Commercial Farms Led in Government Payments in 2021

In 2021, more than 34 percent of U.S. farm households received Government payments. Totaling $14.3 billion, these payments went to farms of three types. About 75 percent of commercial farms—those with $350,000 or more in gross cash farm income (GCFI), as defined by USDA, Economic Research Service — received Government payments. For intermediate farms—defined as those with less than $350,000 in GCFI and a principal operator whose primary occupation is farming—31 percent received Government payments. Finally, Government payments went to 29 percent of residence farms, those with less than $350,000 in GCFI and where the principal operator is retired from farming or has a primary occupation other than farming. Among the farm households that received Government payments, commercial farms received an average $66,314 in Government payments in 2021 (the most recent year for which data are available); intermediate farms received an average $12,794 in payments, and the average Government payments for residence farms was $8,354.