| Rank |
County |
Total USDA - Subsidies
2011 | Pct of
Total | Running
Percentage |
| 1 | Gibson County, Tennessee | $12,849,816 | 7.4% | 7.4% |
| 2 | Haywood County, Tennessee | $10,150,626 | 5.9% | 13.3% |
| 3 | Lauderdale County, Tennessee | $8,168,408 | 4.7% | 18.0% |
| 4 | Obion County, Tennessee | $8,160,196 | 4.7% | 22.7% |
| 5 | Dyer County, Tennessee | $8,039,614 | 4.6% | 27.3% |
| 6 | Crockett County, Tennessee | $7,939,259 | 4.6% | 31.9% |
| 7 | Macon County, Tennessee | $7,608,445 | 4.4% | 36.3% |
| 8 | Weakley County, Tennessee | $7,478,242 | 4.3% | 40.6% |
| 9 | Fayette County, Tennessee | $6,981,119 | 4.0% | 44.6% |
| 10 | Robertson County, Tennessee | $6,693,634 | 3.9% | 48.5% |
| 11 | Madison County, Tennessee | $6,207,757 | 3.6% | 52.1% |
| 12 | Carroll County, Tennessee | $5,913,890 | 3.4% | 55.5% |
| 13 | Tipton County, Tennessee | $5,757,659 | 3.3% | 58.8% |
| 14 | Henry County, Tennessee | $5,132,841 | 3.0% | 61.7% |
| 15 | Shelby County, Tennessee | $3,726,923 | 2.1% | 63.9% |
| 16 | Montgomery County, Tennessee | $3,467,806 | 2.0% | 65.9% |
| 17 | Hardeman County, Tennessee | $3,444,712 | 2.0% | 67.9% |
| 18 | Lake County, Tennessee | $3,393,195 | 2.0% | 69.8% |
| 19 | Franklin County, Tennessee | $3,093,798 | 1.8% | 71.6% |
| 20 | Coffee County, Tennessee | $2,605,927 | 1.5% | 73.1% |
| 21 | Henderson County, Tennessee | $2,426,412 | 1.4% | 74.5% |
| 22 | Lincoln County, Tennessee | $2,398,315 | 1.4% | 75.9% |
| 23 | Lawrence County, Tennessee | $2,357,054 | 1.4% | 77.3% |
| 24 | McNairy County, Tennessee | $2,317,762 | 1.3% | 78.6% |
| 25 | Hardin County, Tennessee | $2,309,195 | 1.3% | 79.9% |
| 26 | Sumner County, Tennessee | $2,248,332 | 1.3% | 81.2% |
| 27 | Giles County, Tennessee | $1,558,926 | 0.9% | 82.1% |
| 28 | Greene County, Tennessee | $1,382,620 | 0.8% | 82.9% |
| 29 | Bedford County, Tennessee | $1,324,187 | 0.8% | 83.7% |
| 30 | Hickman County, Tennessee | $1,297,485 | 0.7% | 84.4% |
| 31 | Smith County, Tennessee | $1,252,526 | 0.7% | 85.2% |
| 32 | Hawkins County, Tennessee | $1,240,937 | 0.7% | 85.9% |
| 33 | Maury County, Tennessee | $1,237,210 | 0.7% | 86.6% |
| 34 | Warren County, Tennessee | $1,122,944 | 0.6% | 87.2% |
| 35 | Rutherford County, Tennessee | $1,079,232 | 0.6% | 87.8% |
| 36 | Chester County, Tennessee | $1,075,760 | 0.6% | 88.5% |
| 37 | Benton County, Tennessee | $1,031,151 | 0.6% | 89.1% |
| 38 | Humphreys County, Tennessee | $851,362 | 0.5% | 89.6% |
| 39 | Washington County, Tennessee | $818,553 | 0.5% | 90.0% |
| 40 | Cannon County, Tennessee | $786,965 | 0.5% | 90.5% |
| 41 | Trousdale County, Tennessee | $767,174 | 0.4% | 90.9% |
| 42 | McMinn County, Tennessee | $723,598 | 0.4% | 91.3% |
| 43 | Claiborne County, Tennessee | $699,068 | 0.4% | 91.7% |
| 44 | DeKalb County, Tennessee | $694,734 | 0.4% | 92.1% |
| 45 | Cheatham County, Tennessee | $606,772 | 0.3% | 92.5% |
| 46 | Stewart County, Tennessee | $602,809 | 0.3% | 92.8% |
| 47 | Monroe County, Tennessee | $592,156 | 0.3% | 93.2% |
| 48 | Williamson County, Tennessee | $559,156 | 0.3% | 93.5% |
| 49 | Clay County, Tennessee | $541,910 | 0.3% | 93.8% |
| 50 | Loudon County, Tennessee | $515,665 | 0.3% | 94.1% |
| 51 | Decatur County, Tennessee | $504,232 | 0.3% | 94.4% |
| 52 | Dickson County, Tennessee | $498,531 | 0.3% | 94.7% |
| 53 | Marshall County, Tennessee | $481,693 | 0.3% | 95.0% |
| 54 | Bledsoe County, Tennessee | $447,823 | 0.3% | 95.2% |
| 55 | Cocke County, Tennessee | $443,999 | 0.3% | 95.5% |
| 56 | Bradley County, Tennessee | $435,696 | 0.3% | 95.7% |
| 57 | Wayne County, Tennessee | $427,500 | 0.2% | 96.0% |
| 58 | Jackson County, Tennessee | $394,400 | 0.2% | 96.2% |
| 59 | Perry County, Tennessee | $380,780 | 0.2% | 96.4% |
| 60 | Hamblen County, Tennessee | $363,493 | 0.2% | 96.6% |
| 61 | Grainger County, Tennessee | $363,120 | 0.2% | 96.8% |
| 62 | Wilson County, Tennessee | $354,349 | 0.2% | 97.1% |
| 63 | Polk County, Tennessee | $343,896 | 0.2% | 97.3% |
| 64 | White County, Tennessee | $343,192 | 0.2% | 97.4% |
| 65 | Rhea County, Tennessee | $343,080 | 0.2% | 97.6% |
| 66 | Marion County, Tennessee | $306,169 | 0.2% | 97.8% |
| 67 | Putnam County, Tennessee | $298,172 | 0.2% | 98.0% |
| 68 | Cumberland County, Tennessee | $278,279 | 0.2% | 98.2% |
| 69 | Jefferson County, Tennessee | $245,280 | 0.1% | 98.3% |
| 70 | Sullivan County, Tennessee | $243,150 | 0.1% | 98.4% |
| 71 | Blount County, Tennessee | $231,287 | 0.1% | 98.6% |
| 72 | Grundy County, Tennessee | $213,444 | 0.1% | 98.7% |
| 73 | Hancock County, Tennessee | $211,085 | 0.1% | 98.8% |
| 74 | Houston County, Tennessee | $208,057 | 0.1% | 98.9% |
| 75 | Overton County, Tennessee | $197,074 | 0.1% | 99.0% |
| 76 | Johnson County, Tennessee | $184,603 | 0.1% | 99.2% |
| 77 | Pickett County, Tennessee | $181,767 | 0.1% | 99.3% |
| 78 | Meigs County, Tennessee | $156,410 | 0.1% | 99.3% |
| 79 | Fentress County, Tennessee | $152,478 | 0.1% | 99.4% |
| 80 | Sevier County, Tennessee | $133,523 | 0.1% | 99.5% |
| 81 | Union County, Tennessee | $124,064 | 0.1% | 99.6% |
| 82 | Lewis County, Tennessee | $102,092 | 0.1% | 99.6% |
| 83 | Van Buren County, Tennessee | $91,328 | 0.1% | 99.7% |
| 84 | Knox County, Tennessee | $88,323 | 0.1% | 99.7% |
| 85 | Carter County, Tennessee | $75,092 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
| 86 | Davidson County, Tennessee | $57,001 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
| 87 | Campbell County, Tennessee | $52,788 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 88 | Hamilton County, Tennessee | $51,939 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 89 | Sequatchie County, Tennessee | $51,488 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 90 | Roane County, Tennessee | $48,048 | 0.0% | 99.9% |
| 91 | Moore County, Tennessee | $46,767 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 92 | Morgan County, Tennessee | $20,194 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 93 | Scott County, Tennessee | $15,167 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 94 | Unicoi County, Tennessee | $10,445 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| 95 | Anderson County, Tennessee | $6,781 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
Source: Environmental Working Group. Compiled from USDA data.
Note: The information on conservation spending for 2011 is incomplete due to missing data from USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service. In addition some payments made in 2010 were not assigned to recipients in the data received from NRCS. Those payments are also not included.
The information provided for the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) provides an inaccurate picture of how WRP payments are distributed. USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service uses title companies as intermediaries to finalize wetlands easements under the Wetlands Reserve Program. As a result, the data provided to us shows large sums of money going to these title companies. In reality, the payments are ultimately distributed to landowners participating in the WRP.
Unfortunately, NRCS has not provided the data to show where these farms and wetlands are located or which farmers or landowners are enrolling in the program, so EWG is unable to allocate these large sums of money to individuals beyond the title companies. Therefore, these companies skew the conservation rankings and payment concentration, which EWG cannot avoid unless and until NRCS makes available the additional farm attribution data. Therefore, we have not included WRP payments in the 2011 data update.
We have separated data on farm commodity, disaster and conservation payments in order to provide a more accurate picture of top recipients and concentration of payments among the three main categories of USDA programs.
Finally, EWG works hard to ensure the accuracy of the information it provides through its products and services, but obtains data for the Farm Subsidy Database from the U.S. Department of Agriculture pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act. Therefore, EWG cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information USDA provides or any analysis based thereon. If you find an error or discrepancy on the site, please contact your local USDA Farm Service Agency office to check its records before contacting EWG.
