Counties in Illinois by land in farms

McLean County had the highest land in farms of 102 counties in 2012, at 692,291 acres. DuPage County had the lowest, at 7,252 acres. The median was 254,065 acres and the figure for Illinois was 26,937,721 acres. Source: the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest692,291McLean County
Lowest7,252DuPage County
Median254,065102 counties
Illinois26,937,721History

Map of counties, 2012

Adams County: 388,747 acresAlexander County: 62,425 acresBond County: 198,339 acresBoone County: 134,759 acresBrown County: 137,523 acresBureau County: 450,132 acresCalhoun County: 87,750 acresCarroll County: 256,132 acresCass County: 182,688 acresChampaign County: 616,493 acresChristian County: 373,631 acresClark County: 266,804 acresClay County: 270,319 acresClinton County: 285,489 acresColes County: 266,773 acresCook County: 8,499 acresCrawford County: 214,995 acresCumberland County: 170,149 acresDeKalb County: 397,771 acresDe Witt County: 195,512 acresDouglas County: 262,839 acresDuPage County: 7,252 acresEdgar County: 351,684 acresEdwards County: 106,737 acresEffingham County: 287,023 acresFayette County: 303,140 acresFord County: 308,181 acresFranklin County: 181,349 acresFulton County: 355,010 acresGallatin County: 186,250 acresGreene County: 290,124 acresGrundy County: 217,016 acresHamilton County: 223,319 acresHancock County: 386,262 acresHardin County: 33,205 acresHenderson County: 171,574 acresHenry County: 479,294 acresIroquois County: 669,280 acresJackson County: 214,197 acresJasper County: 250,766 acresJefferson County: 213,901 acresJersey County: 155,483 acresJo Daviess County: 271,793 acresJohnson County: 89,715 acresKane County: 168,541 acresKankakee County: 342,637 acresKendall County: 129,741 acresKnox County: 347,597 acresLake County: 30,039 acresLaSalle County: 602,279 acresLawrence County: 184,111 acresLee County: 369,047 acresLivingston County: 656,275 acresLogan County: 363,272 acresMcDonough County: 292,044 acresMcHenry County: 234,211 acresMcLean County: 692,291 acresMacon County: 336,576 acresMacoupin County: 438,592 acresMadison County: 307,135 acresMarion County: 266,828 acresMarshall County: 209,094 acresMason County: 289,841 acresMassac County: 102,249 acresMenard County: 157,755 acresMercer County: 251,998 acresMonroe County: 193,201 acresMontgomery County: 382,388 acresMorgan County: 309,158 acresMoultrie County: 204,987 acresOgle County: 376,422 acresPeoria County: 250,263 acresPerry County: 180,635 acresPiatt County: 259,048 acresPike County: 411,446 acresPope County: 77,997 acresPulaski County: 82,158 acresPutnam County: 60,135 acresRandolph County: 278,596 acresRichland County: 188,883 acresRock Island County: 149,186 acresSt. Clair County: 251,931 acresSaline County: 139,854 acresSangamon County: 514,043 acresSchuyler County: 182,093 acresScott County: 147,532 acresShelby County: 405,783 acresStark County: 168,127 acresStephenson County: 352,481 acresTazewell County: 337,376 acresUnion County: 121,173 acresVermilion County: 434,406 acresWabash County: 106,424 acresWarren County: 338,411 acresWashington County: 354,899 acresWayne County: 368,518 acresWhite County: 310,890 acresWhiteside County: 403,242 acresWill County: 234,249 acresWilliamson County: 103,421 acresWinnebago County: 182,905 acresWoodford County: 322,983 acres
  • Under 140K
  • 140K to 190K
  • 190K to 250K
  • 250K to 310K
  • 310K to 380K
  • 380K and over
acres, 2012. Source: USDA NASS, Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022) via Data Commons. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2012

McLean County: 692,291 acresMcLean County692,291Iroquois County: 669,280 acresIroquois County669,280Livingston County: 656,275 acresLivingston County656,275Champaign County: 616,493 acresChampaign County616,493LaSalle County: 602,279 acresLaSalle County602,279Sangamon County: 514,043 acresSangamon County514,043Henry County: 479,294 acresHenry County479,294Bureau County: 450,132 acresBureau County450,132Macoupin County: 438,592 acresMacoupin County438,592Vermilion County: 434,406 acresVermilion County434,406Pike County: 411,446 acresPike County411,446Shelby County: 405,783 acresShelby County405,783Whiteside County: 403,242 acresWhiteside County403,242DeKalb County: 397,771 acresDeKalb County397,771Adams County: 388,747 acresAdams County388,747Hancock County: 386,262 acresHancock County386,262Montgomery County: 382,388 acresMontgomery County382,388Ogle County: 376,422 acresOgle County376,422Christian County: 373,631 acresChristian County373,631Lee County: 369,047 acresLee County369,047Wayne County: 368,518 acresWayne County368,518Logan County: 363,272 acresLogan County363,272Fulton County: 355,010 acresFulton County355,010Washington County: 354,899 acresWashington County354,899Stephenson County: 352,481 acresStephenson County352,481Edgar County: 351,684 acresEdgar County351,684Knox County: 347,597 acresKnox County347,597Kankakee County: 342,637 acresKankakee County342,637Warren County: 338,411 acresWarren County338,411Tazewell County: 337,376 acresTazewell County337,376Macon County: 336,576 acresMacon County336,576Woodford County: 322,983 acresWoodford County322,983White County: 310,890 acresWhite County310,890Morgan County: 309,158 acresMorgan County309,158Ford County: 308,181 acresFord County308,181Madison County: 307,135 acresMadison County307,135Fayette County: 303,140 acresFayette County303,140McDonough County: 292,044 acresMcDonough County292,044Greene County: 290,124 acresGreene County290,124Mason County: 289,841 acresMason County289,841McLean County: 692,291 acresMcLean County692,291Iroquois County: 669,280 acresIroquois County669,280Livingston County: 656,275 acresLivingston County656,275Champaign County: 616,493 acresChampaign County616,493LaSalle County: 602,279 acresLaSalle County602,279Sangamon County: 514,043 acresSangamon County514,043Henry County: 479,294 acresHenry County479,294Bureau County: 450,132 acresBureau County450,132Macoupin County: 438,592 acresMacoupin County438,592Vermilion County: 434,406 acresVermilion County434,406Pike County: 411,446 acresPike County411,446Shelby County: 405,783 acresShelby County405,783Whiteside County: 403,242 acresWhiteside County403,242DeKalb County: 397,771 acresDeKalb County397,771Adams County: 388,747 acresAdams County388,747Hancock County: 386,262 acresHancock County386,262Montgomery County: 382,388 acresMontgomery County382,388Ogle County: 376,422 acresOgle County376,422Christian County: 373,631 acresChristian County373,631Lee County: 369,047 acresLee County369,047Wayne County: 368,518 acresWayne County368,518Logan County: 363,272 acresLogan County363,272Fulton County: 355,010 acresFulton County355,010Washington County: 354,899 acresWashington County354,899Stephenson County: 352,481 acresStephenson County352,481Edgar County: 351,684 acresEdgar County351,684Knox County: 347,597 acresKnox County347,597Kankakee County: 342,637 acresKankakee County342,637Warren County: 338,411 acresWarren County338,411Tazewell County: 337,376 acresTazewell County337,376Macon County: 336,576 acresMacon County336,576Woodford County: 322,983 acresWoodford County322,983White County: 310,890 acresWhite County310,890Morgan County: 309,158 acresMorgan County309,158Ford County: 308,181 acresFord County308,181Madison County: 307,135 acresMadison County307,135Fayette County: 303,140 acresFayette County303,140McDonough County: 292,044 acresMcDonough County292,044Greene County: 290,124 acresGreene County290,124Mason County: 289,841 acresMason County289,841
acres. Source: USDA NASS, Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022) via Data Commons. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2012
acres
1McLean County692,291
2Iroquois County669,280
3Livingston County656,275
4Champaign County616,493
5LaSalle County602,279
6Sangamon County514,043
7Henry County479,294
8Bureau County450,132
9Macoupin County438,592
10Vermilion County434,406
11Pike County411,446
12Shelby County405,783
13Whiteside County403,242
14DeKalb County397,771
15Adams County388,747
16Hancock County386,262
17Montgomery County382,388
18Ogle County376,422
19Christian County373,631
20Lee County369,047
21Wayne County368,518
22Logan County363,272
23Fulton County355,010
24Washington County354,899
25Stephenson County352,481
26Edgar County351,684
27Knox County347,597
28Kankakee County342,637
29Warren County338,411
30Tazewell County337,376
31Macon County336,576
32Woodford County322,983
33White County310,890
34Morgan County309,158
35Ford County308,181
36Madison County307,135
37Fayette County303,140
38McDonough County292,044
39Greene County290,124
40Mason County289,841
41Effingham County287,023
42Clinton County285,489
43Randolph County278,596
44Jo Daviess County271,793
45Clay County270,319
46Marion County266,828
47Clark County266,804
48Coles County266,773
49Douglas County262,839
50Piatt County259,048
51Carroll County256,132
52Mercer County251,998
53St. Clair County251,931
54Jasper County250,766
55Peoria County250,263
56Will County234,249
57McHenry County234,211
58Hamilton County223,319
59Grundy County217,016
60Crawford County214,995
61Jackson County214,197
62Jefferson County213,901
63Marshall County209,094
64Moultrie County204,987
65Bond County198,339
66De Witt County195,512
67Monroe County193,201
68Richland County188,883
69Gallatin County186,250
70Lawrence County184,111
71Winnebago County182,905
72Cass County182,688
73Schuyler County182,093
74Franklin County181,349
75Perry County180,635
76Henderson County171,574
77Cumberland County170,149
78Kane County168,541
79Stark County168,127
80Menard County157,755
81Jersey County155,483
82Rock Island County149,186
83Scott County147,532
84Saline County139,854
85Brown County137,523
86Boone County134,759
87Kendall County129,741
88Union County121,173
89Edwards County106,737
90Wabash County106,424
91Williamson County103,421
92Massac County102,249
93Johnson County89,715
94Calhoun County87,750
95Pulaski County82,158
96Pope County77,997
97Alexander County62,425
98Putnam County60,135
99Hardin County33,205
100Lake County30,039
101Cook County8,499
102DuPage County7,252

Other periods

About this ranking

Land operated by farms in the census year, in acres, including cropland, pasture, woodland and land under farm buildings, as counted by the USDA Census of Agriculture every five years.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved through Data Commons (datacommons.org). https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. (2026). Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022) (Counties in Illinois by land in farms, 2012) [Data set]. Data Commons. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/

MLA 9

Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022), Counties in Illinois by land in farms, 2012. U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, 11 Oct. 2026, https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Data Commons, https://datacommons.org. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/illinois-counties?period=2012. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2026. Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Counties in Illinois by land in farms, 2012. Dataset. Distributed by Data Commons. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/illinois-counties?period=2012.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (2026) Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022), Counties in Illinois by land in farms, 2012 [Dataset]. Via Data Commons. Available at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/illinois-counties?period=2012 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_illinois_by_2012,
  author = {{U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service}},
  title = {{Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022): Counties in Illinois by land in farms, 2012}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  publisher = {Data Commons},
  url = {https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/},
  urldate = {2026-10-11},
  note = {Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org). Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/illinois-counties?period=2012. Publisher attribution: Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved through Data Commons (datacommons.org). https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service
TI  - Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022): Counties in Illinois by land in farms, 2012
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/11
PB  - Data Commons
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/illinois-counties?period=2012
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org).
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/illinois-counties?period=2012.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved through Data Commons (datacommons.org). https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in Illinois by land in farms using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest land in farms?

McLean County, with 692,291 acres in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Which county has the lowest land in farms?

DuPage County, with 7,252 acres in 2012.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Land in farms: other rankings

Counties in Illinois: more rankings