Illinois → Whiteside
Whiteside County, Illinois
Pasture here rented for $69.50 an acre in 2026, $19.50 above the Illinois median of $50. That's the 86th percentile among the 43 Illinois counties reporting that year, and the 96th percentile nationally.
Put that in lease terms. On a quarter-section — 160 acres — the gap between this county and the state median is $3,120 a year. Differences that look like pocket change per acre stop looking that way at scale.
Across Illinois's counties, the middle half of county averages in 2026 runs $39.75 to $61.50 an acre. Individual leases spread wider than county averages do — grass, water, fencing, and term length all move the number — but an offer far outside this band should come with a reason the other side can name out loud.
Since 2010, this county's rate has risen 23 percent: $56.50 then, $69.50 in 2026. A lease that hasn't been revisited over that stretch has been repricing itself by default — just not on paper.
The counties next door
The comparison that actually gets made at the kitchen table isn't the state median — it's what the neighbors get. This year, rates just across the county line run $50 to $78.50 an acre. Every bordering county NASS tracks, at its most recent published rate:
| County | $/acre |
|---|---|
| Carroll | $78.50 |
| Clinton, Iowa | $67 |
| Ogle | $62.50 |
| Rock Island | $53 |
| Henry | $51.50 |
| Lee | $50 |
| Bureau | $35.50 (2025) |
Every year on record
| Year | $/acre |
|---|---|
| 2010 | $56.50 |
| 2011 | $48 |
| 2013 | $56.50 |
| 2016 | $56.50 |
| 2017 | $56 |
| 2019 | $57 |
| 2020 | $64 |
| 2021 | $67 |
| 2022 | $49.50 |
| 2023 | $22 |
| 2025 | $59.50 |
| 2026 | $69.50 |
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