Most farmers receive off-farm income, but small-scale operators depend on it

Median total household income among all farm households ($57,050) exceeded the median for all U.S. households ($50,054) in 2011. More than half of U.S. farms are very small, with annual sales under $10,000; the households operating these farms typically draw all of their income from off-farm sources. Median household income and income from farming increase with farm size, as defined by sales. The typical household operating the largest commercial farms earned about $380,000 in 2011, and most of that came from farming. This chart is found in the chart collection, Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials, on the ERS website, updated September 2013.