Grown Where

Imperial County, California · 2022 Census of Agriculture

What does Imperial County, California grow?

Of the crops tracked here, Imperial County's biggest by acreage are hay (428,514 acres), wheat (42,559 acres) and lettuce (37,364 acres). Its farms sold $3 billion of crops and livestock in 2022, 6th of 56 counties in California.

Among US counties with published figures, it ranks near the top for hay (1st of 2,984 counties), onions (1st of 715 counties), lettuce (2nd of 887 counties) and carrots (2nd of 613 counties).

Farm sales, 2022
$3 billion6th of 3,050 US counties
Farms
482736,586 acres of farmland
Crops vs. livestock
73% cropsshare of farm sales
Items reported
4529 published, 16 withheld
Value of crops and livestock sold by county, 2022 Census of Agriculture
Under $14M$14M to $56M$56M to $210M$210M to $700M$700M to $2.1B$2.1B+
Withheld to protect individual farms
Imperial County
$3 billion
5% of California farm sales. No. 6 of 56 counties with published figures.

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2022 Census of Agriculture.

What does Imperial County grow the most of?

Crops ranked by acres harvested (bearing acres for orchards), 2022 Census of Agriculture.

  1. 1Hay1st in California428,514 acres
  2. 2Wheat1st in California42,559 acres
  3. 3Lettuce2nd in California37,364 acres
  4. 4Onions1st in California21,666 acres
  5. 5Carrots2nd in California19,733 acres
  6. 6Sugar beets1st in California18,547 acres
  7. 7Broccoli3rd in California13,770 acres
  8. 8Spinach2nd in California13,689 acres
  9. 9Sweet corn1st in California7,974 acres
  10. 10Cantaloupe2nd in California6,875 acres

How does Imperial County rank?

Each item's rank among counties in California and in the US, by the 2022 Census of Agriculture measure shown. An asterisk means the rank is among counties with published figures; a county whose figure is withheld could rank higher.

Imperial County rankings, 2022 Census of Agriculture, top 15 by share of CA
ItemAmountState rankUS rankShare of CAMeasure
Sugar beets842,351 tons114100%production
Onions21,666 acres11*41%acres harvested
Wheat4.5 million bushels19237%production
Sweet corn7,974 acres112*37%acres harvested
Hay2.9 million tons1136%production
Carrots19,733 acres22*32%acres harvested
Spinach13,689 acres22*25%acres harvested
Cantaloupe6,875 acres22*25%acres harvested
Cabbage2,896 acres34*17%acres harvested
Lettuce37,364 acres22*14%acres harvested
Honeydew1,228 acres44*12%acres harvested
Broccoli13,770 acres33*12%acres harvested
Kale733 acres55*8%acres harvested
Cauliflower3,450 acres34*8%acres harvested
Cattle412,212 cattle498%head on farms
Show all 29 items
Imperial County rankings, items 16 to 29
ItemAmountState rankUS rankShare of CAMeasure
Brussels sprouts1,093 acres3*3*7%acres harvested
Potatoes1,481 acres659*6%acres harvested
Watermelon800 acres7*37*6%acres harvested
Artichokes144 acres3*3*3%acres harvested
Corn158,188 bushels91,802*2%production
Honey503,070 pounds1366*2%production
Celery607 acres7*9*2%acres harvested
Sunflowers666,754 pounds7*146*2%production
Milk13,921 milk cows11*155*under 1%head on farms
Hogs228 hogs28*1,199*under 1%head on farms
Tangerines176 acres10*16*under 1%bearing acres
Barley2,815 bushels15*425*under 1%production
Tomatoes30 acres25*164*under 1%acres harvested
Eggs87 laying hens49*2,632*under 1%head on farms

Also reported here, but withheld by NASS to protect individual farms: sorghum, oats, dry beans, green beans, bell peppers, collard greens, garlic, asparagus, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, grapes, blueberries, olives, dates and sheep.

What livestock does Imperial County raise?

Imperial County livestock and poultry, 2022 Census of Agriculture
AnimalHeadState rankMeasure
Cattle412,2124head on farms
Milk cows13,92111*head on farms
Hogs22828*head on farms
Laying hens8749*head on farms

Other farm counties in California

Top California counties by farm sales, 2022
CountyFarm sales
Fresno County$7 billion
Tulare County$6.4 billion
Monterey County$5.5 billion
Kern County$5 billion
Merced County$4 billion
San Joaquin County$3 billion
Stanislaus County$2.9 billion
Santa Barbara County$2.6 billion
Kings County$2.1 billion
Ventura County$2.1 billion
Madera County$2 billion
Riverside County$1.3 billion

What does California grow? State overview and county map →

About this data

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2022 Census of Agriculture, the only NASS source that covers every county. The Census is taken every five years; the next is for 2027. Values NASS withholds to avoid disclosing individual farms are shown as withheld, never as zero. Data processed 2026-11-06. Methodology.