Share of land area used for agriculture in United States of America
United States of America: Share of land area used for agriculture was 46.1% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Share of land area used for agriculture in United States of America, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of land area used for agriculture in United States of America is 46.1%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in United States of America peaked at 48.9% in 1961 and was at its lowest, 45.1%, in 2007.
That places United States of America 74th out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of land area used for agriculture in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 48.9% | — |
| 1962 | 48.5% | -0.8% |
| 1963 | 48.2% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 47.9% | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 47.6% | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 47.6% | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 47.5% | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 47.6% | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 47.5% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 48.0% | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 47.7% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 47.5% | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 47.2% | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 47.0% | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 47.0% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 47.0% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 47.0% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 46.7% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 46.7% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 46.7% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 46.7% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 47.1% | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 47.1% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 47.1% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 47.1% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 47.1% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 46.6% | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 46.6% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 46.6% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 46.6% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 46.6% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 46.4% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 46.2% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 46.0% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 45.9% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 45.5% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 45.3% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 45.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 45.2% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 45.2% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 45.3% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 45.1% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 45.1% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 45.1% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 45.1% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 45.1% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 45.1% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 45.4% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 45.6% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 45.8% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 46.0% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 46.2% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 46.3% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 46.4% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 46.5% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 46.6% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 46.7% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 46.6% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 46.5% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 46.3% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 46.2% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 46.1% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 46.1% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 47.9% | 47.5% | 48.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 47.2% | 46.7% | 48.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.9% | 46.6% | 47.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.9% | 45.2% | 46.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.2% | 45.1% | 45.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.4% | 45.8% | 46.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.2% | 46.1% | 46.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More agriculture & rural data for United States of America
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.96 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0094 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 673.66 current US$ per person (2021)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.1831 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1981 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.9% (2021)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.9% (2021)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land area used for agriculture in United States of America?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in United States of America was 46.1% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 48.9% in 1961.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.1% in 2007.
- How does United States of America rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- United States of America ranks 74th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area used for agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of land area used for agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures.