Average Farm Size in Acres

Source:  Census of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Census Bureau
Units: Acres per farm
Additional data: Download historical data series (1890-2012) in Excel
FIPS County 1950 1982 2002 2007 2012
19000 State of Iowa 169 283 350 331 345
19001 Adair 177 334 443 407 446
19003 Adams 176 345 419 369 491
19005 Allamakee 188 310 301 266 286
19007 Appanoose 168 263 289 271 252
19009 Audubon 164 314 409 419 451
19011 Benton 180 279 338 320 347
19013 Black Hawk 143 228 293 300 321
19015 Boone 147 289 378 359 334
19017 Bremer 133 195 267 244 276
19019 Buchanan 154 239 319 307 318
19021 Buena Vista 173 305 414 392 421
19023 Butler 156 229 305 310 331
19025 Calhoun 174 302 447 425 434
19027 Carroll 172 260 348 366 337
19029 Cass 168 318 441 417 412
19031 Cedar 165 264 349 325 327
19033 Cerro Gordo 174 313 407 399 419
19035 Cherokee 199 281 401 375 419
19037 Chickasaw 158 245 285 279 289
19039 Clarke 188 309 298 276 269
19041 Clay 194 333 451 411 443
19043 Clayton 165 259 270 247 252
19045 Clinton 160 254 318 301 335
19047 Crawford 186 282 481 506 501
19049 Dallas 155 286 330 326 306
19051 Davis 179 292 289 240 233
19053 Decatur 184 391 353 310 326
19055 Delaware 160 238 276 227 265
19057 Des Moines 151 276 269 286 260
19059 Dickinson 189 349 413 400 425
19061 Dubuque 167 198 213 210 199
19063 Emmet 193 344 462 470 461
19065 Fayette 152 266 309 298 302
19067 Floyd 164 275 325 301 337
19069 Franklin 168 314 409 397 417
19071 Fremont 203 398 582 494 539
19073 Greene 174 341 477 431 458
19075 Grundy 176 282 448 395 432
19077 Guthrie 168 295 366 360 395
19079 Hamilton 170 309 437 393 430
19081 Hancock 177 299 390 380 397
19083 Hardin 162 295 395 359 406
19085 Harrison 184 343 517 447 481
19087 Henry 147 249 293 272 299
19089 Howard 170 264 302 318 340
19091 Humboldt 186 325 447 428 409
19093 Ida 188 297 430 431 477
19095 Iowa 181 314 332 302 330
19097 Jackson 181 244 261 244 246
19099 Jasper 160 282 339 367 340
19101 Jefferson 152 277 289 255 289
19103 Johnson 155 218 239 248 245
19105 Jones 172 257 304 290 296
19107 Keokuk 154 294 315 274 301
19109 Kossuth 195 324 442 431 444
19111 Lee 159 252 286 270 257
19113 Linn 124 204 241 237 242
19115 Louisa 189 299 334 265 275
19117 Lucas 174 285 298 245 274
19119 Lyon 190 257 327 297 325
19121 Madison 173 272 307 296 287
19123 Mahaska 143 266 315 286 319
19125 Marion 154 238 263 259 259
19127 Marshall 160 281 395 349 354
19129 Mills 197 372 535 385 413
19131 Mitchell 169 270 349 329 328
19133 Monona 216 406 628 606 629
19135 Monroe 180 292 354 305 330
19137 Montgomery 174 330 416 395 491
19139 Muscatine 154 237 282 265 274
19141 O'Brien 182 271 365 350 344
19143 Osceola 193 295 404 379 429
19145 Page 170 315 388 344 429
19147 Palo Alto 190 340 417 416 410
19149 Plymouth 191 276 397 359 407
19151 Pocahontas 179 323 485 450 448
19153 Polk 115 223 297 338 256
19155 Pottawattamie 166 304 431 420 449
19157 Poweshiek 175 309 373 334 393
19159 Ringgold 201 405 395 361 414
19161 Sac 184 313 429 453 391
19163 Scott 128 218 305 289 291
19165 Shelby 176 271 401 411 428
19167 Sioux 161 224 302 288 299
19169 Story 159 271 368 327 317
19171 Tama 172 278 361 356 356
19173 Taylor 164 328 388 363 436
19175 Union 180 305 341 315 331
19177 Van Buren 173 307 291 274 283
19179 Wapello 140 232 244 223 255
19181 Warren 155 230 224 203 198
19183 Washington 158 273 279 259 276
19185 Wayne 191 352 387 336 396
19187 Webster 172 309 447 412 422
19189 Winnebago 154 291 381 370 367
19191 Winneshiek 157 232 253 221 245
19193 Woodbury 181 303 385 388 458
19195 Worth 164 294 381 339 367
19197 Wright 183 357 459 425 464

Notes:

  • A farm is defined as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year.  Beginning in 1997, operations receiving $1,000 or more in Federal government payments were counted as farms, even if they had no sales reported in the census year.
  • The Census of Agriculture has been conducted every five years since 1982 and at varying intervals from 1925 to 1982.  Until 1920, the agriculture census was conducted as part of the regular decennial census. 
  • The 2002 Census of Agriculture introduced a procedural change in the method for counting farms.  As a result, data for 2002 and beyond are not directly comparable with data collected in earlier census years.
  • Due to significant changes in methodologies and definitions used in conducting the Census of Agriculture, all changes in farm numbers over time should be interpreted with caution.
  • Last USDA update:  May 2014