Wilson County, North Carolina
Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
207 farms126,286 acres in farms$239 million in farm sales
Among US counties with published figures, Wilson County leads the country in tobacco.
Its largest product group with a published figure, vegetables and melons, makes up 25.1% of farm sales, against 3.7% across North Carolina.
Sales by product group
| Product group | Sales | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetables, melons and potatoes | $59.8 million | 2nd of 78 |
| Poultry and eggs | $55.5 million | 33rd of 78 |
| Tobacco | $53.2 million | 1st of 44 |
| Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas | $34.0 million | 20th of 91 |
| Cotton and cottonseed | $13.5 million | 9th of 33 |
| Hay and other crops | $6.0 million | 13th of 85 |
| Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops | $4.6 million | 30th of 73 |
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries | $1.3 million | 23rd of 76 |
| Cattle and calves | $1.2 million | 49th of 83 |
| Other animals and animal products | $23,000 | 47th of 61 |
| Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk | $13,000 | 61st of 68 |
What the fields held
Wilson County harvested 101,895 acres of cropland in 2022, 13th of 97 counties in North Carolina. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 44% of that, cotton 13%.
| Crop | Acres | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Soybeans | 44,649 | 0.05% |
| Cotton | 13,307 | 0.17% |
| Vegetables | 12,760 | 0.30% |
| Tobacco | 10,810 | 5.2% |
| Wheat | 9,224 | under 0.1% |
| Corn for grain | 8,938 | under 0.1% |
| Peanuts | 4,897 | 0.34% |
| Hay and haylage | 2,466 | under 0.1% |
| Oats | 160 | under 0.1% |
| Berries | 25 | under 0.1% |
Withheld to protect individual farms: grain sorghum, canola, potatoes, orchard land, pecans and grapes.
How much of the county is farmland
Share of the county land in farms53.7%
Wilson County ranks fourth of 97 counties in North Carolina on this measure.
- 108,242 acres of cropland, 86% of farmland
- 2,440 acres of pastureland, 2% of farmland
- 10,591 acres of woodland, 8% of farmland
- 2,122 acres irrigated
Farm sizes
The typical farm in Wilson County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 60 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 610 acres, sixth-largest of 88 in North Carolina. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 35.3% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 15.5% of the total.
Barns, pens and pastures
| Animals | Head | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Horses and ponies | 218 | under 0.1% |
| Beef cows | 1,649 | under 0.1% |
| Goats | 105 | under 0.1% |
| Cattle and calves | 3,222 | under 0.1% |
| Sheep and lambs | 61 | under 0.1% |
| Turkeys | 15 | under 0.1% |
Withheld: hogs and pigs, laying hens and broilers sold.
Who farms here
Decisions on Wilson County's 207 farms are made by 343 producers. Their average age is 57.0, 1.1 years below the North Carolina average. Women are 27.4% of them.
Five years earlier
| Measure | 2017 | Change to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Farms | 276 | −25.0% |
| Land in farms, acres | 122,946 | +2.7% |
| Average farm size, acres | 445 | +37.1% |
| Farm products sold (current dollars) | $211 million | +13.3% |
| Tobacco, acres | 11,792 | −8.3% |
| Peanuts, acres | 2,954 | +65.8% |
| Vegetables, acres | 12,562 | +1.6% |
| Cotton, acres | 8,525 | +56.1% |
Nearest rivals
- Tobacco ahead of Sampson County, NC and Johnston County, NC
- Peanuts between Lowndes County, GA and Dawson County, TX
- Vegetables between Stanislaus County, CA and Edgecombe County, NC
- Cotton between Monroe County, AL and Custer County, OK
Counties with a similar sales mix
- Nash County, North Carolina largest group: vegetables and melons; mix match 90%
- Barnwell County, South Carolina largest group: poultry and eggs; mix match 81%
- Toombs County, Georgia largest group: vegetables and melons; mix match 80%
Wilson County accounts for 1.3% of farm sales in North Carolina and 0.5% of the farms in North Carolina. Rank North Carolina counties for tobacco.
Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.