County · Iowa · USDA NASS 2025

Palo Alto County

cropland

$260.00/ac

IA avg $274.00

Pasture

$57.00/ac

irrigated $287.00

Soil NCCPI

0.774

IA avg 0.760

Rank · cropland

62/99

percentile 37

Δ since 2019

+5%

IA +19%

USDA's 2025 survey puts non-irrigated cropland in Palo Alto County at $260 per acre per year, with pasture at $57/acre and irrigated ground at $287/acre. The county's soils index 0.77 (NCCPI), near the Iowa county average of 0.76 — individual parcels run higher or lower, which moves real rents. Non-irrigated cropland rent here is up 5% since 2019; Palo Alto County ranks 62 of 99 Iowa counties.

All counties · 99 rows

#	County	Cropland ↓	Irrigated	Pasture	NCCPI
1	Butler	322.00	—	64.00	0.813
1	Ida	322.00	—	74.50	0.780
3	Sioux	315.00	307.00	73.00	0.743
4	Grundy	311.00	—	69.00	0.894
5	Bremer	310.00	—	76.00	0.762
6	O Brien	309.00	—	64.50	0.753
7	Sac	306.00	268.00	77.00	0.777
8	Crawford	304.00	—	67.00	0.789
9	Dubuque	301.00	—	55.00	0.700
10	Marshall	298.00	—	50.00	0.849
11	Delaware	297.00	—	63.00	0.778
12	Cherokee	296.00	—	63.00	0.724
13	Audubon	295.00	—	83.00	0.828
13	Pocahontas	295.00	232.00	57.00	0.803
15	Clayton	291.00	—	49.50	0.667
16	Benton	290.00	—	55.50	0.839
16	Cedar	290.00	—	68.50	0.848
16	Jones	290.00	—	65.50	0.763
16	Plymouth	290.00	240.00	84.00	0.704
20	Cerro Gordo	288.00	284.00	50.50	0.800
20	Wright	288.00	—	50.00	0.772
22	Buchanan	287.00	—	76.50	0.805
23	Calhoun	286.00	—	61.50	0.806
23	Franklin	286.00	—	48.00	0.806
23	Hamilton	286.00	—	62.00	0.766
23	Scott	286.00	—	58.50	0.827
27	Hancock	285.00	278.00	61.50	0.777
28	Black Hawk	282.00	—	74.00	0.778
28	Boone	282.00	—	34.50	0.752
28	Chickasaw	282.00	—	69.00	0.819
28	Hardin	282.00	—	61.50	0.797
28	Osceola	282.00	—	67.50	0.779
33	Pottawattamie	281.00	—	89.50	0.777
34	Carroll	280.00	—	75.50	0.811
34	Webster	280.00	—	66.00	0.768
36	Clinton	279.00	—	64.00	0.779
37	Iowa	278.00	—	79.50	0.770
37	Story	278.00	—	62.00	0.786
37	Woodbury	278.00	282.00	86.50	0.664
40	Winnebago	277.00	—	54.00	0.776
41	Greene	276.00	—	53.00	0.768
41	Lyon	276.00	—	69.50	0.735
43	Montgomery	274.00	—	75.50	0.826
44	Humboldt	272.00	—	52.00	0.804
44	Mills	272.00	—	71.00	0.789
46	Buena Vista	270.00	—	60.50	0.776
46	Clay	270.00	—	50.50	0.748
46	Linn	270.00	—	67.50	0.778
46	Mitchell	270.00	—	62.50	0.816
46	Shelby	270.00	—	70.00	0.802
46	Tama	270.00	—	80.00	0.803
52	Fayette	269.00	—	50.00	0.774
53	Dickinson	268.00	—	57.00	0.775
53	Winneshiek	268.00	—	51.00	0.725
55	Jasper	267.00	—	49.00	0.811
55	Kossuth	267.00	—	48.50	0.788
55	Polk	267.00	—	62.00	0.784
58	Emmet	265.00	—	50.50	0.777
59	Howard	264.00	—	70.00	0.821
59	Muscatine	264.00	255.00	36.50	0.776
59	Washington	264.00	—	72.00	0.787
62	Dallas	260.00	—	56.50	0.764
62	Floyd	260.00	282.00	75.00	0.809
62	Henry	260.00	—	60.50	0.768
62	Monona	260.00	276.00	67.00	0.620
62	Palo Alto	260.00	287.00	57.00	0.774
62	Poweshiek	260.00	—	54.50	0.820
68	Johnson	259.00	—	76.50	0.775
69	Jackson	256.00	—	56.50	0.638
69	Jefferson	256.00	—	68.50	0.748
71	Worth	255.00	—	52.00	0.793
72	Harrison	249.00	264.00	62.00	0.690
73	Allamakee	247.00	—	45.50	0.586
74	Keokuk	246.00	—	50.00	0.769
75	Page	243.00	—	80.00	0.831
76	Mahaska	242.00	—	66.50	0.794
76	Wapello	242.00	—	57.00	0.720
78	Cass	241.00	—	74.50	0.801
78	Guthrie	241.00	—	69.50	0.756
80	Des Moines	240.00	251.00	74.00	0.782
80	Taylor	240.00	—	69.50	0.781
82	Union	237.00	—	73.50	0.789
83	Lee	232.00	—	72.00	0.694
83	Louisa	232.00	238.00	31.00	0.748
85	Adams	220.00	—	69.50	0.671
85	Madison	220.00	—	55.50	0.732
87	Adair	219.00	—	72.50	0.792
88	Fremont	216.00	221.00	61.00	0.787
89	Marion	214.00	—	47.50	0.742
90	Warren	213.00	—	53.50	0.720
91	Davis	212.00	—	65.00	0.676
92	Wayne	200.00	—	58.50	0.683
93	Van Buren	197.00	—	46.50	0.687
94	Ringgold	193.00	—	79.50	0.715
95	Monroe	183.00	—	71.50	0.669
96	Decatur	177.00	—	63.00	0.670
97	Lucas	176.00	—	64.00	0.672
98	Appanoose	161.00	—	68.00	0.679
99	Clarke	153.00	—	50.00	0.706

A county average is the starting point, not your number. FieldLease adjusts it for your parcel — measured soil, tillable acres, flood exposure — and checks it against what you’re paid.

Check a parcel in Palo Alto

Source: USDA NASS cash rents survey, county estimates, latest published year per series. Soil productivity from USDA SSURGO (NCCPI). Planning-grade market data — not an appraisal, legal, or financial advice. Free · instant · nobody calls you.