FARMGRANT COUNTY PROFILE · PUBLIC USDA DATA

San Diego County, California

$641,349 in USDA farm subsidies to county recipients (2024)

Opportunity Score: 64/100

Get Matched to Programs

USDA Farm Subsidies — San Diego County

$641,349 in USDA farm subsidies to San Diego County recipients (2024).

Sum of payments to 87 recipients in this county, EWG Farm Subsidy Database (totalfarm), 2024 single year.

Program Breakdown (selected programs, EWG/USDA 2024)

Disaster Payments $549,184
Dairy Programs $4,165

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

$3.7M 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 Fairfield Farms LLC $111,353
2 Farm Services Agency ** $55,943
3 Mccormick Ranch LLC $48,370
4 C.L. $32,622
5 R.L.P. $30,287
6 Chaparral Honey Inc $19,803
7 Rancho Los Lobos LLC $18,280
8 Vertical Acres LLC $18,076
9 R.E.L. $14,755
10 Upper Group Inc. $14,464

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

About Farming in San Diego County

San Diego County has roughly 4,031 farms working about 179,330 acres of land in farms (USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture), averaging ~44 acres per farm.

In San Diego County, irrigated cropland rents for roughly $1,260/acre and farmland is valued near $36,053/acre (USDA NASS).

Local signals from public data: Below-average USDA $/acre vs. state; Elevated beginning-producer presence (69 per 100 farms).

FarmGrant Opportunity Score

64 out of 100
Moderate Opportunity
#20 of 58 in California (67th pctile)
83rd national percentile
Funding Gap? 20.0/25
Program Eligibility? 17.0/25
Insurance Opportunity? 21.9/25
Economic Need? 6.0/25
What drives this score
  • Below-average USDA $/acre vs. state
  • Elevated beginning-producer presence (69 per 100 farms)
  • Elevated women-producer presence (75 per 100 farms)
  • High veteran population (8.0%)
  • High loss ratio (3.20) — elevated indemnities
  • Low insured-policy density (0.1 policies/farm)

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, San Diego County received about $3.58 per acre of farmland in USDA subsidies. That ranks #1,844 of 3,032 U.S. counties for USDA dollars per farmland acre.

2024 USDA subsidy $ (EWG totalfarm) ÷ land-in-farms acres (179,330 acres, USDA NASS 2022 Census). A descriptive county-wide statistic — not a prediction of what any individual farm received or will receive.

See how San Diego County ranks against all U.S. counties →

County Land Economics & Demographics

Population
3,269,973
(2023, USDA ERS)
Median Income
$103,476
(USDA ERS)
Poverty Rate
10.1%
(USDA ERS)
Unemployment
3.9%
(USDA ERS)
Cropland Rent
$1,260/ac
(USDA NASS, irrig.)
Land Value
$36,053/ac
(USDA NASS, 2022 Census)
Insurance Policies
305
(USDA RMA)
Acres Insured
83,344
(USDA RMA)

Track new USDA programs for San Diego County

Get the free weekly USDA roundup — new programs, deadlines, and updates. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much USDA funding does San Diego County receive?

San Diego County recipients received about $641,349 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 San Diego 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; 64 for San Diego 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 California

Could your farm benefit?

Farms in San Diego 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.