Generalized Land Use
Land Use Patterns
Urban Uses – According to the census bureau, an urban area is defined as a place having a population of at least 2,500 people in 1990. Utilizing this definition, there is one city in Webster County classified as urban in 1990, Marshfield. Developed land in Marshfield, as well as other incorporated places includes residential, commercial, industrial, public and parkland.
Residential land is devoted primarily to single family dwellings with some multi-family units. Commercial land consists of retail activities and personal, professional, and business services. Most commercial land use is limited to major roadways inside city limits.
Unincorporated Areas – Within the unincorporated portion of the county, only scattered commercial uses are found along with residential uses.
Agricultural Uses – Of the 379,981 acres in Webster County, 271.206 acres are devoted to agricultural land uses, according to the 2007 Census of Agriculture. Of the 271.206 agricultural acres, 22.15% are woodlands and 36.53% account for croplands. The number of farms in Webster County has decreased since 2002, to a total amount of 1,821 farms. Webster County also accounts 36.92% of its land to pasture and the remaining 4.40% is for other uses. The 2007 Census of Agriculture reports that the total market value of products sold from farms in Webster County is up 8% and the average per farm has increased 17% since 2002.