Farm Census

Aiken County, South Carolina

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,132 farms138,479 acres in farms$194 million in farm sales

No other county in South Carolina with a published figure has more horses and ponies than Aiken County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, poultry and eggs, makes up 71.0% of farm sales, against 56.6% across South Carolina.

Poultry and eggs: 71.0%Poultry and eggs71.0%Withheld groups: 9.6%Withheld groups9.6%Fruit and nuts: 6.2%6.2%Cotton: 3.5%Cotton3.5%Nursery and greenhouse: 3.4%3.4%Horses and mules: 2.5%2.5%Hay and other crops: 1.9%1.9%Cattle and calves: 1.7%1.7%Other animals: 0.1%Christmas trees: 0.1%Poultry and eggs: 71.0%Poultry and eggs71.0%Withheld groups: 9.6%9.6%Fruit and nuts: 6.2%6.2%Cotton: 3.5%Cotton3.5%Nursery and greenhouse: 3.4%3.4%Horses and mules: 2.5%2.5%Hay and other crops: 1.9%Cattle and calves: 1.7%Other animals: 0.1%Christmas trees: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: grains and oilseeds, vegetables and melons, milk, hogs and pigs and sheep and goat products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$138 million7th of 41
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$12.0 million4th of 27
Cotton and cottonseed$6.7 million13th of 26
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$6.6 million12th of 34
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$4.9 million1st of 37
Hay and other crops$3.7 million13th of 43
Cattle and calves$3.3 million9th of 35
Other animals and animal products$226,0006th of 28
Christmas trees and short-rotation woody crops$101,0004th of 11

What the fields held

Aiken County harvested 36,955 acres of cropland in 2022, 15th of 46 counties in South Carolina. Hay and haylage covered acreage equal to 39% of that, cotton 22%.

CropAcresShare of US
Hay and haylage14,447under 0.1%
Cotton8,0930.10%
Corn for grain4,057under 0.1%
Soybeans3,557under 0.1%
Orchard land2,120under 0.1%
of which grapes6under 0.1%
of which apples3under 0.1%
of which pecans216under 0.1%
Peanuts1,1250.08%
Oats8500.09%
Wheat539under 0.1%
Berries129under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: corn for silage, potatoes and vegetables.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms20.2%

Aiken County ranks 29th of 46 counties in South Carolina on this measure.

  • 55,451 acres of cropland, 40% of farmland
  • 27,965 acres of pastureland, 20% of farmland
  • 53,268 acres of woodland, 38% of farmland
  • 10,839 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Aiken County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 43 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 122 acres, 37th-largest of 46 in South Carolina. The most common size class is 10–49 acres, with 44.3% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 1.6% of the total.

1–99%10–4944%50–17931%180–49911%500–9993%1,000–1,9991%2,000+1%
Aiken County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Horses and ponies5,6100.23%
Broilers sold in 202219,429,0230.21%
Goats1,9800.08%
Beef cows5,462under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs551under 0.1%
Cattle and calves9,085under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs605under 0.1%
Milk cows39under 0.1%
Turkeys270under 0.1%

Withheld: laying hens.

Who farms here

Decisions on Aiken County's 1,132 farms are made by 1,965 producers. Their average age is 57.4, 1.5 years below the South Carolina average. Women are 42.6% of them.

Under 359%35–4412%45–5417%55–6426%65–7426%75+11%
Aiken County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,249−9.4%
Land in farms, acres162,628−14.8%
Average farm size, acres130−6.2%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$137 million+40.9%
Horses and ponies, head5,022+11.7%
Broilers sold, head20,127,895−3.5%
Cotton, acres3,887+100%
Oats, acres461+84.4%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Aiken County accounts for 4.4% of farm sales in South Carolina and 5.0% of the farms in South Carolina. Rank South Carolina counties for horses and ponies.

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