Farm Census

Washington County, Maine

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

341 farms121,714 acres in farms$102 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Washington County leads the country in berries.

Its largest product group with a published figure, fruit and nuts, makes up 41.2% of farm sales, against 10.2% across Maine.

Withheld groups: 58.1%Withheld groups58.1%Fruit and nuts: 41.2%Fruit and nuts41.2%Poultry and eggs: 0.4%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.2%Cattle and calves: 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Hogs and pigs: under 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: under 0.1%Withheld groups: 58.1%Withheld groups58.1%Fruit and nuts: 41.2%Fruit and nuts41.2%Poultry and eggs: 0.4%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.2%Cattle and calves: 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Horses and mules: under 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: vegetables and melons, hay and other crops, Christmas trees, milk, aquaculture products and other animal products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$41.9 million1st of 16
Poultry and eggs$367,0008th of 11
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$168,00013th of 13
Cattle and calves$65,00016th of 16
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$44,00016th of 16
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$27,00010th of 11
Hogs and pigs$16,00015th of 16
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$9,00010th of 11

What the fields held

Washington County harvested 36,659 acres of cropland in 2022, second of 16 counties in Maine. Berries covered acreage equal to 96% of that.

CropAcresShare of US
Berries35,2039.9%
Hay and haylage1,281under 0.1%
Orchard land73under 0.1%
of which apples71under 0.1%
Vegetables27under 0.1%
of which potatoes4under 0.1%
Corn for grain10under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: grapes.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms7.4%

Washington County ranks ninth of 16 counties in Maine on this measure.

  • 39,623 acres of cropland, 33% of farmland
  • 4,219 acres of pastureland, 3% of farmland
  • 70,294 acres of woodland, 58% of farmland
  • 12,958 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Washington County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 87 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 357 acres, second-largest of 16 in Maine. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 30.8% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 2.6% of the total.

1–917%10–4922%50–17931%180–49918%500–9999%1,000–1,9992%2,000+1%
Washington County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Sheep and lambs452under 0.1%
Horses and ponies141under 0.1%
Laying hens1,811under 0.1%
Goats11under 0.1%
Cattle and calves241under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs55under 0.1%

Withheld: beef cows, milk cows, broilers sold and turkeys.

Who farms here

Decisions on Washington County's 341 farms are made by 585 producers. Their average age is 60.6, 3.1 years above the Maine average. Women are 40.9% of them.

Under 354%35–4412%45–5412%55–6427%65–7433%75+12%
Washington County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms379−10.0%
Land in farms, acres124,845−2.5%
Average farm size, acres329+8.5%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$69.3 million+46.9%
Berries, acres25,437+38.4%
Apples, acres214−66.8%
Sheep and lambs, head626−27.8%
Horses and ponies, head134+5.2%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Washington County accounts for 11.7% of farm sales in Maine and 4.8% of the farms in Maine. Rank Maine counties for berries.

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