Figure 1.3.2—Farms, land in farms, and average acres per farm, 1850-2002

Line graph with 6 lines and 25 points per line.

Line 1, Number of farms.
Point 1, 1850 is 1.449.
Point 2, is 2.044.
Point 3, is 2.66.
Point 4, is 4.009.
Point 5, is 4.565.
Point 6, is 5.74.
Point 7, is 6.366.
Point 8, is 6.454.
Point 9, 1925 is 6.372.
Point 10, is 6.295.
Point 11, is 6.812.
Point 12, is 6.102.
Point 13, is 5.859.
Point 14, is 5.388.
Point 15, 54 is 4.782.
Point 16, is 3.711.
Point 17, is 3.158.
Point 18, is 2.73.
Point 19, is 2.314.
Point 20, 78 is No data.
Point 21, 82 is No data.
Point 22, is No data.
Point 23, is No data.
Point 24, is No data.
Point 25, 2002 is No data.
Line 2, Average acreage.
Point 1, 1850 is 2.03.
Point 2, is 1.99.
Point 3, is 1.53.
Point 4, is 1.34.
Point 5, is 1.37.
Point 6, is 1.47.
Point 7, is 1.39.
Point 8, is 1.49.
Point 9, 1925 is 1.45.
Point 10, is 1.57.
Point 11, is 1.55.
Point 12, is 1.75.
Point 13, is 1.95.
Point 14, is 2.16.
Point 15, 54 is 2.42.
Point 16, is 3.03.
Point 17, is 3.52.
Point 18, is 3.9.
Point 19, is 4.4.
Point 20, 78 is No data.
Point 21, 82 is No data.
Point 22, is No data.
Point 23, is No data.
Point 24, is No data.
Point 25, 2002 is No data.
Line 3, Farmland.
Point 1, 1850 is 0.293561.
Point 2, is 0.407213.
Point 3, is 0.407735.
Point 4, is 0.536082.
Point 5, is 0.623219.
Point 6, is 0.841202.
Point 7, is 0.881431.
Point 8, is 0.958677.
Point 9, 1925 is 0.924319.
Point 10, is 0.990112.
Point 11, is 1.054515.
Point 12, is 1.065114.
Point 13, is 1.141615.
Point 14, is 1.16142.
Point 15, 54 is 1.158192.
Point 16, is 1.123508.
Point 17, is 1.110187.
Point 18, is 1.062892.
Point 19, is 1.01703.
Point 20, 78 is No data.
Point 21, 82 is No data.
Point 22, is No data.
Point 23, is No data.
Point 24, is No data.
Point 25, 2002 is No data.
Line 4, Number of farms.
Point 1, 1850 is No data.
Point 2, is No data.
Point 3, is No data.
Point 4, is No data.
Point 5, is No data.
Point 6, is No data.
Point 7, is No data.
Point 8, is No data.
Point 9, 1925 is No data.
Point 10, is No data.
Point 11, is No data.
Point 12, is No data.
Point 13, is No data.
Point 14, is No data.
Point 15, 54 is No data.
Point 16, is No data.
Point 17, is No data.
Point 18, is No data.
Point 19, is No data.
Point 20, 78 is 2.479.
Point 21, 82 is 2.501.
Point 22, is 2.337.
Point 23, is 2.18.
Point 24, is 2.216.
Point 25, 2002 is 2.129.
Line 5, Average acreage.
Point 1, 1850 is No data.
Point 2, is No data.
Point 3, is No data.
Point 4, is No data.
Point 5, is No data.
Point 6, is No data.
Point 7, is No data.
Point 8, is No data.
Point 9, 1925 is No data.
Point 10, is No data.
Point 11, is No data.
Point 12, is No data.
Point 13, is No data.
Point 14, is No data.
Point 15, 54 is No data.
Point 16, is No data.
Point 17, is No data.
Point 18, is No data.
Point 19, is No data.
Point 20, 78 is 4.15.
Point 21, 82 is 4.
Point 22, is 4.19.
Point 23, is 4.42.
Point 24, is 4.31.
Point 25, 2002 is 4.41.
Line 6, Farmland.
Point 1, 1850 is No data.
Point 2, is No data.
Point 3, is No data.
Point 4, is No data.
Point 5, is No data.
Point 6, is No data.
Point 7, is No data.
Point 8, is No data.
Point 9, 1925 is No data.
Point 10, is No data.
Point 11, is No data.
Point 12, is No data.
Point 13, is No data.
Point 14, is No data.
Point 15, 54 is No data.
Point 16, is No data.
Point 17, is No data.
Point 18, is No data.
Point 19, is No data.
Point 20, 78 is 1.029695.
Point 21, 82 is 1.000738.
Point 22, is 0.978739.
Point 23, is 0.96398.
Point 24, is 0.954753.
Point 25, 2002 is 0.938279.

Farms (millions)
Acres per farm (hundred acres)
Land in farms (billion acres)
Census year 1/
1/ Census years are shown for 10-year intervals from 1850 to 1920, with 4 or 5-year intervals starting in 1925. The break in the lines after 1974 reflects the introduction of an adjustment to estimates of the farm count and land in farms. Beginning in 1978, the data are adjusted to compensate for undercoverage by the census of agriculture.
Source: USDA, ERS, based on census of agriculture data.

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