Farmland Atlas · county record

Ocean County, New Jersey

Ocean County, NJ: land and buildings $23,893 an acre in the 2022 census. County averages from public records, not an appraisal of any farm. FIPS 34029. Figures as of 2026-09-20.

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Ocean County had 6,961 acres in farms in the 2022 census. County averages here describe very little farmland; read them with care.

Heat and drought caused 75 percent of crop insurance indemnities in Ocean County from 1989-2025, closed crop years, totaling $523,341. That share rose from 56 percent in 2010-2019 to 80 percent in 2020-2025. July nightly lows averaged 65.9 F in the 1991-2020 normal period and 67.7 F in 2017-2026, part of a warming trend of 0.87 F per decade since 1976. Drought weeks in severe category or worse ran 21 in 2021-2025, against 61 of 1357 weeks countywide from 2000-2025. Census land value reached $23,893 per acre in 2022, up 25.5 percent from 2017-2022, 4.7 percent a year. Solar operating capacity stands at 76.5 MW; wind operating is 0 MW.

Cash rent, non-irrigated
—
county not in the NASS cash rents survey frame
Land and buildings
$23,893/ac
2022: what operators guessed land and buildings were worth
NJ median $14,983
Rent as % of land value
—
not shown: NASS published no non-irrigated cash rent for this county in 2022
Corn yield, median
—
NASS publishes no county corn yield series for this county
Claims paid per $100 of coverage
—
under the premium floor for a figure
Farmland rented
22%
2022 census, rented from others
NJ median 32%

Cash rent

Cash rent— county not in the NASS cash rents survey frame

Land value

Land and buildings, 2022$23,893/acoperators' own estimate, not a sale price
Census 2012$15,446/ac
Census 2017$19,031/ac
Change 2017 to 2022+25.5%+4.7% a year, nominal
Dry rent ÷ census value— NASS published no non-irrigated cash rent for this county in 2022

Corn yield

County corn yield— NASS publishes no county corn yield series for this county

Crop insurance record

Claims paid divided by total premium (the farmer share plus the federal subsidy), each closed crop year since 1989. Above the dashed line, the county's insurance book paid out more than it took in. 2026, still open, is left out.

Largest causes of loss, 1989–2025heat and drought 75% · excess moisture 21% · other 2%share of dollars paid

Drought and weather

20002005201020152020202503410

Weeks per year, U.S. Drought Monitor, with half the county or more in D2 (severe) drought or worse.

D2 or worse for half the county, 2000–202561 of 1,357 weeks5% of weeks
Year with the most D2+ weeks200234 weeks
Last five years, 2021–202521 weeks
July average of daily lows, 2017–202667.7 °F1991–2020 normal 65.9 °F
Trend in July lows since 1976+0.87 °F a decadewarming
Rain, April to September24.4 in1991–2020 normal; last ten years 104% of it
Days with hail 1 inch or larger1.2 a yearreports, 2010–2025; a zero is no report, not proof of no hail

Land, water and programs

Harvested cropland irrigated, 2022— NASS suppressed the irrigated acres to protect individual farms
Drained by tile, 2022under 1% of cropland10 ac
Farmed no-till, 202213% of cropland362 ac
Cover crops, 202215% of cropland414 ac

Acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, USDA FSA, by fiscal year.

CRP enrolled, 20250 ac
Solar and wind operating, 202576.5 MW solar · 0 MW windnameplate, EIA Form 860
Cattle and calves, 2022532−36.0% since 2017
Farmland rented from others, 202222%census tenure, owned plus rented acres in farms

Next door

CountyDry rentIrr. rentLand valueClaims per $100
Ocean County——$23,893—
Atlantic County—$236$14,983$11.03
Burlington County$79$160$12,875$8.16
Monmouth County$101$158$25,361$8.77
Median next door$90 2 co.$160$14,983$8.77

Counties that share a stretch of boundary. An older rent carries its year and stays out of the median.

Cite this page

AGSIST Farmland Atlas. Ocean County, New Jersey. Figures as of 2026-09-20, from USDA NASS, USDA RMA, USDA FSA, the U.S. Drought Monitor and NOAA. https://agsist.com/farmland-atlas/new-jersey/ocean-county
Every figure is a county average from the sources named below. Ranks count counties with 10,000 acres or more in farms, in the same survey year for rent, within the state. Methods: how each figure is built. Downloads: all counties, CSV.
Sources, dates and arithmetic

"Figures as of" is the date this page's numbers last changed; it moves only when a figure on the page does. Source files and their retrieval dates are listed on the data page.

Rent: USDA NASS Cash Rents Survey, county. Land value: Census of Agriculture, operators' estimate of land and buildings. Yield: NASS county corn yields, trend fitted here over every published year since 2008. Loss ratio: claims (indemnity) divided by total premium, USDA RMA Summary of Business, 1989 on, open crop year left out. Drought: U.S. Drought Monitor, weeks with half the county or more in D2 or worse. July lows: NOAA nClimDiv county monthly minimum temperature. A dash means the record does not carry the figure or the source withheld it; the reason is printed beside it.