Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Illinois farm real estate averaged $8,930 per acre in 2025, up 2.6% from the adjusted 2024 average of $8,700. The measure includes land and buildings used for agricultural production. The increase came even as farm incomes had been lower in 2024 and were projected lower for 2025 in the outlook available when the original analysis was published in August 2025. Later income estimates changed the national picture, but do not establish a corresponding Illinois-specific income change.
What the 2025 Illinois figure measures
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimated the average value of Illinois farm real estate at $8,930 per acre in 2025. Farm real estate includes land and buildings used for agricultural production; it is not a cropland-only sale price. The estimate is a statewide average derived from NASS’s Agricultural Land Values survey, not an appraisal of a particular farm or parcel. USDA NASS, 2025 Agricultural Land Values and Cash Rents
The adjusted 2024 Illinois average was $8,700 per acre, making the 2025 estimate 2.6% higher. University of Illinois farmdoc also reported a 22% rise from $7,300 per acre in 2016 to the 2025 average. Those comparisons describe statewide estimates, not the change in value of every Illinois farm. University of Illinois farmdoc daily, August 8, 2025
Why values could rise while farm incomes were under pressure
The income contrast needs a date attached. In its August 8, 2025 analysis, farmdoc said farm incomes had been lower in 2024 and projected to be lower in 2025. That was the outlook at publication, not a final comparison of Illinois farm income for 2025.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
- Used Book in Good Condition
USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) later published first estimates for 2025 national and state farm income. Its September 2026 update revised the national net farm income estimate upward by 5.2% compared with the preceding forecast. That revision is national, not an Illinois-specific income change, and ERS notes estimates can be revised as new information is incorporated. The available state-specific information here does not establish whether Illinois farm income rose or fell in 2025. USDA ERS, Farm Income and Wealth Statistics and revision history
Farmdoc author Bradley Zwilling offered possible explanations for the land-value increase: “Higher off-farm income, strong debt to asset ratios and continued outside investor interest may have led to some of this increase.” The wording is deliberately tentative. The statewide estimate does not prove that any one of those factors caused values to rise.
Rank #2
- Used Book in Good Condition
Statewide averages do not describe every local market
Actual transaction prices vary with location, soil productivity, tract size and configuration, buildings, and the circumstances of a sale. Illinois Extension’s summary of the 2025 Illinois Farmland Values and Lease Trends Conference describes ten regional groupings and differences by soil productivity. It also reports softening in parts of the market in late 2024, alongside variation in local sales. Illinois Extension, May 15, 2025
The conference summary says estate sales accounted for 59% of farms sold in 2024 and 53% of farm sales were conducted at public auction. These are descriptions of the reported 2024 transactions, not statewide price-change measures or forecasts.
Rank #3
NASS estimates can be revised the following year, and farmdoc notes they may also change as information from the five-year Census of Agriculture is incorporated. For a parcel-specific estimate, use recent comparable local transactions and consult a qualified agricultural appraiser or farm manager rather than multiplying acres by the statewide average. Farmdoc also points readers to its farmland value index and online tools for estimating a current or past value from a purchase price or appraisal. University of Illinois farmdoc daily
Farm real estate value is not cropland rent
NASS reported Illinois cropland cash rent of $264 per acre in 2025. Rent is an annual lease payment; farm real estate value is an estimate of the asset value of land and buildings. The two figures answer different questions and should not be compared as though one were a sale price or a direct measure of the other. USDA NASS, 2025 Agricultural Land Values and Cash Rents
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Illinois and U.S. figures at a glance
| Measure | 2025 figure | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois farm real estate | $8,930 per acre | Statewide average value of farm land and buildings; up 2.6% from adjusted 2024. |
| U.S. farm real estate | $4,350 per acre | National average, up $180 per acre from 2024. |
| Illinois cropland cash rent | $264 per acre | Annual cash rent, not an asset value or sale price. |
All three 2025 figures are from USDA NASS’s Agricultural Land Values and Cash Rents report. The Illinois statewide real estate figure should not be read as a prediction of an individual farm’s sale price. USDA NASS, December 2025
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →
