Idaho top dog in the West in per capita farm income

By Sean Ellis

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

POCATELLO – Idaho led the West in total farm revenue on a per capita basis last year. No surprise there. The Gem State has been all alone at the top in that category for a long time.

When it comes to total farm revenue, California leads the nation by a lot. But when you break it down per capita – that number is derived by dividing a state’s total farm revenue by its total population – Idaho is in a league of its own among the 11 western states.

According to USDA data released in early September, Idaho had a per capita farm income total of $5,887 in 2025. That means the state’s farmers and ranchers produced $5,887 worth of farm-gate revenue for every man, woman and child in the state last year.

Montana ranked second in this category at $4,502 and was followed by Wyoming ($4,345), New Mexico ($2,134), Oregon ($1,817) and Colorado ($1,725). California was next at $1,644, followed by Washington ($1,491), Utah ($825), Arizona ($732) and Nevada ($361).

The numbers were crunched by University of Idaho Agricultural Economist Brett Wilder, who said the totals are an important and simple way to show people, especially elected officials, how important agriculture is in Idaho.

“It’s always important to recognize that agriculture is extremely important as a standalone industry in Idaho, but also relative to other states,” he said. “Dollars from agriculture trickle through our communities and it’s an important economic driver for our state. It’s something that touches every single one of us.”

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation President Matt Dorsey said that per capita income total for Idaho speaks volumes about how important agriculture is to the average state resident.

“That one number is amazing and confirms what many of us already know: Agriculture is the cornerstone of Idaho’s economy,” said Dorsey, who farms in Canyon County. “I would encourage people to share this number, and the importance behind it, with as many people as they can, especially our local and statewide elected officials.”

The data compiled by Wilder shows that Idaho’s per capita farm income number has risen even as the state’s population has exploded. The state’s per capita income total in 2000 was $3,896. Idaho’s per capita farm income total has gone up even as the state’s population has grown by more than 50 percent since then.

This year’s USDA data shows Idaho’s 22,000-plus farmers and ranchers produced $11.95 billion in total farm-gate revenue last year. Divided by the state’s 2025 population of 2.029 million people, that worked out to $5,887 of farm revenue produced per each Idahoan.

The per capita number is derived from gross farm revenue and not net farm revenue, which is what the farmer actually gets after expenses are subtracted from revenue.

During a recent meeting, Sen. Kelly Anthon, the president pro tempore of the Idaho Legislature, told IFBF members that “agriculture has built this state and it is the lifeblood of this state.”

The per capita farm income number shows that statement is still true.