New York → Herkimer
Herkimer County, New York
Pasture here rented for $40 an acre in 2026, $17.75 above the New York median of $22.25. That's the 91st percentile among the 16 New York counties reporting that year, and the 75th 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 New York's counties, the middle half of county averages in 2026 runs $17.75 to $35.25 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 142 percent: $16.50 then, $40 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 $13.50 to $127 an acre. Every bordering county NASS tracks, at its most recent published rate:
| County | $/acre |
|---|---|
| Fulton | $127 |
| Lewis | $36 |
| Otsego | $21.50 |
| Montgomery | $18.50 |
| St Lawrence | $17 (2023) |
| Oneida | $13.50 |
Every year on record
| Year | $/acre |
|---|---|
| 2010 | $16.50 |
| 2011 | $13 |
| 2012 | $19 |
| 2014 | $20 |
| 2016 | $23 |
| 2017 | $27.50 |
| 2019 | $22 |
| 2020 | $20.50 |
| 2021 | $25.50 |
| 2022 | $27.50 |
| 2023 | $12 |
| 2026 | $40 |
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