Farm Census

Clarendon County, South Carolina

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

341 farms156,415 acres in farms$173 million in farm sales

No other county in South Carolina with a published figure has more corn for grain or wheat than Clarendon County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, poultry and eggs, makes up 43.9% of farm sales, against 56.6% across South Carolina.

Poultry and eggs: 43.9%Poultry and eggs43.9%Grains and oilseeds: 40.3%Grains and oilseeds40.3%Hogs and pigs: 5.6%Hogs and pigs5.6%Vegetables and melons: 4.3%4.3%Cotton: 2.7%Cotton2.7%Hay and other crops: 1.8%1.8%Cattle and calves: 0.6%0.6%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.4%Horses and mules: 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: 43.9%Poultry and eggs43.9%Grains and oilseeds: 40.3%Grains and oilseeds40.3%Hogs and pigs: 5.6%5.6%Vegetables and melons: 4.3%4.3%Cotton: 2.7%2.7%Hay and other crops: 1.8%1.8%Cattle and calves: 0.6%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.4%Horses and mules: 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: fruit and nuts and tobacco.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Poultry and eggs$76.1 million12th of 41
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$69.8 million1st of 38
Hogs and pigs$9.8 million2nd of 23
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$7.4 million7th of 34
Cotton and cottonseed$4.7 million16th of 26
Hay and other crops$3.1 million15th of 43
Cattle and calves$1.1 million22nd of 35
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$683,00027th of 34
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$184,00019th of 37
Other animals and animal products$14,00023rd of 28
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$7,00031st of 31

What the fields held

Clarendon County harvested 95,567 acres of cropland in 2022, third of 46 counties in South Carolina. Corn for grain covered acreage equal to 41% of that, soybeans 36%.

CropAcresShare of US
Corn for grain39,515under 0.1%
Soybeans33,951under 0.1%
Wheat15,162under 0.1%
Cotton5,9920.08%
Hay and haylage5,673under 0.1%
Vegetables2,8960.07%
Peanuts1,7270.12%
Orchard land31under 0.1%
of which pecans7under 0.1%
Berries2under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: grain sorghum, oats, rice, tobacco and grapes.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms40.3%

Clarendon County ranks sixth of 46 counties in South Carolina on this measure.

  • 111,991 acres of cropland, 72% of farmland
  • 9,174 acres of pastureland, 6% of farmland
  • 30,656 acres of woodland, 20% of farmland
  • 13,612 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Clarendon County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 107 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 459 acres, seventh-largest of 46 in South Carolina. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 32.3% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 10.0% of the total.

1–96%10–4922%50–17932%180–49917%500–99913%1,000–1,9994%2,000+6%
Clarendon County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Broilers sold in 202211,711,3300.13%
Hogs and pigs26,174under 0.1%
Goats277under 0.1%
Horses and ponies262under 0.1%
Beef cows1,819under 0.1%
Cattle and calves3,060under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs84under 0.1%
Laying hens899under 0.1%
Turkeys50under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Clarendon County's 341 farms are made by 586 producers. Their average age is 58.6, 0.3 years below the South Carolina average. Women are 33.3% of them.

Under 359%35–4413%45–5415%55–6423%65–7424%75+17%
Clarendon County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms381−10.5%
Land in farms, acres136,830+14.3%
Average farm size, acres359+27.9%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$109 million+59.6%
Broilers sold, head11,648,150+0.5%
Peanuts, acres4,247−59.3%
Cotton, acres10,925−45.2%
Vegetables, acres1,256+100%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Clarendon County accounts for 3.9% of farm sales in South Carolina and 1.5% of the farms in South Carolina. Rank South Carolina counties for broilers sold.

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