Counties in Iowa by land in farms

Kossuth County had the highest land in farms of 99 counties in 2002, at 591,814 acres. Des Moines County had the lowest, at 181,197 acres. The median was 323,738 acres and the figure for Iowa was 31,729,490 acres. Source: the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest591,814Kossuth County
Lowest181,197Des Moines County
Median323,73899 counties
Iowa31,729,490History

Map of counties, 2002

Adair County: 373,216 acresAdams County: 237,824 acresAllamakee County: 326,122 acresAppanoose County: 235,638 acresAudubon County: 261,210 acresBenton County: 400,654 acresBlack Hawk County: 275,014 acresBoone County: 312,708 acresBremer County: 254,923 acresBuchanan County: 340,422 acresBuena Vista County: 341,677 acresButler County: 327,708 acresCalhoun County: 340,739 acresCarroll County: 364,175 acresCass County: 336,625 acresCedar County: 338,493 acresCerro Gordo County: 323,420 acresCherokee County: 335,410 acresChickasaw County: 271,098 acresClarke County: 216,187 acresClay County: 311,695 acresClayton County: 432,724 acresClinton County: 387,596 acresCrawford County: 445,913 acresDallas County: 309,157 acresDavis County: 290,887 acresDecatur County: 277,928 acresDelaware County: 345,238 acresDes Moines County: 181,197 acresDickinson County: 203,174 acresDubuque County: 315,895 acresEmmet County: 235,407 acresFayette County: 414,853 acresFloyd County: 291,282 acresFranklin County: 337,336 acresFremont County: 318,306 acresGreene County: 347,078 acresGrundy County: 324,139 acresGuthrie County: 323,738 acresHamilton County: 348,216 acresHancock County: 322,322 acresHardin County: 327,725 acresHarrison County: 428,235 acresHenry County: 251,257 acresHoward County: 269,400 acresHumboldt County: 270,868 acresIda County: 265,986 acresIowa County: 340,163 acresJackson County: 348,814 acresJasper County: 410,347 acresJefferson County: 233,238 acresJohnson County: 300,882 acresJones County: 311,640 acresKeokuk County: 343,858 acresKossuth County: 591,814 acresLee County: 270,342 acresLinn County: 348,782 acresLouisa County: 200,954 acresLucas County: 222,234 acresLyon County: 341,534 acresMadison County: 304,333 acresMahaska County: 328,579 acresMarion County: 276,782 acresMarshall County: 335,043 acresMills County: 247,254 acresMitchell County: 289,259 acresMonona County: 392,430 acresMonroe County: 252,743 acresMontgomery County: 242,588 acresMuscatine County: 229,950 acresO'Brien County: 362,365 acresOsceola County: 257,044 acresPage County: 339,086 acresPalo Alto County: 326,884 acresPlymouth County: 531,053 acresPocahontas County: 354,398 acresPolk County: 227,069 acresPottawattamie County: 540,288 acresPoweshiek County: 344,840 acresRinggold County: 299,426 acresSac County: 339,426 acresScott County: 228,692 acresShelby County: 348,104 acresSioux County: 505,175 acresStory County: 359,604 acresTama County: 417,917 acresTaylor County: 308,340 acresUnion County: 238,034 acresVan Buren County: 253,255 acresWapello County: 206,138 acresWarren County: 299,216 acresWashington County: 334,564 acresWayne County: 304,983 acresWebster County: 417,019 acresWinnebago County: 240,310 acresWinneshiek County: 380,034 acresWoodbury County: 442,152 acresWorth County: 224,206 acresWright County: 345,490 acres
  • Under 240K
  • 240K to 290K
  • 290K to 320K
  • 320K to 340K
  • 340K to 370K
  • 370K and over
acres, 2002. 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, 2002

Kossuth County: 591,814 acresKossuth County591,814Pottawattamie County: 540,288 acresPottawattamie County540,288Plymouth County: 531,053 acresPlymouth County531,053Sioux County: 505,175 acresSioux County505,175Crawford County: 445,913 acresCrawford County445,913Woodbury County: 442,152 acresWoodbury County442,152Clayton County: 432,724 acresClayton County432,724Harrison County: 428,235 acresHarrison County428,235Tama County: 417,917 acresTama County417,917Webster County: 417,019 acresWebster County417,019Fayette County: 414,853 acresFayette County414,853Jasper County: 410,347 acresJasper County410,347Benton County: 400,654 acresBenton County400,654Monona County: 392,430 acresMonona County392,430Clinton County: 387,596 acresClinton County387,596Winneshiek County: 380,034 acresWinneshiek County380,034Adair County: 373,216 acresAdair County373,216Carroll County: 364,175 acresCarroll County364,175O'Brien County: 362,365 acresO'Brien County362,365Story County: 359,604 acresStory County359,604Pocahontas County: 354,398 acresPocahontas County354,398Jackson County: 348,814 acresJackson County348,814Linn County: 348,782 acresLinn County348,782Hamilton County: 348,216 acresHamilton County348,216Shelby County: 348,104 acresShelby County348,104Greene County: 347,078 acresGreene County347,078Wright County: 345,490 acresWright County345,490Delaware County: 345,238 acresDelaware County345,238Poweshiek County: 344,840 acresPoweshiek County344,840Keokuk County: 343,858 acresKeokuk County343,858Buena Vista County: 341,677 acresBuena Vista County341,677Lyon County: 341,534 acresLyon County341,534Calhoun County: 340,739 acresCalhoun County340,739Buchanan County: 340,422 acresBuchanan County340,422Iowa County: 340,163 acresIowa County340,163Sac County: 339,426 acresSac County339,426Page County: 339,086 acresPage County339,086Cedar County: 338,493 acresCedar County338,493Franklin County: 337,336 acresFranklin County337,336Cass County: 336,625 acresCass County336,625Kossuth County: 591,814 acresKossuth County591,814Pottawattamie County: 540,288 acresPottawattamie County540,288Plymouth County: 531,053 acresPlymouth County531,053Sioux County: 505,175 acresSioux County505,175Crawford County: 445,913 acresCrawford County445,913Woodbury County: 442,152 acresWoodbury County442,152Clayton County: 432,724 acresClayton County432,724Harrison County: 428,235 acresHarrison County428,235Tama County: 417,917 acresTama County417,917Webster County: 417,019 acresWebster County417,019Fayette County: 414,853 acresFayette County414,853Jasper County: 410,347 acresJasper County410,347Benton County: 400,654 acresBenton County400,654Monona County: 392,430 acresMonona County392,430Clinton County: 387,596 acresClinton County387,596Winneshiek County: 380,034 acresWinneshiek County380,034Adair County: 373,216 acresAdair County373,216Carroll County: 364,175 acresCarroll County364,175O'Brien County: 362,365 acresO'Brien County362,365Story County: 359,604 acresStory County359,604Pocahontas County: 354,398 acresPocahontas County354,398Jackson County: 348,814 acresJackson County348,814Linn County: 348,782 acresLinn County348,782Hamilton County: 348,216 acresHamilton County348,216Shelby County: 348,104 acresShelby County348,104Greene County: 347,078 acresGreene County347,078Wright County: 345,490 acresWright County345,490Delaware County: 345,238 acresDelaware County345,238Poweshiek County: 344,840 acresPoweshiek County344,840Keokuk County: 343,858 acresKeokuk County343,858Buena Vista County: 341,677 acresBuena Vista County341,677Lyon County: 341,534 acresLyon County341,534Calhoun County: 340,739 acresCalhoun County340,739Buchanan County: 340,422 acresBuchanan County340,422Iowa County: 340,163 acresIowa County340,163Sac County: 339,426 acresSac County339,426Page County: 339,086 acresPage County339,086Cedar County: 338,493 acresCedar County338,493Franklin County: 337,336 acresFranklin County337,336Cass County: 336,625 acresCass County336,625
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

RankCounties2002
acres
1Kossuth County591,814
2Pottawattamie County540,288
3Plymouth County531,053
4Sioux County505,175
5Crawford County445,913
6Woodbury County442,152
7Clayton County432,724
8Harrison County428,235
9Tama County417,917
10Webster County417,019
11Fayette County414,853
12Jasper County410,347
13Benton County400,654
14Monona County392,430
15Clinton County387,596
16Winneshiek County380,034
17Adair County373,216
18Carroll County364,175
19O'Brien County362,365
20Story County359,604
21Pocahontas County354,398
22Jackson County348,814
23Linn County348,782
24Hamilton County348,216
25Shelby County348,104
26Greene County347,078
27Wright County345,490
28Delaware County345,238
29Poweshiek County344,840
30Keokuk County343,858
31Buena Vista County341,677
32Lyon County341,534
33Calhoun County340,739
34Buchanan County340,422
35Iowa County340,163
36Sac County339,426
37Page County339,086
38Cedar County338,493
39Franklin County337,336
40Cass County336,625
41Cherokee County335,410
42Marshall County335,043
43Washington County334,564
44Mahaska County328,579
45Hardin County327,725
46Butler County327,708
47Palo Alto County326,884
48Allamakee County326,122
49Grundy County324,139
50Guthrie County323,738
51Cerro Gordo County323,420
52Hancock County322,322
53Fremont County318,306
54Dubuque County315,895
55Boone County312,708
56Clay County311,695
57Jones County311,640
58Dallas County309,157
59Taylor County308,340
60Wayne County304,983
61Madison County304,333
62Johnson County300,882
63Ringgold County299,426
64Warren County299,216
65Floyd County291,282
66Davis County290,887
67Mitchell County289,259
68Decatur County277,928
69Marion County276,782
70Black Hawk County275,014
71Chickasaw County271,098
72Humboldt County270,868
73Lee County270,342
74Howard County269,400
75Ida County265,986
76Audubon County261,210
77Osceola County257,044
78Bremer County254,923
79Van Buren County253,255
80Monroe County252,743
81Henry County251,257
82Mills County247,254
83Montgomery County242,588
84Winnebago County240,310
85Union County238,034
86Adams County237,824
87Appanoose County235,638
88Emmet County235,407
89Jefferson County233,238
90Muscatine County229,950
91Scott County228,692
92Polk County227,069
93Worth County224,206
94Lucas County222,234
95Clarke County216,187
96Wapello County206,138
97Dickinson County203,174
98Louisa County200,954
99Des Moines County181,197

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, 2002) [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, 2002. 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=2002. 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, 2002. 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=2002.

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, 2002 [Dataset]. Via Data Commons. Available at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/iowa-counties?period=2002 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_iowa_by_2002,
  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, 2002}},
  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=2002. 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, 2002
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=2002
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=2002.
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 Iowa by land in farms using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest land in farms?

Kossuth County, with 591,814 acres in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Which county has the lowest land in farms?

Des Moines County, with 181,197 acres in 2002.

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