Preliminary Report

Abbreviated Historical Highlights: 2002 and Earlier Census Years

Issued February 2004 by National Agricultural Statistical Services

Prepared by Pennsylvania State Data Center

Not adjusted for coverageNot adjusted for coverageNot adjusted for coverageNot adjusted for coverageNot adjusted for coverageNot adjusted for coverage
All farms20021997199719921987198219781974
Farms (number)2,129,2262,215,8761,911,8591,925,3002,087,7592,240,9762,257,7752,314,013
Land in farms (acres)939,506,813954,752,502931,795,255945,531,506964,470,625986,796,5791,014,777,2341,017,030,357
    Average size of farm (acres)441431487491462440449440
Farms by size:
   1 to 9 acres179,184205,390153,515166,496183,257187,665151,233128,254
   10 to 49 acres562,852530,902410,833387,711412,437449,252391,554379,543
   50 to 179 acres658,804694,489592,972584,146644,849711,652759,047827,884
   180 to 499 acres389,442428,215402,769427,648478,294526,510581,631616,098
   500 to 999 acres161,879179,447175,690186,387200,058203,925213,209207,297
   1,000 to 1,999 acres99,028103,007101,468101,923102,07897,39597,80092,712
   2,000 acres or more78,03774,42674,61270,98966,78664,57763,30162,225
Farms by value of sales1:
   Less than $2,500827,504693,026496,514422,767490,296536,327460,535649,448
   $2,500 to $4,999211,941265,667228,477231,867262,918278,208300,699257,263
   $5,000 to $9,999222,840267,575237,975251,883274,972281,802314,088296,373
   $10,000 to $24,999256,579293,639274,040301,804326,166340,254394,876
   $25,000 to $49,999158,270179,629170,705195,354219,636248,828300,5154 956,092
   $50,000 to $99,999140,584163,510158,160187,760218,050251,501263,092
   $100,000 to $499,999240,696282,422277,194286,951263,698274,580203,695141,187
   $500,000 or more70,81270,40868,79446,91432,02327,80017,97311,412
Farms by type of organization:
   Family or individual1,909,2111,922,5901,643,4241,653,4911,809,3241,945,6391,965,860(NA)
   Partnership129,831185,607169,462186,806199,559223,274232,538(NA)
   Corporation73,98690,43284,00272,56766,96959,79250,231(NA)
   Other-cooperative, estate or trust, institutional, etc16,19817,24714,97112,43611,90712,2719,146(NA)
Total operators3,119,573(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)
Total women operators847,680(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)
Principal operator by days of work off farm2:
   None962,903832,585755,254801,881844,476861,798942,803829,843
   Any1,166,3231,254,5371,042,158992,7731,115,5601,187,3741,203,2861,011,476
   200 days or more832,087870,945709,279665,570737,206774,844770,045657,971
Principal operator by primary occupation3:
   Farming1,225,0541,044,388961,5601,053,1501,138,1791,234,7871,269,3051,427,368
   Other904,1721,171,488950,299872,150949,5801,006,189988,470851,902
Average age of principal operator3 years55.35454.353.35250.550.351.7
Number of persons living in household of-
   Principal operator5,717,496(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)
   Second operator712,245(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)
   Third operator188,020(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)
Farms by number of households sharing in net income of farm:
   1 household1,646,543(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)
   2 households314,043(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)
   3 households63,182(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)
   4 households28,704(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)
   5 households or more21,360(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)(NA)

Footnotes:
(1) Data for 1982 and prior years exclude abnormal farms.
(2) Data for 1997 and prior years do not include imputation for item nonresponse.
(3) Data for 1974 apply only to individual or family operations (sole proprietorships) and partnerships.
(4) Farms with value of sales of $10,000 to $99,999.

2002 Agricultural Census

For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.

Released February 3, 2004, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. If you have any questions about the census of agriculture, please call the NASS at 800-727-9540.