Ranked: America’s Most Valuable Farmland by State
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Key Takeaways
- Farmland values vary more than 30-fold across the U.S., from $725 per acre in New Mexico to $22,500 in Rhode Island.
- California ranks fifth despite producing more food than any other state, with farmland averaging $13,700 per acre.
- The Northeast and Corn Belt dominate the upper end of the ranking, while values are generally lower across the Mountain West.
The land that grows America’s food is also one of the nation’s most valuable assets, with prices shaped by productivity, scarcity, and competing demand.
Using the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this map ranks average farmland values by state in 2025.
Why an Acre Is Worth So Much More in Some States
Farmland values reflect a combination of agricultural returns, land availability, and demand from residential and commercial development.
Rhode Island has America’s most valuable farmland, averaging $22,500 per acre, more than five times the national average. Like much of the Northeast, the state has a limited supply of farmland that competes with other forms of development, placing a premium on each available acre.
| Rank | State | Value Per Acre (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $22,500 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $16,600 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $14,900 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $14,400 |
| 5 | California | $13,700 |
| 6 | Maryland | $9,800 |
| 7 | Iowa | $9,790 |
| 8 | Delaware | $9,500 |
| 9 | Ohio | $9,350 |
| 10 | Illinois | $8,930 |
| 11 | Indiana | $8,850 |
| 12 | Florida | $8,700 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $8,490 |
| 14 | Michigan | $6,800 |
| 15 | Minnesota | $6,790 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $6,500 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $6,420 |
| 18 | Tennessee | $6,150 |
| 19 | Virginia | $6,100 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $5,480 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $5,470 |
| 22 | Missouri | $5,000 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $4,740 |
| 24 | Georgia | $4,720 |
| 25 | Idaho | $4,580 |
| 26 | Vermont | $4,400 |
| 27 | New York | $4,300 |
| 28 | Nebraska | $4,250 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $4,250 |
| 30 | Arizona | $4,180 |
| 31 | Alabama | $4,150 |
| 32 | Louisiana | $3,850 |
| 33 | Oregon | $3,780 |
| 34 | Washington | $3,710 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $3,580 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $3,520 |
| 37 | Utah | $3,500 |
| 38 | Maine | $3,350 |
| 39 | Kansas | $3,100 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $2,970 |
| 40 | Texas | $2,970 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $2,540 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $2,360 |
| 44 | Colorado | $2,290 |
| 45 | Montana | $1,230 |
| 46 | Nevada | $1,200 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $1,000 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $725 |
| -- | U.S. Average | $4,350 |
No data is available for Alaska or Hawaii. Farmland value includes land and buildings.
California ranks fifth at $13,700 per acre. High-value specialty crops help make it America’s largest agricultural economy, while fertile soils, extensive irrigation, and a favorable climate support roughly $67 billion in annual farm output.
Across the Corn Belt, Iowa, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana rank among the states with the most valuable farmland, supported by ideal growing conditions and decades of strong corn and soybean production.
By contrast, farmland values tend to be lower across the Mountain West and Southwest, where arid conditions and a greater share of lower-valued pastureland reduce average values per acre.
America’s Farmland Is a Finite Resource
America’s 876 million acres of farmland supply food for the domestic market and support $181 billion in food exports, the highest total in the world. The sector also supports thousands of rural communities.
The wide gap between state-level values shows how strongly geography, productivity, and land scarcity shape the economics of American agriculture.
With average farmland values reaching a record $4,350 per acre in 2025, America’s agricultural land continues to appreciate as demand competes for a limited supply.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the states with the most farmland.