Farm Census

Adams County, Pennsylvania

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,243 farms183,184 acres in farms$324 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Adams County ranks fifth for apples and ninth for sales of horses and mules.

Within Pennsylvania, no other county with a published figure has more orchard land or turkeys.

Fruit and nuts: 28.0%Fruit and nuts28.0%Poultry and eggs: 23.5%Poultry and eggs23.5%Grains and oilseeds: 16.1%Grains and oilseeds16.1%Milk: 12.6%Milk12.6%Horses and mules: 7.3%Horses and mules7.3%Cattle and calves: 3.8%3.8%Hogs and pigs: 2.4%2.4%Hay and other crops: 2.3%2.3%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.9%1.9%Vegetables and melons: 0.8%0.8%Other animals: 0.7%0.7%Christmas trees: 0.1%Fruit and nuts: 28.0%Fruit and nuts28.0%Poultry and eggs: 23.5%Poultry and eggs23.5%Grains and oilseeds: 16.1%16.1%Milk: 12.6%Milk12.6%Horses and mules: 7.3%7.3%Cattle and calves: 3.8%3.8%Hogs and pigs: 2.4%2.4%Hay and other crops: 2.3%2.3%Nursery and greenhouse: 1.9%1.9%Vegetables and melons: 0.8%0.8%Other animals: 0.7%Christmas trees: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: sheep and goat products and aquaculture products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$90.9 million1st of 62
Poultry and eggs$76.4 million12th of 56
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$52.3 million7th of 63
Milk from cows$41.0 million16th of 57
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$23.8 million1st of 48
Cattle and calves$12.2 million17th of 62
Hogs and pigs$7.7 million23rd of 51
Hay and other crops$7.6 million18th of 61
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$6.0 million14th of 55
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$2.6 million26th of 60
Other animals and animal products$2.3 million4th of 49
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$362,00022nd of 48

What the fields held

Adams County harvested 119,833 acres of cropland in 2022, sixth of 65 counties in Pennsylvania. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 26% of that, soybeans 25%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage31,6110.06%
Soybeans29,872under 0.1%
Corn for grain28,584under 0.1%
Orchard land18,6350.30%
of which grapes74under 0.1%
of which apples15,9663.9%
of which pecans4under 0.1%
Wheat9,667under 0.1%
Corn for silage3,2370.05%
Barley836under 0.1%
Vegetables422under 0.1%
of which potatoes50under 0.1%
Oats185under 0.1%
Berries110under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: grain sorghum and almonds.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms55.2%

Adams County ranks second of 67 counties in Pennsylvania on this measure.

  • 133,914 acres of cropland, 73% of farmland
  • 16,065 acres of pastureland, 9% of farmland
  • 26,242 acres of woodland, 14% of farmland
  • 2,414 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Adams County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 50 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 147 acres, 30th-largest of 62 in Pennsylvania. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 39.8% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 1.9% of the total.

1–99%10–4940%50–17931%180–49913%500–9995%1,000–1,9991%2,000+1%
Adams County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Turkeys394,5320.41%
Horses and ponies2,9920.12%
Laying hens347,2550.09%
Milk cows7,3840.08%
Goats1,7200.07%
Sheep and lambs1,930under 0.1%
Cattle and calves22,905under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 20222,046,620under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs13,120under 0.1%
Beef cows4,593under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Adams County's 1,243 farms are made by 2,320 producers. Their average age is 54.6, 0.8 years below the Pennsylvania average. Women are 34.2% of them.

Under 3514%35–4417%45–5415%55–6424%65–7421%75+10%
Adams County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,146+8.5%
Land in farms, acres166,227+10.2%
Average farm size, acres145+1.4%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$208 million+56.2%
Apples, acres13,160+21.3%
Turkeys, head371,291+6.3%
Orchard land, acres15,410+20.9%
Horses and ponies, head1,700+76.0%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Adams County accounts for 3.2% of farm sales in Pennsylvania and 2.5% of the farms in Pennsylvania. Rank Pennsylvania counties for apples.

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