in Florida. Rank Florida counties for berries.

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