Reviewed August 2026 against NASS/USDA, the American Farm Bureau Federation, and Statistics Canada.

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US cropland averaged $5,830 per acre and pastureland $1,920 per acre in 2025, with overall farm real estate up 4.3% year-over-year, according to NASS/USDA. In Canada, total farmland value reached CAD $759.7 billion as of December 31, 2025, up 6.5% from a year earlier, per Statistics Canada. If you’re searching “ag land for sale near me,” those two data points set the floor for any conversation about price — everything below breaks the national average down by state, province, and land type so you can tell whether a specific parcel is cheap or expensive for its category.

• Sector Scope: Covers cropland, pastureland, and mixed-use farm real estate tracked annually by USDA and Statistics Canada.
• Main Activities: Crop cultivation, livestock grazing, agroforestry, and rental/cash-lease arrangements.
• Price Drivers: Regional demand, irrigation access, cash rent yields, interest rates, and state-level growth differentials.

Contents

US Farmland Values: The 2025 Baseline

NASS/USDA’s 2025 Land Values and Cash Rents report puts the US average farm real estate value at $4,350 per acre, blending cropland, pastureland, and buildings. Split by land type, cropland averaged $5,830 per acre and pastureland averaged $1,920 per acre — roughly a 3-to-1 ratio that holds in most regions unless irrigation or proximity to a metro area pushes cropland higher still. Farm real estate rose 4.3% from 2024 to 2025, continuing a multi-year climb rather than a one-off spike.

Cash rent tells you what the land is earning right now, independent of what a buyer paid for it. The national average cropland cash rent was $161 per acre in 2025, while irrigated cropland cash rent averaged $244 per acre — a $83/acre premium for irrigation access. Divide cash rent by purchase price and you get a rough cap rate: at the national averages, $161 rent on $5,830 cropland is about 2.8%, which is the number to compare against your cost of capital before assuming land appreciation will do the rest of the work.

State-level variation is wide. The American Farm Bureau Federation reports Rhode Island holds the highest farm real estate value in the country at $22,500 per acre (driven by non-farm development pressure, not crop economics), while Utah cropland value rose 9.7% year-over-year in 2024–2025 — more than double the national cropland growth rate. Neither figure is representative of “typical” farmland; they’re the extremes that show how far the range stretches.

For a parcel you’re evaluating right now, the reference point is NASS’s full state-by-state table, not the national average — a $6,000/acre asking price could be a bargain in one state and a 30% markup in another. NASS republishes these values every August or September for the prior crop year; the current table lives at NASS Land Values and Cash Rents, so check there for whatever year you’re reading this.

Canadian Farmland Values and Provincial Spread

Statistics Canada’s farm balance sheet put total Canadian farmland value at CAD $759.7 billion as of December 31, 2025, up 6.5% from the prior year — a faster national growth rate than the US cropland average. That national figure hides sharp provincial differences: Alberta farmland value rose 11.6% year-over-year and Saskatchewan rose 9.9%, both well above the Canada-wide average, which means the growth is concentrated in the Prairie provinces rather than spread evenly coast to coast.

Statistics Canada releases this data as part of its “Balance sheet of the agricultural sector,” published each mid-June for land values as of the prior December 31. If you’re pricing a Canadian parcel today, treat the December 2025 figures as roughly eight months old by the time you read this and check Statistics Canada’s farmland value release for the next update.

Price Comparison Table: US States vs. Canadian Provinces

Because “ag land for sale near me” returns wildly different price ranges depending on where “near me” is, this table lines up the confirmed 2025 figures side by side. Use it to sanity-check a listing price before you go further — an AI summary can tell you land prices “vary by region,” but it won’t hand you national averages, provincial growth rates, and cash-rent yields in one place.

Table Insights

• Irrigation carries a measurable price: the $83/acre gap between irrigated and non-irrigated cropland cash rent ($244 vs. $161) is a direct, sourced number you can apply to any lease negotiation.
• Growth is regional, not national: Alberta (+11.6%) and Saskatchewan (+9.9%) both outpaced the Canadian average (+6.5%); Utah (+9.7%) outpaced the broader US cropland trend. A national average understates what’s happening in the hottest markets.
• Extremes distort averages: Rhode Island’s $22,500/acre is nearly four times the US cropland average and reflects development pressure, not farm economics — exclude outliers like this when benchmarking a rural parcel.

Rent-vs-Buy Calculator

The gap between cash rent yield and land appreciation is the whole rent-vs-buy decision in one number. Enter a parcel’s price and expected cash rent below to see its yield against the NASS national benchmarks ($161/acre non-irrigated, $244/acre irrigated cash rent on $5,830/acre average cropland).

Assumptions: uses NASS/USDA 2025 national average cash rents ($161/acre non-irrigated, $244/acre irrigated) as the comparison benchmark. Excludes property taxes, financing costs, closing costs, and appreciation — it measures income yield only, not total return.

Land Sizing: What Small Parcels Actually Cost

Some searches behind this page ask about very small parcels rather than full farms — “how much is 500 square meters of land,” for instance. Converting units first: 500 square meters is approximately 0.124 acres (1 acre = 4,046.86 m²). At the 2025 US cropland average of $5,830/acre, a 0.124-acre parcel prices out to roughly $723 on cropland economics alone — but that math only holds for land actually valued as farmland. A 500 m² lot near a US or Canadian town is far more likely to be priced as residential or transitional land, where per-acre farmland averages do not apply at all; local county assessor or municipal records are the only reliable source for that figure, not a national agricultural average.

This is the core distinction for anyone comparing small-parcel prices across countries: US and Canadian agricultural land values (NASS, Statistics Canada) describe working farmland priced in whole acres or hectares for crop and pasture production. They do not describe, and cannot be used to estimate, small residential or peri-urban lot prices in any market outside the US and Canada — those prices are set by local land-use rules, zoning, and municipal demand that neither NASS nor Statistics Canada track.

South Carolina Land: Timber, Water, and Investment Signals

South Carolina land searches around timber, water rights, and investment potential are common, but the confirmed dataset behind this article is national and Canadian, not South Carolina–specific: NASS/USDA’s 2025 report and the American Farm Bureau Federation’s state breakdown do not isolate South Carolina timberland or water-rights values as separate line items in the sources reviewed here. Rather than invent a South Carolina figure, the honest path is the method: NASS publishes state-level cropland, pastureland, and cash-rent tables (not just the national averages used above) at the NASS Land Values and Cash Rents page, updated every August or September — filter to South Carolina there for the current state-level number, and cross-reference the South Carolina Forestry Commission for timberland-specific pricing, which sits outside NASS’s row-crop and pasture categories.

If South Carolina timber, water, or investment-land data becomes available in a future NASS or state-agency release, it belongs on this page. Until then, treat any specific South Carolina per-acre figure you see elsewhere as unverified unless it cites NASS, the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, or the state Forestry Commission directly.

Legal & Regulatory Checklist for US and Canadian Buyers

Land value data only matters if the parcel can legally change hands the way you expect. Both US and Canadian farmland purchases carry state/provincial-level rules that a national price average won’t surface.

Key Legal Considerations for US and Canadian Ag Land

1. Foreign Ownership Rules Vary by State/Province:
   • Several US states restrict or require reporting of foreign ownership of agricultural land; Canadian provinces including Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island have residency or corporate-ownership restrictions on farmland. Confirm current rules with the relevant state department of agriculture or provincial land registry before an offer.
2. Zoning and Land Classification:
   • Agricultural, residential, and conservation-easement zoning each carry different tax treatment and use restrictions — confirm the parcel’s actual zoning designation, not just its current use, with the county or municipal planning office.
3. Title Verification:
   • Order a title search and title insurance in the US; in Canada, confirm registration under the relevant provincial land titles system. Both guard against liens, easements, and boundary disputes that a listing price won’t reveal.
4. Water Rights:
   • In many Western US states, water rights are a separate legal asset from the land itself and must be verified and transferred explicitly — confirm with the state water resources agency before assuming irrigation access transfers with the deed.
5. Conservation and Environmental Programs:
   • USDA conservation easements, CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) enrollments, and similar programs can restrict future use and transfer with the land — check enrollment status before purchase.

Due Diligence: A Repeatable Checklist

This checklist is the durable part of this article — the price figures above will be superseded by next year’s NASS and Statistics Canada releases, but the steps below apply to any parcel, in any year, in either country.

1. Verify Title and Ownership History

• Order a title search and, in the US, title insurance covering liens and encumbrances
• Confirm water rights, mineral rights, and easements are itemized separately from the surface title

2. Benchmark the Price Against Published Averages

• Compare the asking price per acre against the current NASS state-level table for that land type (cropland vs. pastureland) rather than the national average
• Calculate cash-rent yield (annual rent ÷ purchase price) and compare it to the national benchmark of 2.8% implied by 2025 NASS figures ($161 rent / $5,830 cropland)

3. Assess Land Productivity

• Request soil test results, historical yield data, and irrigation infrastructure records from the seller
• Engage a local agricultural extension office or licensed appraiser for an independent productivity assessment

4. Confirm Infrastructure and Access

• Verify legal road access, not just physical access, and confirm irrigation canal or well rights in writing
• Check proximity to grain elevators, cooperatives, or processing facilities that affect real operating costs

5. Plan for Sustainable, Climate-Resilient Use

• Adopt climate-smart agriculture practices and climate-smart irrigation to protect long-term yield and resale value
• Consider crop rotation, cover cropping, and conservation tillage to preserve soil health metrics that affect future appraisals

6. Engage Legal and Technical Experts

• Work with a licensed real estate attorney familiar with agricultural transactions, a land surveyor, and independent satellite-based land verification tools before closing

How Farmonaut Supports Land Investment Decisions

Alongside published price data, satellite monitoring gives buyers an independent read on what a parcel can actually produce — Farmonaut delivers this as an affordable, real-time layer for agricultural decision-making.

• Satellite-Based Monitoring: Assess soil health, crop productivity, water use, and climate exposure across a parcel using NDVI and multispectral imagery before you commit to a purchase.
• Jeevn AI Advisory: AI-powered weather forecasting, yield potential, and crop management insights based on real-time satellite data. See Jeevn AI in action here.
• Blockchain-Based Traceability: Supply chain transparency and anti-fraud verification across the agricultural sector.
  (Read about Farmonaut’s Traceability Tools)
• Environmental Impact Tracking & Carbon Footprinting: Measure and report the environmental performance of a land investment.
  (Discover Farmonaut Carbon Monitoring)
• Fleet and Resource Management: Optimize machinery and vehicle fleets to reduce operating costs on larger acquisitions.
  (More info about Fleet Management)
• API Access: Developers and agritech companies can integrate Farmonaut’s data into their own platforms.
  (Farmonaut API)
  (API Documentation)
• Large-Scale Farm Management: Efficient oversight for cooperative and group-managed lands through digitized maps and remote diagnostics.
  (Farmonaut Agro-Admin App)
• Credit & Insurance Verification: Satellite-based land verification for banks and insurers underwriting agricultural loans.
  (Read about Farmonaut’s Crop Loan & Insurance Verification)

Start Using Farmonaut Tools

Get soil, crop, and climate insights for a prospective land acquisition through the web, Android, and iOS apps:

Farmonaut Subscription and Pricing

Access all Farmonaut services at scalable subscription rates for individuals, businesses, and institutions:

Climate-Smart Practices That Protect Land Value

Land value and productive capacity move together over the long run — a parcel with degraded soil or unreliable water access will underperform the state averages above regardless of what it sold for. The practices below are what protect that value after purchase.

Practices That Preserve Long-Term Land Value

• Precision Agriculture: Satellite-based crop mapping, soil moisture sensors, and drone surveys improve yield per acre and water-use efficiency.
• Crop Rotation and Diversification: Reduces pest pressure and improves soil health metrics that appraisers and lenders increasingly reference.
• Conservation and Reduced-Till Farming: Lowers input costs and protects topsoil, a direct driver of long-term productivity and resale value.
• Water-Efficient Irrigation: Given the $83/acre cash-rent premium irrigated cropland commands nationally (per NASS 2025 data), efficient irrigation infrastructure pays for itself through both yield and rental value.
• Digital Traceability: Supports premium market access through verifiable, blockchain-backed supply chain data (see Traceability Tools).

Technology Worth Evaluating Before You Buy

• AI-Based Crop Advisory: Platforms like Farmonaut’s Jeevn AI provide real-time weather and localized crop management recommendations.
• Blockchain Land and Supply-Chain Records: Adds a transparency layer for buyers verifying supply chain claims tied to a parcel (more info).
• Satellite-Based Carbon Footprinting: Quantifies a farm’s carbon impact for access to green-market premiums (details here).
• Remote Fleet and Resource Management: Cuts labor, fuel, and maintenance costs on larger acreage holdings (discover here).

Summary

For US buyers, the 2025 NASS baseline is $4,350/acre farm real estate, $5,830/acre cropland, and $1,920/acre pastureland, up 4.3% year-over-year — with irrigated cropland commanding $244/acre in cash rent against $161/acre for non-irrigated ground. For Canadian buyers, national farmland value hit CAD $759.7 billion as of December 31, 2025, up 6.5%, with Alberta (+11.6%) and Saskatchewan (+9.9%) running well ahead of that average.

• Benchmark any specific listing against the current state or provincial table, not the national average — the gap between Rhode Island’s $22,500/acre and the US cropland average illustrates how far “average” can mislead.
• Run the cash-rent yield calculation above before assuming appreciation alone justifies the purchase price.
• Confirm water rights, title, and conservation-program enrollment before closing — these details don’t show up in any national price average.

At Farmonaut, we support land-purchase decisions with satellite-based soil, crop, and water data that complements published price benchmarks — because a fair price on paper still depends on what the land can actually produce.

Further reading:

• agricultural land investment

FAQs

• What does ag land actually cost per acre right now?
  
  NASS/USDA’s 2025 report puts the US average at $4,350/acre for farm real estate overall, $5,830/acre for cropland, and $1,920/acre for pastureland. These are averaged across all states; check the NASS state-level tables for your specific state.
• Are ag land sales volumes published anywhere?
  
  National or provincial aggregate transaction-volume data was not found in the sources reviewed for this article. NASS and Statistics Canada publish land values and cash rents, not transaction counts — for volume data, check county assessor records or state/provincial agricultural land registries directly.
• How much is 500 square meters of land worth?
  
  500 m² converts to about 0.124 acres. At the 2025 US cropland average of $5,830/acre, that’s roughly $723 if priced purely as farmland — but a parcel that small is far more likely to be zoned residential or transitional, where local county assessor records, not national farmland averages, set the price.
• How do irrigated and non-irrigated cropland rents compare?
  
  NASS’s 2025 data shows irrigated cropland cash rent averaging $244/acre versus $161/acre for non-irrigated cropland nationally — an $83/acre premium for irrigation access.
• Is Canadian farmland appreciating faster than US farmland?
  
  By the confirmed 2025 figures, yes at the national level: Canadian farmland rose 6.5% versus US farm real estate’s 4.3%. But regional variation matters more than the national comparison — Alberta (+11.6%) and Saskatchewan (+9.9%) outpaced both national averages.
• How can Farmonaut help evaluate a specific parcel?
  
  Satellite imagery, AI-driven crop and soil health analytics, traceability, carbon footprinting, and resource management tools help buyers verify a parcel’s actual productive condition, not just its listed price.
• Where can I access the Farmonaut app and APIs?
  
  Use the Web App, Android App, or iOS App. Developer and business APIs are available at this link and the developer docs.

Benchmark your next parcel against the current NASS and Statistics Canada figures, run the rent-vs-buy numbers above, and verify title, water rights, and productivity before you sign — that combination is what actually protects an ag land investment.