Tracking agricultural land loss with NLCD
Interactive map of Ohio agricultural land-cover change from 1985 to 2024.
Agricultural land in 1985 (13,640,765)
Agricultural land in 2024 (12,954,971)
Net loss of agricultural land, 1985–2024 — a 5.0% decline
Farmland converted to development — 77% of all gross agricultural-land loss
Statewide totals computed from the annual NLCD data behind the map. Agricultural land is NLCD Pasture/Hay (81) plus Cultivated Crops (82); acres are counted from the original 30 m pixels. Counties with the most net farmland loss: Franklin (about 53,000 acres), Delaware (38,000), Warren (34,000), Butler (33,000), and Lorain (22,000). Source: Annual National Land Cover Database (MRLC/USGS), 1985–2024, processed by the Swank Program. Updated June 2026.
This tool uses Annual NLCD land-cover rasters to compare agricultural land across any pair of years from 1985 to 2024. It maps gross loss, gross gain, net loss, and agricultural land converted to development, with statewide and county-level summaries.
Interactive map
Use the year controls to compare land cover between two years. The grid view shows pixel-level agricultural transitions, while the county view summarizes change by county and lets you inspect local trends and destination land-cover classes.
Sources & notes
- The source product is MRLC/USGS Annual NLCD Collection 1 Version 1 land cover for 1985–2024.
- Agricultural land is defined as NLCD 81 Pasture/Hay plus 82 Cultivated Crops.
- Developed land includes NLCD 21, 22, 23, and 24.
- Area metrics are counted from the original 30 m Albers Equal Area NLCD pixels; the web map display is not used for area calculations.
Last updated: June 16, 2026