El Paso County, Texas
Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
581 farms269,479 acres in farms$41.3 million in farm sales
El Paso County's median farm size is the eighth-smallest of the 2,894 counties with at least 100 farms.
Its land in farms changed more than almost anywhere else between 2017 and 2022: the largest gain among the 2,081 counties with at least 100,000 acres in farms in 2017.
Sales by product group
| Product group | Sales | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton and cottonseed | $16.8 million | 28th of 116 |
| Fruit, tree nuts and berries | $10.3 million | 3rd of 138 |
| Vegetables, melons and potatoes | $5.6 million | 18th of 109 |
| Cattle and calves | $5.5 million | 187th of 230 |
| Other animals and animal products | $1.2 million | 34th of 161 |
| Hay and other crops | $1.2 million | 151st of 213 |
| Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops | $204,000 | 82nd of 100 |
| Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk | $181,000 | 114th of 201 |
| Poultry and eggs | $164,000 | 88th of 168 |
| Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas | $108,000 | 159th of 173 |
| Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys | $40,000 | 193rd of 207 |
| Hogs and pigs | $6,000 | 91st of 103 |
What the fields held
El Paso County harvested 29,530 acres of cropland in 2022, 119th of 220 counties in Texas. Orchard land covered acreage equal to 61% of that, cotton 31%.
| Crop | Acres | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Orchard land | 18,070 | 0.29% |
| of which grapes | 32 | under 0.1% |
| of which apples | 7 | under 0.1% |
| Cotton | 9,098 | 0.12% |
| Hay and haylage | 1,786 | under 0.1% |
| Vegetables | 306 | under 0.1% |
| Wheat | 198 | under 0.1% |
| Berries | 1 | under 0.1% |
Withheld to protect individual farms: peanuts and pecans.
How much of the county is farmland
Share of the county land in farms41.6%
El Paso County ranks 212th of 250 counties in Texas on this measure.
- 54,881 acres of cropland, 20% of farmland
- 208,195 acres of pastureland, 77% of farmland
- 2,980 acres of woodland, 1% of farmland
- 23,930 acres irrigated
Farm sizes
The typical farm in El Paso County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 5 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 464 acres, 122nd-largest of 242 in Texas. The most common size class is 1–9 acres, with 67.5% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 4.5% of the total.
Barns, pens and pastures
| Animals | Head | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Goats | 995 | under 0.1% |
| Horses and ponies | 775 | under 0.1% |
| Sheep and lambs | 1,210 | under 0.1% |
| Cattle and calves | 5,163 | under 0.1% |
| Laying hens | 3,139 | under 0.1% |
| Turkeys | 80 | under 0.1% |
| Hogs and pigs | 55 | under 0.1% |
| Broilers sold in 2022 | 360 | under 0.1% |
Withheld: beef cows.
Who farms here
Decisions on El Paso County's 581 farms are made by 964 producers. Their average age is 61.6, 1.7 years above the Texas average. Women are 37.6% of them.
Five years earlier
| Measure | 2017 | Change to 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Farms | 656 | −11.4% |
| Land in farms, acres | 142,675 | +88.9% |
| Average farm size, acres | 217 | +100% |
| Farm products sold (current dollars) | $46.7 million | −11.6% |
| Orchard land, acres | 10,950 | +65.0% |
| Cotton, acres | 14,873 | −38.8% |
| Goats, head | 2,246 | −55.7% |
| Horses and ponies, head | 1,248 | −37.9% |
Nearest rivals
- Orchard land between Adams County, PA and Franklin County, WA
- Cotton between Texas County, OK and Shelby County, TN
- Goats between Moffat County, CO and Elk County, KS
- Horses and ponies between Clearfield County, PA and Louisa County, VA
Counties with a similar sales mix
- Macon County, Georgia largest group: cotton; mix match 89%
- Houston County, Georgia largest group: cotton; mix match 88%
- Dawson County, Texas largest group: cotton; mix match 87%
El Paso County accounts for 0.1% of farm sales in Texas and 0.3% of the farms in Texas. Rank Texas counties for orchard land.
Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.