Farm Census

Benton County, Washington

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,338 farms612,372 acres in farms$1.21 billion in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Benton County ranks fourth for potatoes and sixth for vegetables.

Within Washington, no other county with a published figure has more grapes.

Vegetables and melons: 39.4%Vegetables and melons39.4%Fruit and nuts: 29.0%Fruit and nuts29.0%Hay and other crops: 11.4%Hay and other crops11.4%Grains and oilseeds: 8.6%8.6%Milk: 5.4%Milk5.4%Cattle and calves: 5.2%5.2%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.8%Horses and mules: 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: under 0.1%Vegetables and melons: 39.4%Vegetables and melons39.4%Fruit and nuts: 29.0%Fruit and nuts29.0%Hay and other crops: 11.4%11.4%Grains and oilseeds: 8.6%8.6%Milk: 5.4%5.4%Cattle and calves: 5.2%5.2%Nursery and greenhouse: 0.8%Horses and mules: 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: hogs and pigs and aquaculture products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Vegetables, melons and potatoes$478 million2nd of 29
Fruit, tree nuts and berries$352 million3rd of 33
Hay and other crops$139 million3rd of 35
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$104 million6th of 29
Milk from cows$65.9 million6th of 16
Cattle and calves$63.6 million3rd of 33
Nursery, greenhouse and floriculture crops$9.5 million10th of 26
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$1.1 million5th of 35
Other animals and animal products$537,0006th of 28
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$276,00016th of 33
Poultry and eggs$116,00018th of 28

What the fields held

Benton County harvested 296,142 acres of cropland in 2022, seventh of 33 counties in Washington. Wheat covered acreage equal to 39% of that, vegetables 33%.

CropAcresShare of US
Wheat115,9930.31%
Vegetables98,4052.3%
of which potatoes41,9103.9%
Orchard land41,0040.66%
of which almonds1under 0.1%
of which grapes29,9102.7%
of which apples6,9921.7%
Corn for grain23,954under 0.1%
Hay and haylage8,715under 0.1%
Berries3,5661.00%
Sugar beets1,9290.17%
Corn for silage1,116under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: barley, canola and dry edible beans.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms56.3%

Benton County ranks tenth of 39 counties in Washington on this measure.

  • 463,228 acres of cropland, 76% of farmland
  • 107,315 acres of pastureland, 18% of farmland
  • 461 acres of woodland, 0% of farmland
  • 202,092 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

The typical farm in Benton County is smaller than the national median of 72 acres, at 9 acres. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 458 acres, 16th-largest of 39 in Washington. The most common size class is 1–9 acres, with 52.5% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 5.2% of the total.

1–952%10–4928%50–1797%180–4995%500–9991%1,000–1,9991%2,000+4%
Benton County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Milk cows10,2100.11%
Cattle and calves60,1140.07%
Horses and ponies1,6320.07%
Goats699under 0.1%
Sheep and lambs1,276under 0.1%
Beef cows6,843under 0.1%
Laying hens3,393under 0.1%
Hogs and pigs289under 0.1%
Turkeys85under 0.1%
Broilers sold in 202290under 0.1%

Who farms here

Decisions on Benton County's 1,338 farms are made by 2,546 producers. Their average age is 57.8, 1.5 years below the Washington average. Women are 41.3% of them.

Under 357%35–4412%45–5418%55–6424%65–7427%75+11%
Benton County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,520−12.0%
Land in farms, acres613,562−0.2%
Average farm size, acres404+13.4%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$1.01 billion+20.8%
Potatoes, acres42,046−0.3%
Grapes, acres29,192+2.5%
Vegetables, acres91,556+7.5%
Apples, acres9,854−29.0%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Benton County accounts for 9.5% of farm sales in Washington and 4.2% of the farms in Washington. Rank Washington counties for potatoes.

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