Farm Census

Chester County, Pennsylvania

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,558 farms143,442 acres in farms$736 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Chester County ranks third for sales of nursery and greenhouse crops.

Within Pennsylvania, no other county with a published figure sells more farm products.

Nursery and greenhouse: 72.2%Nursery and greenhouse72.2%Milk: 8.4%Milk8.4%Grains and oilseeds: 7.2%7.2%Poultry and eggs: 4.3%4.3%Cattle and calves: 1.9%1.9%Hay and other crops: 1.6%1.6%Hogs and pigs: 1.3%1.3%Horses and mules: 1.1%1.1%Vegetables and melons: 0.9%0.9%Fruit and nuts: 0.4%Other animals: 0.2%Tobacco: 0.2%Christmas trees: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Aquaculture: under 0.1%Nursery and greenhouse: 72.2%Nursery and greenhouse72.2%Milk: 8.4%Milk8.4%Grains and oilseeds: 7.2%7.2%Poultry and eggs: 4.3%4.3%Cattle and calves: 1.9%1.9%Hay and other crops: 1.6%1.6%Hogs and pigs: 1.3%Horses and mules: 1.1%1.1%Vegetables and melons: 0.9%0.9%Fruit and nuts: 0.4%Other animals: 0.2%Tobacco: 0.2%Christmas trees: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Aquaculture: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$531 million1st of 55
Milk from cows$62.1 million11th of 57
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$53.0 million6th of 63
Poultry and eggs$31.4 million17th of 56
Cattle and calves$14.2 million14th of 62
Hay and other crops$11.5 million6th of 61
Hogs and pigs$9.8 million21st of 51
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$8.3 million2nd of 48
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$6.6 million9th of 60
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$3.1 million14th of 62
Other animals and animal products$1.6 million6th of 49
Tobacco$1.5 million2nd of 7
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$1.2 million8th of 48
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$480,00013th of 55
Aquaculture$92,0006th of 16

What the fields held

Chester County harvested 86,796 acres of cropland in 2022, 12th of 65 counties in Pennsylvania. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 36% of that, corn for grain 30%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage30,8630.06%
Corn for grain25,713under 0.1%
Soybeans17,743under 0.1%
Wheat7,506under 0.1%
Corn for silage4,7460.08%
Vegetables906under 0.1%
of which potatoes263under 0.1%
Orchard land468under 0.1%
of which grapes157under 0.1%
of which apples2210.05%
Barley384under 0.1%
Tobacco1600.08%
Berries63under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: grain sorghum and oats.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms29.9%

Chester County ranks 22nd of 67 counties in Pennsylvania on this measure.

  • 94,847 acres of cropland, 66% of farmland
  • 24,218 acres of pastureland, 17% of farmland
  • 14,035 acres of woodland, 10% of farmland
  • 1,267 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Chester County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 28 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 92 acres, 56th-largest of 62 in Pennsylvania. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 42.7% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 1.3% of the total.

1–919%10–4943%50–17927%180–4998%500–9991%1,000–1,9991%2,000+0%
Chester County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Horses and ponies7,0740.29%
Milk cows10,6010.11%
Turkeys102,7800.11%
Goats1,9860.08%
Sheep and lambs2,485under 0.1%
Cattle and calves26,190under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs14,103under 0.1%
Laying hens62,192under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 20221,208,630under 0.1%
Beef cows2,088under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Chester County's 1,558 farms are made by 2,904 producers. Their average age is 54.9, 0.5 years below the Pennsylvania average. Women are 39.8% of them.

Under 3515%35–4414%45–5415%55–6425%65–7420%75+11%
Chester County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,646−5.3%
Land in farms, acres150,514−4.7%
Average farm size, acres91+1.1%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$712 million+3.3%
Horses and ponies, head7,142−1.0%
Milk cows, head21,602−50.9%
Turkeys, head67,372+52.6%
Corn for silage, acres8,323−43.0%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Chester County accounts for 7.2% of farm sales in Pennsylvania and 3.2% of the farms in Pennsylvania. Rank Pennsylvania counties for horses and ponies.

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