Farm Census

Erie County, Pennsylvania

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,052 farms136,116 acres in farms$118 million in farm sales

No other county in Pennsylvania with a published figure has more grapes than Erie County.

Its largest product group, fruit and nuts, makes up 38.6% of farm sales, against 2.6% across Pennsylvania.

Fruit and nuts: 38.6%Fruit and nuts38.6%Grains and oilseeds: 23.2%Grains and oilseeds23.2%Nursery and greenhouse: 16.1%Nursery and greenhouse16.1%Milk: 6.9%Milk6.9%Vegetables and melons: 6.8%6.8%Hay and other crops: 3.3%3.3%Cattle and calves: 2.8%2.8%Aquaculture: 1.4%1.4%Horses and mules: 0.3%Other animals: 0.2%Poultry and eggs: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Hogs and pigs: 0.1%Christmas trees: under 0.1%Fruit and nuts: 38.6%Fruit and nuts38.6%Grains and oilseeds: 23.2%23.2%Nursery and greenhouse: 16.1%16.1%Milk: 6.9%Milk6.9%Vegetables and melons: 6.8%6.8%Hay and other crops: 3.3%3.3%Cattle and calves: 2.8%2.8%Aquaculture: 1.4%1.4%Horses and mules: 0.3%Other animals: 0.2%Poultry and eggs: 0.2%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Hogs and pigs: 0.1%Christmas trees: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$45.7 million2nd of 62
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$27.5 million17th of 63
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$19.1 million6th of 55
Milk from cows$8.2 million41st of 57
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$8.1 million5th of 60
Hay and other crops$3.9 million35th of 61
Cattle and calves$3.3 million43rd of 62
Aquaculture$1.7 million2nd of 16
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$371,00025th of 48
Other animals and animal products$213,00026th of 49
Poultry and eggs$186,00043rd of 56
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$93,00042nd of 55
Hogs and pigs$87,00039th of 51
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$41,00040th of 48

What the fields held

Erie County harvested 73,581 acres of cropland in 2022, 17th of 65 counties in Pennsylvania. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 27% of that, corn for grain 23%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage20,151under 0.1%
Corn for grain17,205under 0.1%
Soybeans16,160under 0.1%
Orchard land12,8400.21%
of which grapes12,5761.1%
of which apples155under 0.1%
Vegetables1,955under 0.1%
of which potatoes1,4890.14%
Wheat1,725under 0.1%
Oats1,3820.15%
Corn for silage842under 0.1%
Berries2630.07%
Barley149under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: grain sorghum and pecans.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms26.6%

Erie County ranks 32nd of 67 counties in Pennsylvania on this measure.

  • 85,416 acres of cropland, 63% of farmland
  • 12,711 acres of pastureland, 9% of farmland
  • 30,444 acres of woodland, 22% of farmland
  • 1,151 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Erie County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 60 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 129 acres, 44th-largest of 62 in Pennsylvania. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 39.3% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 1.3% of the total.

1–911%10–4931%50–17939%180–49915%500–9993%1,000–1,9991%2,000+0%
Erie County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Horses and ponies1,3100.05%
Milk cows1,513under 0.1%
Goats378under 0.1%
Cattle and calves8,883under 0.1%
Beef cows2,878under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs380under 0.1%
Laying hens4,352under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs302under 0.1%
Turkeys80under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 2022395under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Erie County's 1,052 farms are made by 1,949 producers. Their average age is 58.8, 3.4 years above the Pennsylvania average. Women are 35.5% of them.

Under 358%35–4410%45–5415%55–6425%65–7431%75+11%
Erie County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,162−9.5%
Land in farms, acres153,403−11.3%
Average farm size, acres132−2.3%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$82.0 million+44.4%
Grapes, acres11,915+5.5%
Orchard land, acres12,286+4.5%
Oats, acres1,548−10.7%
Potatoes, acres1,247+19.4%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Erie County accounts for 1.2% of farm sales in Pennsylvania and 2.1% of the farms in Pennsylvania. Rank Pennsylvania counties for grapes.

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