Pennsylvania organic farming statistics

What the data shows

A diverse agricultural base, with organic production concentrated in a few major categories.

Pennsylvania’s 49,053 farms generated more than $10.28 billion in agricultural product sales in 2022. Within that statewide picture, certified organic product sales totaled $628 million across 935 reporting operations. The figures are not a measure of every farm that uses ecological or soil-centered practices. They describe the certified organic products and operations counted in the Census of Agriculture.

The 2022 Census analysis also shows how concentrated reported organic sales were. Operations with more than $1 million in organic sales made up 18.1% of reporting organic operations and accounted for 84.9% of organic sales. Smaller operations remain part of the story: 31.4% of reporting organic operations were in the $50,000 to $249,999 sales range.

For the 2021 Organic Survey, Pennsylvania’s Department of Agriculture reports that the Commonwealth led the nation in organic livestock and poultry sales at $730 million and in organic mushroom sales at $95.4 million. These sector figures help explain why state-level organic sales can move differently from what a visitor sees at a farm stand, garden, or small growing operation.