| Rank |
County |
Subtotal, Farming Subsidies
1995-2011 | Pct of
Total | Running
Percentage |
| 1 | Southampton County, Virginia | $150,963,529 | 14.2% | 14.2% |
| 2 | Isle of Wight County, Virginia | $72,901,312 | 6.8% | 21.0% |
| 3 | Suffolk City, Virginia | $66,359,684 | 6.2% | 27.2% |
| 4 | Sussex County, Virginia | $48,177,834 | 4.5% | 31.8% |
| 5 | Surry County, Virginia | $35,871,422 | 3.4% | 35.1% |
| 6 | Greensville County, Virginia | $35,150,617 | 3.3% | 38.4% |
| 7 | Pittsylvania County, Virginia | $29,678,419 | 2.8% | 41.2% |
| 8 | Rockingham County, Virginia | $28,905,373 | 2.7% | 43.9% |
| 9 | Accomack County, Virginia | $24,307,942 | 2.3% | 46.2% |
| 10 | Halifax County, Virginia | $23,230,475 | 2.2% | 48.4% |
| 11 | Essex County, Virginia | $22,141,728 | 2.1% | 50.5% |
| 12 | Dinwiddie County, Virginia | $21,911,807 | 2.1% | 52.5% |
| 13 | Chesapeake City, Virginia | $20,265,334 | 1.9% | 54.4% |
| 14 | Northumberland County, Virginia | $18,382,376 | 1.7% | 56.2% |
| 15 | Augusta County, Virginia | $16,982,742 | 1.6% | 57.8% |
| 16 | King William County, Virginia | $16,659,281 | 1.6% | 59.3% |
| 17 | Northampton County, Virginia | $16,518,070 | 1.6% | 60.9% |
| 18 | Westmoreland County, Virginia | $16,213,371 | 1.5% | 62.4% |
| 19 | Mecklenburg County, Virginia | $15,784,610 | 1.5% | 63.9% |
| 20 | Hanover County, Virginia | $15,389,437 | 1.4% | 65.3% |
| 21 | Franklin County, Virginia | $15,372,716 | 1.4% | 66.8% |
| 22 | King and Queen County, Virginia | $15,286,572 | 1.4% | 68.2% |
| 23 | Caroline County, Virginia | $13,498,298 | 1.3% | 69.5% |
| 24 | Virginia Beach City, Virginia | $13,250,593 | 1.2% | 70.7% |
| 25 | Prince George County, Virginia | $12,992,093 | 1.2% | 71.9% |
| 26 | Richmond County, Virginia | $12,963,756 | 1.2% | 73.1% |
| 27 | Brunswick County, Virginia | $12,645,232 | 1.2% | 74.3% |
| 28 | Culpeper County, Virginia | $12,415,855 | 1.2% | 75.5% |
| 29 | Fauquier County, Virginia | $11,568,889 | 1.1% | 76.6% |
| 30 | Charles City County, Virginia | $11,424,475 | 1.1% | 77.6% |
| 31 | Washington County, Virginia | $10,590,438 | 1.0% | 78.6% |
| 32 | Loudoun County, Virginia | $9,382,617 | 0.9% | 79.5% |
| 33 | Madison County, Virginia | $8,897,017 | 0.8% | 80.4% |
| 34 | Charlotte County, Virginia | $8,874,373 | 0.8% | 81.2% |
| 35 | Amelia County, Virginia | $8,852,506 | 0.8% | 82.0% |
| 36 | Orange County, Virginia | $8,602,531 | 0.8% | 82.8% |
| 37 | Shenandoah County, Virginia | $7,228,172 | 0.7% | 83.5% |
| 38 | Lancaster County, Virginia | $6,947,281 | 0.7% | 84.2% |
| 39 | Wythe County, Virginia | $6,855,939 | 0.6% | 84.8% |
| 40 | Campbell County, Virginia | $6,723,199 | 0.6% | 85.4% |
| 41 | Gloucester County, Virginia | $6,577,333 | 0.6% | 86.1% |
| 42 | Lunenburg County, Virginia | $6,161,245 | 0.6% | 86.6% |
| 43 | King George County, Virginia | $5,902,248 | 0.6% | 87.2% |
| 44 | New Kent County, Virginia | $5,740,363 | 0.5% | 87.7% |
| 45 | Middlesex County, Virginia | $5,733,246 | 0.5% | 88.3% |
| 46 | Scott County, Virginia | $5,594,262 | 0.5% | 88.8% |
| 47 | Frederick County, Virginia | $5,480,782 | 0.5% | 89.3% |
| 48 | Smyth County, Virginia | $5,436,219 | 0.5% | 89.8% |
| 49 | Louisa County, Virginia | $5,263,390 | 0.5% | 90.3% |
| 50 | Prince Edward County, Virginia | $5,057,268 | 0.5% | 90.8% |
| 51 | Clarke County, Virginia | $4,934,579 | 0.5% | 91.2% |
| 52 | Goochland County, Virginia | $4,884,340 | 0.5% | 91.7% |
| 53 | Bedford County, Virginia | $4,670,533 | 0.4% | 92.1% |
| 54 | Nottoway County, Virginia | $4,629,227 | 0.4% | 92.6% |
| 55 | Patrick County, Virginia | $4,574,925 | 0.4% | 93.0% |
| 56 | Montgomery County, Virginia | $4,456,001 | 0.4% | 93.4% |
| 57 | Lee County, Virginia | $4,403,148 | 0.4% | 93.8% |
| 58 | Russell County, Virginia | $4,126,190 | 0.4% | 94.2% |
| 59 | Botetourt County, Virginia | $4,070,477 | 0.4% | 94.6% |
| 60 | Henrico County, Virginia | $3,326,972 | 0.3% | 94.9% |
| 61 | Spotsylvania County, Virginia | $3,323,203 | 0.3% | 95.2% |
| 62 | Grayson County, Virginia | $3,279,854 | 0.3% | 95.5% |
| 63 | Prince William County, Virginia | $3,245,760 | 0.3% | 95.8% |
| 64 | Rockbridge County, Virginia | $3,209,936 | 0.3% | 96.1% |
| 65 | Page County, Virginia | $2,947,539 | 0.3% | 96.4% |
| 66 | Pulaski County, Virginia | $2,854,293 | 0.3% | 96.7% |
| 67 | Cumberland County, Virginia | $2,443,724 | 0.2% | 96.9% |
| 68 | Albemarle County, Virginia | $2,388,813 | 0.2% | 97.1% |
| 69 | Appomattox County, Virginia | $2,228,047 | 0.2% | 97.4% |
| 70 | James City County, Virginia | $2,126,912 | 0.2% | 97.6% |
| 71 | Floyd County, Virginia | $2,122,931 | 0.2% | 97.8% |
| 72 | Carroll County, Virginia | $2,097,317 | 0.2% | 97.9% |
| 73 | Powhatan County, Virginia | $2,050,434 | 0.2% | 98.1% |
| 74 | Buckingham County, Virginia | $1,977,749 | 0.2% | 98.3% |
| 75 | Stafford County, Virginia | $1,604,728 | 0.2% | 98.5% |
| 76 | Bland County, Virginia | $1,541,527 | 0.1% | 98.6% |
| 77 | Tazewell County, Virginia | $1,449,255 | 0.1% | 98.8% |
| 78 | Chesterfield County, Virginia | $1,428,591 | 0.1% | 98.9% |
| 79 | Greene County, Virginia | $1,344,239 | 0.1% | 99.0% |
| 80 | Henry County, Virginia | $1,218,677 | 0.1% | 99.1% |
| 81 | Nelson County, Virginia | $986,588 | 0.1% | 99.2% |
| 82 | Rappahannock County, Virginia | $973,588 | 0.1% | 99.3% |
| 83 | Mathews County, Virginia | $970,380 | 0.1% | 99.4% |
| 84 | Alleghany County, Virginia | $684,108 | 0.1% | 99.5% |
| 85 | Fluvanna County, Virginia | $601,746 | 0.1% | 99.5% |
| 86 | Craig County, Virginia | $568,096 | 0.1% | 99.6% |
| 87 | Amherst County, Virginia | $472,080 | 0.0% | 99.6% |
| 88 | Bath County, Virginia | $370,757 | 0.0% | 99.7% |
| 89 | Highland County, Virginia | $361,938 | 0.0% | 99.7% |
| 90 | Warren County, Virginia | $329,688 | 0.0% | 99.7% |
| 91 | Roanoke County, Virginia | $285,196 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
| 92 | Buchanan County, Virginia | $283,641 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
| 93 | Giles County, Virginia | $195,548 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
| 94 | Wise County, Virginia | $184,708 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
| 95 | Dickenson County, Virginia | $98,392 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
| 96 | York County, Virginia | $29,722 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
| 97 | Newport News City, Virginia | $7,996 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
| 98 | Fairfax County, Virginia | $693 | 0.0% | 99.8% |
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.
