Cash rent for irrigated cropland: Jefferson County, Montana
The average cash rent farmers paid per acre for irrigated cropland, from USDA's yearly cash rents survey.
The latest figures and how they have changed
Chart by TallyTill · tallytill.com
What the numbers say
- Jefferson County's rent is 0.9 times the Montana average and 0.4 times the US average.
- It is the 15th highest of the 29 Montana counties NASS published for 2026.
- Since 2016 it has risen 134.9%, from $41.50 to $97.50 an acre.
- Gaps are years with no separate Jefferson figure: NASS ran no county survey in 2015 or 2018, in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2024 and 2025 it combined Jefferson into "other counties", and NASS had no figure available in 2008. Nothing is filled in.
Every figure behind this chart
| Year | Jefferson County | Montana | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $97.50 | $112 | $244 |
| 2025 | Combined into "other counties" | $104 | $244 |
| 2024 | Combined into "other counties" | $105 | $245 |
| 2023 | $106 | $98 | $237 |
| 2022 | $144 | $104 | $227 |
| 2021 | $90 | $88 | $217 |
| 2020 | $68 | $85 | $216 |
| 2019 | Combined into "other counties" | $82 | $220 |
| 2018 | No county survey that year | No figure | $215 |
| 2017 | Combined into "other counties" | $75 | $212 |
| 2016 | $41.50 | $78 | $206 |
| 2015 | No county survey that year | $83 | $209 |
| 2014 | Combined into "other counties" | $81 | $208 |
| 2013 | Combined into "other counties" | $86 | $202 |
| 2012 | Combined into "other counties" | $80 | $187 |
| 2011 | Combined into "other counties" | $72 | $171 |
| 2010 | Combined into "other counties" | $85 | No figure |
| 2009 | Combined into "other counties" | $69 | No figure |
| 2008 | Not available | $66 | No figure |
| 2006 | No figure | $68 | No figure |
| 2005 | No figure | $53 | No figure |
| 2004 | No figure | $49 | No figure |
| 2003 | No figure | $48 | No figure |
| 2002 | No figure | $47 | No figure |
| 2001 | No figure | $46 | No figure |
| 2000 | No figure | $49.70 | No figure |
| 1999 | No figure | $54 | No figure |
| 1998 | No figure | $51.50 | No figure |
Every Montana county, 2026
Darker shading means a higher figure. Values run from $58.50 an acre in Silver Bow County to $215 an acre in Broadwater County.
- Under $69.50 (5 counties)
- $69.50 to under $87 (6 counties)
- $87 to under $103 (6 counties)
- $103 to under $131 (6 counties)
- $131 and over (6 counties)
- Not published separately (27 counties, $98 an acre combined)
NASS combined Blaine County, Carter County, Chouteau County, Daniels County, Dawson County, Deer Lodge County, Fallon County, Fergus County, Garfield County, Golden Valley County, Granite County, Hill County, Judith Basin County, Lincoln County, McCone County, Meagher County, Mineral County, Missoula County, Musselshell County, Petroleum County, Powder River County, Roosevelt County, Rosebud County, Sheridan County, Toole County, Wheatland County and Wibaux County into "other counties", so they have no figure of their own.
| Rank | County | Figure (dollars an acre) | Precision (CV) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broadwater County | $215 | 8.6% |
| 2 | Gallatin County | $173 | 5.2% |
| 3 | Prairie County | $153 | 13.7% |
| 4 | Richland County | $143 | 6.1% |
| 5 | Yellowstone County | $132 | 6.6% |
| 6 | Treasure County | $131 | 5.4% |
| 7 | Madison County | $127 | 9.2% |
| 8 | Beaverhead County | $121 | 6.7% |
| 9 | Carbon County | $116 | 9.4% |
| 10 | Teton County | $108 | 7.6% |
| 11 | Custer County | $103 | 6.4% |
| 11 | Stillwater County | $103 | 7.4% |
| 13 | Big Horn County | $102 | 6.9% |
| 14 | Cascade County | $99.50 | 6.6% |
| 15 | Jefferson County This county | $97.50 | 5.9% |
| 16 | Lake County | $92.50 | 4.8% |
| 17 | Park County | $91.50 | 4.8% |
| 18 | Ravalli County | $87 | 47.3% |
| 19 | Lewis and Clark County | $86 | 8.0% |
| 19 | Pondera County | $86 | 8.2% |
| 21 | Powell County | $80 | 22.1% |
| 22 | Glacier County | $73.50 | 6.2% |
| 23 | Flathead County | $71 | 7.3% |
| 24 | Sweet Grass County | $69.50 | 32.6% |
| 25 | Phillips County | $66 | 17.0% |
| 26 | Valley County | $62.50 | 13.5% |
| 27 | Sanders County | $62 | 14.3% |
| 28 | Liberty County | $60 | 9.4% |
| 29 | Silver Bow County | $58.50 | 12.0% |
What this measures
NASS asks farm operators what they pay in cash rent per acre, separately for irrigated cropland, non-irrigated cropland and pasture. State figures come out at the end of July; county figures follow in August. When too few farms in a county answer, NASS combines that county with others and publishes one "other counties" figure, so some counties have no figure of their own.