Missouri → Iron
Iron County, Missouri
Pasture here rented for $22 an acre in 2026, $17.75 below the Missouri median of $39.75. That's the 9th percentile among the 104 Missouri counties reporting that year, and the 44th percentile nationally.
Put that in lease terms. On a quarter-section — 160 acres — the gap between this county and the state median is $2,840 a year. Differences that look like pocket change per acre stop looking that way at scale.
Across Missouri's counties, the middle half of county averages in 2026 runs $31 to $46.50 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 2009, this county's rate has risen 69 percent: $13 then, $22 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 $13 to $31 an acre. Every bordering county NASS tracks, at its most recent published rate:
| County | $/acre |
|---|---|
| Washington | $31 |
| Madison | $26.50 |
| Wayne | $25 |
| Dent | $25 |
| St Francois | $21.50 |
| Crawford | $18 |
| Reynolds | $13 |
Every year on record
| Year | $/acre |
|---|---|
| 2009 | $13 |
| 2010 | $14.50 |
| 2011 | $17 |
| 2012 | $17 |
| 2013 | $18.50 |
| 2014 | $19 |
| 2016 | $25 |
| 2017 | $20 |
| 2019 | $27 |
| 2020 | $20 |
| 2021 | $18.50 |
| 2022 | $16 |
| 2023 | $13.50 |
| 2024 | $16.50 |
| 2025 | $43.50 |
| 2026 | $22 |
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