Farm Census

Wayne County, North Carolina

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

415 farms149,752 acres in farms$798 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Wayne County leads the country in turkeys.

Its number of turkeys grew between 2017 and 2022, the fourth-largest increase among the 86 leading turkey counties of 2017 with figures in both years.

Poultry and eggs: 55.6%Poultry and eggs55.6%Hogs and pigs: 29.1%Hogs and pigs29.1%Grains and oilseeds: 5.9%5.9%Vegetables and melons: 3.5%3.5%Tobacco: 2.6%2.6%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.0%1.0%Hay and other crops: 0.9%0.9%Cotton: 0.7%0.7%Cattle and calves: 0.4%Fruit and nuts: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: 55.6%Poultry and eggs55.6%Hogs and pigs: 29.1%Hogs and pigs29.1%Grains and oilseeds: 5.9%5.9%Vegetables and melons: 3.5%3.5%Tobacco: 2.6%Tobacco2.6%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.0%Hay and other crops: 0.9%Cotton: 0.7%Cattle and calves: 0.4%Fruit and nuts: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Horses and mules: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: milk, sheep and goat products and aquaculture products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$444 million4th of 78
Hogs and pigs$233 million4th of 61
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$47.4 million10th of 91
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$28.2 million7th of 78
Tobacco$20.7 million9th of 44
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$7.9 million18th of 73
Hay and other crops$6.9 million11th of 85
Cotton and cottonseed$5.8 million25th of 33
Cattle and calves$3.2 million25th of 83
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$313,00051st of 76
Other animals and animal products$42,00034th of 61
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$17,00049th of 53

What the fields held

Wayne County harvested 107,699 acres of cropland in 2022, 11th of 97 counties in North Carolina. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 50% of that, corn for grain 18%.

CropAcresShare of US
Soybeans54,0370.06%
Corn for grain19,629under 0.1%
Wheat13,465under 0.1%
Vegetables6,7540.16%
Cotton6,5740.08%
Peanuts5,1470.36%
Hay and haylage5,076under 0.1%
Tobacco4,8312.3%
Corn for silage416under 0.1%
Oats390under 0.1%
Grain sorghum302under 0.1%
Orchard land62under 0.1%
of which grapes2under 0.1%
of which pecans58under 0.1%
Berries24under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: potatoes and apples.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms42.2%

Wayne County ranks 18th of 97 counties in North Carolina on this measure.

  • 115,097 acres of cropland, 77% of farmland
  • 5,958 acres of pastureland, 4% of farmland
  • 14,756 acres of woodland, 10% of farmland
  • 2,506 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Wayne County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 60 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 361 acres, 19th-largest of 88 in North Carolina. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 28.4% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 9.6% of the total.

1–916%10–4928%50–17925%180–49913%500–9997%1,000–1,9995%2,000+5%
Wayne County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Turkeys4,034,0354.1%
Hogs and pigs417,1510.57%
Broilers sold in 20228,392,1500.09%
Horses and ponies225under 0.1%
Cattle and calves7,148under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs358under 0.1%

Withheld: beef cows, milk cows, laying hens and goats.

Who farms here

Decisions on Wayne County's 415 farms are made by 727 producers. Their average age is 58.1, the same as the North Carolina average. Women are 30.9% of them.

Under 3511%35–449%45–5415%55–6427%65–7423%75+15%
Wayne County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms551−24.7%
Land in farms, acres165,345−9.4%
Average farm size, acres300+20.3%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$592 million+34.8%
Turkeys, head2,102,845+91.8%
Tobacco, acres8,938−45.9%
Hogs and pigs, head548,561−24.0%
Peanuts, acres3,589+43.4%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Wayne County accounts for 4.3% of farm sales in North Carolina and 1.0% of the farms in North Carolina. Rank North Carolina counties for turkeys.

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