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Agriculture and Land Use

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Note: Dollar values are adjusted for inflation to 2020 dollars.

Land in Agriculture in Rhode Island by County

The USDA Census of Agriculture is conducted every 5 years and provides foundational information on characteristics of agriculture in every county and state in the country. Back in 1920, Rhode Island had an estimated 331,600 acres in farmland. Today, that amount has been reduced to about 57,000 acres of farmland. Washington County accounts for about 35% (19,866 acres) of land in agriculture, while Providence County makes up about 29% (16,328 acres). Newport, Kent, and Bristol counties contain much smaller amounts of land in agriculture.

Data sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, multiple years. Note: data for Providence and Washington counties was suppressed in 2012; data for Bristol and Kent counties was suppressed in 2002.

Land in Agriculture in Rhode Island by Category

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Woodland is the largest category of agricultural land in Rhode Island (42.5% of total in 2017). Woodland includes natural or planted woodlots or timber tracts, cutover and deforested land with young growth which has or will have value for wood products, and woodland pastured. It also includes land with tapped maple trees. Cropland in Rhode Island is mostly hay and other forage, followed by vegetables, corn for animal feed, and fruit orchards.

Note: data is suppressed for some counties and categories for multiple years.

Data sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, multiple years.

Projected Agricultural Land Conversion

The American Farmland Trust (AFT) has analyzed different land development scenarios for every state in the country. Under a Business as Usual scenario, AFT estimates that Rhode Island would loss about 8,100 acres of farmland between now and 2040 (new land development is depicted in red on the map).

According to the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture, Rhode Island had 56,864 acres of agriculture. An 8,100 acre decrease would mean a 14.2% decrease in available farmland.

Data sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, multiple years.

Figure: Hunter, M., A. Sorensen, T. Nogeire-McRae, S. Beck, S. Shutts, R. Murphy. 2022. Farms Under Threat 2040: Choosing an Abundant Future. Washington, D.C.: American Farmland Trust.

Farm Real Estate Average Value per Acre

Rhode Island has the highest farm real estate values per acre of any state in the country at $17,500. Farm real estate value is a measurement of the value of all land and buildings on farms. The national average for 2022 was $3,800 per acre.

Rhode Island has the most expensive farm real estate values due to its small land area and development pressure.

Data sources: USDA NASS, Land Values Summary, multiple years.

Number of Farms in Rhode Island by County

According to the US Census of Agriculture, conducted every 5 years, the number of farms in Rhode Island has decreased 74% over the past 100 years, from 4,083 in 1920 when America was much more agrarian, to 1,043 in 2017. Over the past 20 years, the number of farms in the state has averaged more than 1,000.

In 2017, Providence County accounted for 36% of farms (377), with an average farm size of 43 acres (the average size of a farm in the United States in 2017 was 441 acres). The average farm size in Washington County was 62 acres, while average farm size in Kent County was 87 acres.

Data sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, multiple years.

Number of Farms in Rhode Island by County and Category

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According to the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture, the most prevalent types of farms in Rhode Island were aquaculture (20%), greenhouse/nursery/floriculture (18%), and mixed vegetables and melons (14%).

As a practical matter, aquaculture farms are unlikely to be based in Providence County, but their mailing addresses and/or ownership may be based in that county.

Data sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, multiple years.

Value of Agricultural Sales by County and Category

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According to the USDA Census of Agriculture, which is generally believed to undercount this measure, the value of agricultural sales have decreased in Rhode Island from 2002 to 2017. Greenhouse, nursery, or floriculture sales made up the majority of agricultural sales in 2002, 2007, and 2012, and about half of the value of sales in 2017.

Washington County has the highest amount of farmland and agricultural sales of Rhode Island counties.

Data sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, multiple years.

Value of Edible Agricultural Sales by County and Category

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According to the USDA Census of Agriculture, which is generally believed to undercount this measure, Edible agricultural products made up 32% of the total value of agricultural sales in 2002 and 52% in 2017. Vegetables and melons made up the majority of edible agricultural product sales, followed by products whose values were suppressed, milk, and aquaculture.

Data sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, multiple years.

Number of Farms and Value of Agricultural Sales by Economic Class

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A little more than 82% of Rhode Island farms had sales of less than $50,000 in 2017. On the other end of the spectrum, 8 farms (0.8% of farms) had sales of over $1,000,000 and these farms accounted for about 29% of total sales.

This scale asymmetry is endemic in every state and highlights the challenges of farm viability for small and midsize producers.

Data sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, multiple years.

Estimating the Value of Rhode Island’s Food System

The USDA Census of Agriculture, conducted every 5 years, is the foundational data source for food system analyses. It allows for longitudinal, county-to-county, and state-to-state comparisons.

However, local research has found that the Census of Agriculture underestimates the value of food production. For example, the USDA estimate for sales in 2007 was $65.9 million ($81.3 million in 2020 dollars). Using a different approach, University of Rhode Island Professor Tom Sproul conservatively estimated that Rhode Island had agricultural sales of nearly $170.6 million in 2007, more than 2.5 times higher than the USDA estimate. A 2012 update estimated $238.9 million in sales, compared to $59.6 from the 2012 Census of Agriculture. Dr. Sproul’s estimates do match USDA estimates in the sense that greenhouse/nursery sales account for the majority of sales in his analysis.

Data sources: Dr. Thomas W. Sproul, February 1, 2015, The Economic Impact of Rhode Island Plant-Based Industries and Agriculture: An Update to the 2012 Study. USDA Census of Agriculture, multiple years.

URI Agricultural Sales Estimate

Dr. Tom Sproul estimates that the total value of Rhode Island agricultural sales in 2012 was $297 million (adjusted for inflation to 2020 dollars).

Greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture sales made up the biggest percentage, 41.3% ($122.7 million), followed by crop production, 23.7% ($70.3 million), animal production, 16.5% ($49.1 million), and smaller amounts of grape vineyards and aquaculture.

RI Food Data Discrepancies:
Available Information, Their Methodologies, and Differences

Data sources: Dr. Thomas W. Sproul, February 1, 2015, The Economic Impact of Rhode Island Plant-Based Industries and Agriculture: An Update to the 2012 Study.

Farmer Age Demographics

The average age of farmers in Rhode Island in 2017 was 56.9.

This is close to the average age of all U.S. farm producers in 2017, which was 57.5 years – up 1.2 years from 2012. There is a long-term trend of aging in the U.S. producer population.

This means that producers also tend to be experienced; they have been on their current farm an average of 21.3 years. It also means that they are more likely to be thinking about retiring, which sometimes puts their land in danger of being developed.

Data sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, multiple years.

Young Principal Producers, 2017

The USDA Census of Agriculture has started collecting data on young producers – farmers 35 years old or younger. In 2017, young principal producers (i.e., farm owners and operators) made up 7.4% of all producers, and operated 7.6% of all farms on 2.7% of all land in agriculture. Providence County has the highest number of young principal producers in Rhode Island.

Data sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, 2017, Table 56: Young Producers.

Farmer Race Demographics

Colonization, genocide, slavery, and policies pursued by the U.S. government all played a role in the dismantling of Indigenous societies and limited access to agricultural land for non-White people. Today, Black, Indigenous, Asian, and Hispanic Americans own a very small percentage of farms and agricultural land.

Farm ownership in both the state and the country continues to be a mostly White-owned enterprise: White people make up 60% of our country’s population, but comprise 92% of producers, own 96% of farms, and operate 94% of land in agriculture. As of 2021, 70.4% of Rhode Islanders were White (not Hispanic), but 98% of Rhode Island farmers were White…

Data sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, multiple years.

Farmer Demographics by Hispanic Ethnicity

Hispanic Rhode Islanders–the state’s largest ethnic group–make up 17.1% of the state’s population, but less than 1% of farmers.

Data sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, multiple years.

Farmer Sex Demographics

Women make up 51% of Rhode Island’s population but 41% (743) of farmers. This percentage does represent an increase from 35% (659) of farmers in 2007.

Data sources: USDA Census of Agriculture, multiple years.