FARMGRANT COUNTY PROFILE · PUBLIC USDA DATA

Wilkes County, North Carolina

$134,670 in USDA farm subsidies to county recipients (2024)

Opportunity Score: 69/100

Get Matched to Programs

USDA Farm Subsidies — Wilkes County

$134,670 in USDA farm subsidies to Wilkes County recipients (2024).

Sum of payments to 23 recipients in this county, EWG Farm Subsidy Database (totalfarm), 2024 single year.

Program Breakdown (selected programs, EWG/USDA 2024)

Disaster Payments $128,421
Dairy Programs $3,092
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) $703

Selected program components shown individually. These are separate EWG/USDA pulls and are not additive to the headline subsidy total — no combined "total" is shown. Source: EWG Farm Subsidy Database / USDA, 2024.

Crop Insurance Premium Subsidy

$1.0M in federal crop-insurance premium subsidy (RMA, 2024).

This is a separate program total (premium-subsidy dollars only) — it is not part of the subsidy headline above and is shown on its own. Source: USDA RMA via EWG, 2024.

Top Subsidy Recipients

# Recipient 2024 Total
1 E.G.F. $43,076
2 R.L. $23,638
3 Perry Lowe Orchards, LLC $20,046
4 M.W. $8,153
5 S.M.P.J. $6,626
6 Jones Farms Ferguson Nc LLC $5,971
7 N.C.F. $4,485
8 A.L.S. $4,477
9 C.G.H. $4,456
10 T.L.S. $3,896

Top recipients by EWG totalfarm (2024). These named payments sum toward the headline total above. Source: EWG Farm Subsidy Database.

About Farming in Wilkes County

Wilkes County has roughly 871 farms working about 114,778 acres of land in farms (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture), averaging ~132 acres per farm.

In Wilkes County, non-irrigated cropland rents for roughly $68/acre and farmland is valued near $5,664/acre (USDA NASS).

Local signals from public data: Very low USDA $/acre vs. state average — large funding gap; Rural county — eligible for rural-priority programs.

FarmGrant Opportunity Score

69 out of 100
High Opportunity
#6 of 100 in North Carolina (95th pctile)
91st national percentile
Funding Gap? 25.0/25
Program Eligibility? 15.0/25
Insurance Opportunity? 18.8/25
Economic Need? 11.0/25
What drives this score
  • Very low USDA $/acre vs. state average — large funding gap
  • Rural county — eligible for rural-priority programs
  • Above-average beginning producers (45 per 100 farms)
  • Above-average women producers (53 per 100 farms)
  • Notable veteran population (7.6%)
  • Above-median loss ratio (2.79)
  • Low insured-policy density (0.2 policies/farm)
  • Moderate poverty (16.3%)
  • Below-average income ($50,848)

An opportunity-gap indicator (0–100) built from up to four public-data components — not a prediction that any farm will get funding or qualifies for a program. Sources: USDA ERS, NASS, RMA, and EWG subsidy records.

USDA Funding Per Acre

Historically, Wilkes County received about $1.17 per acre of farmland in USDA subsidies. That ranks #2,571 of 3,032 U.S. counties for USDA dollars per farmland acre.

2024 USDA subsidy $ (EWG totalfarm) ÷ land-in-farms acres (114,778 acres, USDA NASS 2022 Census). A descriptive county-wide statistic — not a prediction of what any individual farm received or will receive.

See how Wilkes County ranks against all U.S. counties →

County Land Economics & Demographics

Population
66,013
(2023, USDA ERS)
Median Income
$50,848
(USDA ERS)
Poverty Rate
16.3%
(USDA ERS)
Unemployment
3.7%
(USDA ERS)
Cropland Rent
$68/ac
(USDA NASS, non-irrig.)
Land Value
$5,664/ac
(USDA NASS, 2022 Census)
Insurance Policies
146
(USDA RMA)
Acres Insured
9,850
(USDA RMA)

Track new USDA programs for Wilkes County

Free email alerts when new and open USDA programs become available. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much USDA funding does Wilkes County receive?

Wilkes County recipients received about $134,670 in USDA farm subsidies in 2024, per the EWG Farm Subsidy Database (totalfarm). This is a single-year county total of recorded payments, not a forecast of future funding.

What USDA programs are available to farmers in Wilkes County?

Farmers may be eligible for a range of USDA programs — conservation (e.g. CRP, EQIP), commodity support (ARC/PLC), disaster assistance, federal crop insurance, and FSA loans. Eligibility depends on your farm; use the free Subsidy Finder to see programs you could qualify for.

How is the FarmGrant Opportunity Score calculated?

The Opportunity Score (0–100; 69 for Wilkes County) is an opportunity-gap indicator built from up to four public-data components — funding gap, program eligibility, insurance opportunity, and economic need — using USDA ERS, NASS, RMA, and EWG records. It is not a prediction that any farm will receive funding or qualifies for a specific program.

Nearby Counties in North Carolina

Could your farm benefit?

Farms in Wilkes County may qualify for USDA programs based on crop, conservation, and disaster activity. Run the free Subsidy Finder to see which programs you could qualify for, then prep your local USDA office visit.

Find Your Programs Prep USDA Visit Deadlines

Data as of June 02, 2026. Subsidy figures: USDA/EWG 2024 release. Farmland acres: USDA NASS 2022 Census. Opportunity score refreshed monthly. Each figure above carries its own data year; this page is never fresher than its oldest input.