Farmland Atlas · county record

Swain County, North Carolina

Swain County, NC: land and buildings $10,139 an acre in the 2022 census, flagged to read with care. County averages from public records, not an appraisal of any farm. FIPS 37173. Figures as of 2026-09-20.

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Swain County had no acres published in farms in the 2022 census. County averages here describe very little farmland; read them with care.

July average nightly low ran 60.2 F over 2017-2026, against a 1991-2020 normal of 59 F, with a warming trend of 0.41 F per decade since 1976. Drought has touched the county in 151 of 1357 weeks from 2000-2025, with 2008 the worst year at 42 weeks, and only 14 weeks in severe drought or worse over 2021-2025. Irrigation covers 2 percent of harvested cropland as of the 2022 census, and heat and drought made up 1 percent of indemnities in 2000-2009. No solar or wind capacity operates or is proposed to EIA.

Cash rent, non-irrigated
—
NASS published no non-irrigated cash rent for this county
Land and buildings
$10,139/ac
2022 census · read with care: rose 177% from 2017 while next door rose a median 25%
Rent as % of land value
—
not shown: NASS published no non-irrigated cash rent for this county in 2022
Corn yield, median
—
fewer than 8 published county corn yields
Claims paid per $100 of coverage
—
under the premium floor for a figure
Farmland rented
—
suppressed by NASS

Cash rent

Cash rent— NASS published no non-irrigated cash rent for this county

Land value

Land and buildings, 2022$10,139/acoperators' own estimate, not a sale price
Census 2012$6,291/ac
Census 2017$3,658/ac
Read with care— the 2022 census value rose 177% from 2017 while the 6 counties next door rose a median 25%. The census counts buildings and small residential farms, so the change since 2017, the rent-to-value ratio and the rank are withheld

Corn yield

County corn yield— fewer than 8 published county corn yields

Crop insurance record

Claims paid divided by total premium (the farmer share plus the federal subsidy), each closed crop year since 1995. Above the dashed line, the county's insurance book paid out more than it took in.

Largest causes of loss, 1995–2013other 48% · excess moisture 32% · heat and drought 13%share of dollars paid

Drought and weather

20002005201020152020202511422

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, 2000–2025151 of 1,357 weeks11% of weeks
Year with the most D2+ weeks200842 weeks
Last five years, 2021–202514 weeks
July average of daily lows, 2017–202660.2 °F1991–2020 normal 59.0 °F
Trend in July lows since 1976+0.41 °F a decadewarming
Rain, April to September31.3 in1991–2020 normal; last ten years 99% of it
Days with hail 1 inch or larger0.3 a yearreports, 2010–2025; a zero is no report, not proof of no hail

Land, water and programs

Harvested cropland irrigated, 20222%
Drained by tile, 20224% of cropland42 ac
Farmed no-till, 20226% of cropland73 ac
Cover crops, 20221% of cropland13 ac

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

CRP enrolled, 20250 ac
Cattle and calves, 2022254−52.4% since 2017

Next door

CountyDry rentIrr. rentLand valueCorn yieldClaims per $100
Swain County——$10,139——
Graham County——$8,917——
Haywood County$69$240 2024$8,046—$13.88
Jackson County$59 2025—$8,324——
Macon County$54 2025—$8,663——
Blount County, TN$56—$8,030139.9$21.55
Sevier County, TN$35—$7,730——
Median next door$56—$8,185139.9 1 co.$17.72 2 co.

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. Swain County, North Carolina. 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/north-carolina/swain-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.