Idaho No. 1 in West in per capita farm revenue

By Sean Ellis

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

POCATELLO – Idaho led the West last year in total farm revenue on a per capita basis.

The per capita farm revenue number is derived by dividing a state’s total farm revenue by its total population.

Based on data released Sept. 5 by USDA, Idaho’s per capita farm revenue number in 2023 was $5,617.

That means the state’s 22,800-plus farms and ranches produced $5,617 worth of agricultural revenue for every Idahoan last year.

The per capita number is simply a reflection of how important agriculture is to the average person in Idaho compared to residents of other states, said University of Idaho Agricultural Economist Brett Wilder, who compiled the data.

“Essentially, it shows, in one number, what the contribution of Idaho agriculture is to the state’s economy,” he said.

Wilder said the per capita number is a great way to quickly show people, including elected officials, how important agriculture is to Idaho.

The 2023 per capita number placed Idaho an unchallenged No. 1 among the 11 Western states in that category.

Again.

Montana ranked No. 2 with $4,498 worth of per capita farm revenue and Wyoming ranked No. 3 with $3,633.

No other state in the West had a per capita farm revenue number above $2,000. California, the nation’s top farm revenue state by far, came in at a distant $1,526 in per capita farm income.

New Mexico ranked fourth among the 11 western states in per capita farm income ($1,889), followed by Colorado ($1,622), Oregon ($1,575), Washington ($1,542), and California ($1,526).

Utah was next at $720, Arizona came in at $712 and Nevada was at $309.

Idaho’s per capita farm revenue number in 2021 was $4,392.

Idaho’s 2023 number was down slightly from $5,794 in 2022. That’s because Idaho agriculture had a record amount of gross revenue in 2022, but that total declined slightly in 2023 while the state’s population continued to grow.

USDA data shows Idaho farmers and ranchers brought in a total of $11.036 billion in farm-gate revenue in 2023, down 1 percent from a record $11.283 billion in 2022.

2022 was a record year for total farm revenue, in Idaho and the U.S., so a slight dip in per capita farm income was expected in 2023 given the state’s rapid population growth, Wilder said.

He said it’s worth noting that Idaho’s per capita farm income number has risen in recent years despite the state’s rapid population growth.

That shows agriculture is growing in Idaho and is not stagnating at all, he said.

“Idaho continues to be a state that relies heavily on agriculture (to help support) the state’s economy,” he said.

The per capita number is derived from gross farm revenue and not net farm revenue, which is what the farmer actually gets after expenses are subtracted from revenue.

When it came to total farm-gate revenue, California brought in $59 billion in 2023, making that state No. 1 in the nation in that category.

In the West, Washington was second in total farm-gate revenue with $12 billion in 2023, followed by Idaho with $11 billion.

Colorado was fourth in the West with $9.5 billion, and followed by Oregon ($6.7 billion), Arizona ($5.3 billion), Montana ($5.1 billion), New Mexico ($4 billion), Utah ($2.5 billion), Wyoming ($2.1 billion) and Nevada ($987 million).