Historically, agritourism has not been the subject of much research and quantifying studies.  Thankfully, that tide is changing.  Our industry is being studied by multiple entities, and they are bringing great information to the forefront.

Case in point - a recent survey by researchers at Penn State, the University of Maine, the University of Vermont, and Oklahoma State University.  It is part of a larger effort focused on agritourism, but this part was completed to identify areas to support agritourism development.

Reach and Diversity of Agritourism

This study was focused on the United States, but the content is valuable for all geographies.  First, it is incredible to see the overall reach and diversity of agritourism businesses.  In the graphic above, you can see that farm sizes truly range from very small to very large.  And it's fairly evenly spread across the size spectrum.  Agritourism farms exist across all climates and regions, varying in seasonality and offerings.  NAFDMA is unique in that our membership matches these statistics - serving members across all geographies and sizes of farms.

Stable Numbers but More Revenue

In comparing Census of Agriculture findings, the number of agritourism farms has remained fairly stable in the past 5 years.  In comparison, results found that there was a 33% increase in gross receipts in that same intervening time.  This means agritourism entities are using the knowledge they gain to increase guest counts to their farms, increase per person spending on the farm, or both.

What's Next?

One of the fascinating pieces of information I took from this survey is an awareness of what is NOT around agritourism farms.  This gives us information on the next areas in which farms can concentrate to continue their growth.  The three items most noted for not being in proximity to farms are dining/nightlife, lodging, and retail shopping.  Can you farm develop a dining destination to fill the consumer desire?  Or maybe an evening activity?  Do you have the option for glamping, tiny homes, or AirBnBs on your farm?  Should you increase your retail offerings?  By focusing on what is not in your area, you can fill that gap; effectively increasing your revenue at the same time.

To Explore More

This content is pulled from the study cited below and available to read in full HERE.
Schmidt, C., Entsminger, J.S., Cornelisse, S. and Schweichler, J. (2025) “Insights on Agritourism Among U.S.
Producers: Evidence from the 2024 National Agritourism Producer Survey.” Data Brief 2025-1. Northeast
Regional Center for Rural Development.