Rhode Island has the most expensive land in the United States in 2026, at an average of $23,600 per acre of farm real estate, followed by New Jersey at $17,000 and Massachusetts at $15,200. This list ranks the 15 priciest states by the average value of land and buildings on a farm acre, using the 2026 federal survey. The national average is $4,500 per acre, so even the 15th state costs more than 1.5 times that.
| Rank | State | Average value per acre, 2026 | Times US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $23,600 | 5.2x |
| 2 | New Jersey | $17,000 | 3.8x |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $15,200 | 3.4x |
| 4 | Connecticut | $14,600 | 3.2x |
| 5 | California | $14,100 | 3.1x |
| 6 | Iowa | $10,100 | 2.2x |
| 7 | Maryland | $9,950 | 2.2x |
| 8 | Delaware | $9,700 | 2.2x |
| 9 | Ohio | $9,650 | 2.1x |
| 10 | Illinois | $9,250 | 2.1x |
| 11 | Florida | $9,150 | 2.0x |
| 12 | Indiana | $9,150 | 2.0x |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $8,700 | 1.9x |
| 14 | Michigan | $7,000 | 1.6x |
| 15 | Minnesota | $6,950 | 1.5x |
Rankings: states with the most expensive land per acre
1. Rhode Island: $23,600 per acre
The smallest state by area has the priciest land per acre in the country. Farmland here is scarce, coastal and surrounded by dense Providence and Newport commuter housing demand, so even working farms are priced like development parcels.
New England farmland is thin on supply and heavy on buyers who can build, so the per-acre price tracks the housing market more than crop yields.
How we valued it: Rhode Island comes in at 23,600, up 4.9% on last year’s 22,500, and sits 5.2 times above the national mean.
2. New Jersey: $17,000 per acre
The Garden State is the most densely populated state, and that squeezes every open acre. Farmland sits between New York and Philadelphia, which keeps development value baked into the price.
Land that can plausibly be subdivided gets priced above what crops could ever justify. On the farmland measure New Jersey is second, behind Rhode Island.
How we valued it: survey data put farm land and buildings here at $17,000 an acre for 2026, a 2.4% rise from 2025 and 3.8x the US figure of $4,500.
3. Massachusetts: $15,200 per acre
Farm acres in Massachusetts are few and mostly small, with cranberry bogs and orchards competing against suburban Boston growth. Buyers pay for location and permitted use as much as for soil.
How we valued it: 2026 value of $15,200 per acre against $14,900 in 2025, a gain of 2.0%, which is 3.4 times the US average.
4. Connecticut: $14,600 per acre
Connecticut farmland sits inside the New York and Boston commuter belts. Its price has risen more slowly than the national average, but from a very high base.
How we valued it: price per farm acre, land and buildings, 2026: 14,600. The 2025 figure was 14,400, so the year-on-year change is 1.4%.
5. California: $14,100 per acre
California has the highest-value cropland among the big agricultural states, at about $18,430 per acre in 2026, driven by vineyards, nut orchards and irrigated vegetable ground. Pasture is much cheaper at about $4,250 per acre, which pulls the blended farm figure down to $14,100.
How we valued it: we ranked California on its 14,100 survey average, which moved 2.9% in a year and works out at 3.1x the national figure.
6. Iowa: $10,100 per acre
Iowa has no coastline and no megacity pushing prices up. Its value is farm economics: some of the most productive corn and soybean ground on earth, with cropland near $10,700 per acre.
Iowa is a new entry. Its steady gains pushed it past several Mid-Atlantic states.
How we valued it: Iowa comes in at 10,100, up 3.2% on last year’s 9,790, and sits 2.2 times above the national mean.
7. Maryland: $9,950 per acre
Maryland farmland blends Eastern Shore poultry and grain ground with land near Washington and Baltimore. Prices are up about 2% on the year.
How we valued it: survey data put farm land and buildings here at $9,950 an acre for 2026, a 2.1% rise from 2025 and 2.2x the US figure of $4,500.
8. Delaware: $9,700 per acre
Delaware’s farm economy is built on poultry, corn and soybeans, and its proximity to Philadelphia and Baltimore props up the price. It posted the second-slowest gain in this top 15.
How we valued it: 2026 value of $9,700 per acre against $9,550 in 2025, a gain of 1.6%, which is 2.2 times the US average.
9. Ohio: $9,650 per acre
Ohio’s cropland averages about $10,100 per acre in 2026, among the highest in the Midwest. Its farm price gained about 3% from 2025.
How we valued it: price per farm acre, land and buildings, 2026: 9,650. The 2025 figure was 9,350, so the year-on-year change is 3.2%.
10. Illinois: $9,250 per acre
Illinois cropland is valued around $10,200 per acre in 2026, and the state’s blended farm figure rose about 3.6%. Prime central Illinois ground is the reason, since pasture land is far cheaper at about $4,300 per acre.
How we valued it: we ranked Illinois on its 9,250 survey average, which moved 3.6% in a year and works out at 2.1x the national figure.
11. Florida: $9,150 per acre
Florida had the fastest growth in this top 15, up about 5.2% in one year. Cropland averages about $11,100 per acre, boosted by citrus, vegetables and sugar ground, while growth and population inflows lift pasture to about $7,650 per acre.
How we valued it: Florida comes in at 9,150, up 5.2% on last year’s 8,700, and sits 2.0 times above the national mean.
12. Indiana: $9,150 per acre
Indiana ties Florida at $9,150 per acre. Its cropland is valued around $8,600 per acre. Indiana is a new entry, replacing Virginia, whose farm price is $6,300.
How we valued it: survey data put farm land and buildings here at $9,150 an acre for 2026, a 3.4% rise from 2025 and 2.0x the US figure of $4,500.
13. Pennsylvania: $8,700 per acre
Pennsylvania mixes dairy farms, orchards and fast-growing exurbs around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Farm values rose about 2.5% in 2026.
How we valued it: 2026 value of $8,700 per acre against $8,490 in 2025, a gain of 2.5%, which is 1.9 times the US average.
14. Michigan: $7,000 per acre
Michigan sits at the entry point of the top 15 at $7,000 per acre. Fruit land near Lake Michigan and the state’s strong cropland market keep it ahead of the northern plains.
How we valued it: price per farm acre, land and buildings, 2026: 7,000. The 2025 figure was 6,800, so the year-on-year change is 2.9%.
15. Minnesota: $6,950 per acre
Minnesota edges out Wisconsin at $6,950 to $6,700. Southern Minnesota corn and soybean ground carries the average, with cropland at about $7,300 per acre.
How we valued it: we ranked Minnesota on its 6,950 survey average, which moved 2.4% in a year and works out at 1.5x the national figure.
What changed from the old ranking?
We rebuilt this list in October 2026 on a single, consistent measure: average farm real estate value per acre. Our earlier version estimated total land value across farm, suburban, urban and residential land, which gave much higher per-acre numbers such as $195,000 for New Jersey. Those figures are not comparable with the ones above, because a farm-acre average does not include developed land.
New Hampshire, Virginia and New York dropped out. New Hampshire is 16th at $6,670, Virginia is at $6,300 and New York is at $4,500. Iowa, Indiana and Minnesota are new. Alaska and Hawaii are not covered by the survey.
Why is land so expensive in the Northeast?
Two forces set the price: scarcity and optionality. In small, dense states every open acre competes with housing, so buyers price in development value. In the Corn Belt the price is driven by what the soil can earn, so Iowa and Illinois land is expensive because it is productive, not because it is crowded.
The result is a split top 15. Seven of the 15 are Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states priced on location, six are Midwest states priced mostly on yield, and the other two are California and Florida.
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Which state has the most expensive land in the US?
Rhode Island, at an average of $23,600 per acre of farm real estate in 2026. New Jersey is second at $17,000.
What is the average price of farmland per acre in the US in 2026?
The national average is $4,500 per acre, up about 3.4% from $4,350 in 2025. Cropland averages $6,020 per acre and pasture $2,000 per acre.
Which state has the cheapest farmland?
New Mexico, at $735 per acre in 2026. Wyoming ($1,030), Nevada ($1,230) and Montana ($1,260) are also at the bottom.
Why is Iowa land so valuable?
Iowa has some of the most productive corn and soybean soil in the country. Its farm real estate averages $10,100 per acre, and cropland about $10,700 per acre.
Why are Alaska and Hawaii not on the list?
The federal survey we rely on does not cover them, so we cannot rank them on the same basis.
Which state saw the fastest growth in the top 15?
Florida, up about 5.2% in a year, followed by Rhode Island at about 4.9%.
How we put this list together
The ranking uses the average value of land and buildings per farm acre by state for 2026, compared with 2025, from the annual federal farmland survey. Percentages and multiples of the US average are our own calculations from those averages, and ties are broken by the one-year change.
Last updated: October 2026.
