Counties in Iowa by land in farms

Kossuth County had the highest land in farms of 99 counties in 1997, at 601,406 acres. Des Moines County had the lowest, at 199,778 acres. The median was 332,196 acres and the figure for Iowa was 32,313,119 acres. Source: the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest601,406Kossuth County
Lowest199,778Des Moines County
Median332,19699 counties
Iowa32,313,119History

Map of counties, 1997

Adair County: 351,218 acresAdams County: 243,735 acresAllamakee County: 308,083 acresAppanoose County: 254,160 acresAudubon County: 281,826 acresBenton County: 435,037 acresBlack Hawk County: 292,620 acresBoone County: 342,552 acresBremer County: 246,107 acresBuchanan County: 347,257 acresBuena Vista County: 366,225 acresButler County: 334,766 acresCalhoun County: 345,828 acresCarroll County: 361,668 acresCass County: 343,530 acresCedar County: 337,077 acresCerro Gordo County: 313,140 acresCherokee County: 340,606 acresChickasaw County: 281,157 acresClarke County: 233,349 acresClay County: 294,529 acresClayton County: 464,582 acresClinton County: 381,666 acresCrawford County: 443,675 acresDallas County: 337,424 acresDavis County: 279,239 acresDecatur County: 276,770 acresDelaware County: 328,742 acresDes Moines County: 199,778 acresDickinson County: 210,180 acresDubuque County: 344,383 acresEmmet County: 229,501 acresFayette County: 416,104 acresFloyd County: 310,225 acresFranklin County: 354,426 acresFremont County: 335,831 acresGreene County: 354,797 acresGrundy County: 330,840 acresGuthrie County: 313,984 acresHamilton County: 359,977 acresHancock County: 347,522 acresHardin County: 349,851 acresHarrison County: 412,233 acresHenry County: 252,341 acresHoward County: 277,767 acresHumboldt County: 266,824 acresIda County: 263,170 acresIowa County: 342,196 acresJackson County: 346,548 acresJasper County: 430,023 acresJefferson County: 239,397 acresJohnson County: 299,120 acresJones County: 334,789 acresKeokuk County: 332,196 acresKossuth County: 601,406 acresLee County: 264,570 acresLinn County: 353,635 acresLouisa County: 208,106 acresLucas County: 239,541 acresLyon County: 356,082 acresMadison County: 331,350 acresMahaska County: 334,487 acresMarion County: 296,865 acresMarshall County: 332,537 acresMills County: 246,088 acresMitchell County: 272,196 acresMonona County: 387,034 acresMonroe County: 227,945 acresMontgomery County: 252,574 acresMuscatine County: 229,442 acresO'Brien County: 367,936 acresOsceola County: 248,558 acresPage County: 321,652 acresPalo Alto County: 338,921 acresPlymouth County: 529,330 acresPocahontas County: 370,293 acresPolk County: 239,580 acresPottawattamie County: 561,611 acresPoweshiek County: 348,151 acresRinggold County: 275,118 acresSac County: 354,694 acresScott County: 231,376 acresShelby County: 351,506 acresSioux County: 503,966 acresStory County: 353,532 acresTama County: 415,288 acresTaylor County: 304,710 acresUnion County: 236,211 acresVan Buren County: 269,100 acresWapello County: 218,196 acresWarren County: 315,263 acresWashington County: 319,575 acresWayne County: 298,435 acresWebster County: 429,724 acresWinnebago County: 252,348 acresWinneshiek County: 373,930 acresWoodbury County: 526,671 acresWorth County: 236,904 acresWright County: 366,111 acres
  • Under 250K
  • 250K to 290K
  • 290K to 330K
  • 330K to 350K
  • 350K to 370K
  • 370K and over
acres, 1997. 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, 1997

Kossuth County: 601,406 acresKossuth County601,406Pottawattamie County: 561,611 acresPottawattamie County561,611Plymouth County: 529,330 acresPlymouth County529,330Woodbury County: 526,671 acresWoodbury County526,671Sioux County: 503,966 acresSioux County503,966Clayton County: 464,582 acresClayton County464,582Crawford County: 443,675 acresCrawford County443,675Benton County: 435,037 acresBenton County435,037Jasper County: 430,023 acresJasper County430,023Webster County: 429,724 acresWebster County429,724Fayette County: 416,104 acresFayette County416,104Tama County: 415,288 acresTama County415,288Harrison County: 412,233 acresHarrison County412,233Monona County: 387,034 acresMonona County387,034Clinton County: 381,666 acresClinton County381,666Winneshiek County: 373,930 acresWinneshiek County373,930Pocahontas County: 370,293 acresPocahontas County370,293O'Brien County: 367,936 acresO'Brien County367,936Buena Vista County: 366,225 acresBuena Vista County366,225Wright County: 366,111 acresWright County366,111Carroll County: 361,668 acresCarroll County361,668Hamilton County: 359,977 acresHamilton County359,977Lyon County: 356,082 acresLyon County356,082Greene County: 354,797 acresGreene County354,797Sac County: 354,694 acresSac County354,694Franklin County: 354,426 acresFranklin County354,426Linn County: 353,635 acresLinn County353,635Story County: 353,532 acresStory County353,532Shelby County: 351,506 acresShelby County351,506Adair County: 351,218 acresAdair County351,218Hardin County: 349,851 acresHardin County349,851Poweshiek County: 348,151 acresPoweshiek County348,151Hancock County: 347,522 acresHancock County347,522Buchanan County: 347,257 acresBuchanan County347,257Jackson County: 346,548 acresJackson County346,548Calhoun County: 345,828 acresCalhoun County345,828Dubuque County: 344,383 acresDubuque County344,383Cass County: 343,530 acresCass County343,530Boone County: 342,552 acresBoone County342,552Iowa County: 342,196 acresIowa County342,196Kossuth County: 601,406 acresKossuth County601,406Pottawattamie County: 561,611 acresPottawattamie County561,611Plymouth County: 529,330 acresPlymouth County529,330Woodbury County: 526,671 acresWoodbury County526,671Sioux County: 503,966 acresSioux County503,966Clayton County: 464,582 acresClayton County464,582Crawford County: 443,675 acresCrawford County443,675Benton County: 435,037 acresBenton County435,037Jasper County: 430,023 acresJasper County430,023Webster County: 429,724 acresWebster County429,724Fayette County: 416,104 acresFayette County416,104Tama County: 415,288 acresTama County415,288Harrison County: 412,233 acresHarrison County412,233Monona County: 387,034 acresMonona County387,034Clinton County: 381,666 acresClinton County381,666Winneshiek County: 373,930 acresWinneshiek County373,930Pocahontas County: 370,293 acresPocahontas County370,293O'Brien County: 367,936 acresO'Brien County367,936Buena Vista County: 366,225 acresBuena Vista County366,225Wright County: 366,111 acresWright County366,111Carroll County: 361,668 acresCarroll County361,668Hamilton County: 359,977 acresHamilton County359,977Lyon County: 356,082 acresLyon County356,082Greene County: 354,797 acresGreene County354,797Sac County: 354,694 acresSac County354,694Franklin County: 354,426 acresFranklin County354,426Linn County: 353,635 acresLinn County353,635Story County: 353,532 acresStory County353,532Shelby County: 351,506 acresShelby County351,506Adair County: 351,218 acresAdair County351,218Hardin County: 349,851 acresHardin County349,851Poweshiek County: 348,151 acresPoweshiek County348,151Hancock County: 347,522 acresHancock County347,522Buchanan County: 347,257 acresBuchanan County347,257Jackson County: 346,548 acresJackson County346,548Calhoun County: 345,828 acresCalhoun County345,828Dubuque County: 344,383 acresDubuque County344,383Cass County: 343,530 acresCass County343,530Boone County: 342,552 acresBoone County342,552Iowa County: 342,196 acresIowa County342,196
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

RankCounties1997
acres
1Kossuth County601,406
2Pottawattamie County561,611
3Plymouth County529,330
4Woodbury County526,671
5Sioux County503,966
6Clayton County464,582
7Crawford County443,675
8Benton County435,037
9Jasper County430,023
10Webster County429,724
11Fayette County416,104
12Tama County415,288
13Harrison County412,233
14Monona County387,034
15Clinton County381,666
16Winneshiek County373,930
17Pocahontas County370,293
18O'Brien County367,936
19Buena Vista County366,225
20Wright County366,111
21Carroll County361,668
22Hamilton County359,977
23Lyon County356,082
24Greene County354,797
25Sac County354,694
26Franklin County354,426
27Linn County353,635
28Story County353,532
29Shelby County351,506
30Adair County351,218
31Hardin County349,851
32Poweshiek County348,151
33Hancock County347,522
34Buchanan County347,257
35Jackson County346,548
36Calhoun County345,828
37Dubuque County344,383
38Cass County343,530
39Boone County342,552
40Iowa County342,196
41Cherokee County340,606
42Palo Alto County338,921
43Dallas County337,424
44Cedar County337,077
45Fremont County335,831
46Jones County334,789
47Butler County334,766
48Mahaska County334,487
49Marshall County332,537
50Keokuk County332,196
51Madison County331,350
52Grundy County330,840
53Delaware County328,742
54Page County321,652
55Washington County319,575
56Warren County315,263
57Guthrie County313,984
58Cerro Gordo County313,140
59Floyd County310,225
60Allamakee County308,083
61Taylor County304,710
62Johnson County299,120
63Wayne County298,435
64Marion County296,865
65Clay County294,529
66Black Hawk County292,620
67Audubon County281,826
68Chickasaw County281,157
69Davis County279,239
70Howard County277,767
71Decatur County276,770
72Ringgold County275,118
73Mitchell County272,196
74Van Buren County269,100
75Humboldt County266,824
76Lee County264,570
77Ida County263,170
78Appanoose County254,160
79Montgomery County252,574
80Winnebago County252,348
81Henry County252,341
82Osceola County248,558
83Bremer County246,107
84Mills County246,088
85Adams County243,735
86Polk County239,580
87Lucas County239,541
88Jefferson County239,397
89Worth County236,904
90Union County236,211
91Clarke County233,349
92Scott County231,376
93Emmet County229,501
94Muscatine County229,442
95Monroe County227,945
96Wapello County218,196
97Dickinson County210,180
98Louisa County208,106
99Des Moines County199,778

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 Iowa by land in farms, 1997) [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 Iowa by land in farms, 1997. 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/iowa-counties?period=1997. 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 Iowa by land in farms, 1997. 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/iowa-counties?period=1997.

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 Iowa by land in farms, 1997 [Dataset]. Via Data Commons. Available at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/iowa-counties?period=1997 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_iowa_by_1997,
  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 Iowa by land in farms, 1997}},
  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/iowa-counties?period=1997. 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 Iowa by land in farms, 1997
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/iowa-counties?period=1997
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org).
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/iowa-counties?period=1997.
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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Questions

Which county has the highest land in farms?

Kossuth County, with 601,406 acres in 1997, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Which county has the lowest land in farms?

Des Moines County, with 199,778 acres in 1997.

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 Iowa: more rankings