Montana → Flathead
Flathead County, Montana
Pasture here rented for $16 an acre in 2026, $6.20 above the Montana median of $9.80. That's the 93rd percentile among the 48 Montana counties reporting that year, and the 28th percentile nationally.
Put that in lease terms. On a quarter-section — 160 acres — the gap between this county and the state median is $992.00 a year. Differences that look like pocket change per acre stop looking that way at scale.
Across Montana's counties, the middle half of county averages in 2026 runs $8 to $12 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 90 percent: $8.40 then, $16 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 $4.70 to $22 an acre. Every bordering county NASS tracks, at its most recent published rate:
| County | $/acre |
|---|---|
| Lake | $22 |
| Pondera | $16.50 |
| Teton | $11.50 |
| Missoula | $8.70 |
| Powell | $8.70 |
| Glacier | $8 |
| Lewis And Clark | $6.20 (2025) |
| Sanders | $4.70 |
| Lincoln | $3.70 (2010) |
Every year on record
| Year | $/acre |
|---|---|
| 2009 | $8.40 |
| 2010 | $3.30 |
| 2012 | $9 |
| 2013 | $8.50 |
| 2020 | $20 |
| 2021 | $20.50 |
| 2022 | $25.50 |
| 2025 | $11 |
| 2026 | $16 |
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