Adams County, Illinois Farmland Sales: 2023–2026 Market Analysis
The Land Sleuth
Adams County leads Illinois West District with 207 courthouse-verified sales. Prices surged 26% in 2025 to $10,619/acre — up from $8,425 in 2024 — with Melrose Township recording the county high at $31,457/acre. Early 2026 data holds above $10,600/acre.
Adams County, Illinois Farmland Sales: 2023–2026 Market Analysis
Adams County leads Illinois West District in transaction volume, with 207 courthouse-verified arm's-length sales recorded from 2023 through early 2026. This depth of data makes Adams County one of the most reliable benchmarks for western Illinois farmland values — and the 2025 surge to $10,619/acre signals a market that is repricing rapidly.
Market Overview
Adams County's price trajectory over the past three years tells a clear story of accelerating demand. After a high-volume 2024 that absorbed 71 transactions at $8,425/acre, the 2025 market broke sharply higher: 81 sales averaged $10,619/acre, a 26% year-over-year gain. Early 2026 data (4 sales through the first quarter) holds near that level at $10,672/acre, suggesting the repricing is not a one-year anomaly.
| Year | Sales | Avg $/Acre | Min $/Acre | Max $/Acre | Avg PI | Total Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 51 | $8,555 | $767 | $29,703 | 101.6 | 5,064 |
| 2024 | 71 | $8,425 | $1,000 | $22,891 | 103.4 | 7,524 |
| 2025 | 81 | $10,619 | $1,576 | $31,457 | 103.3 | 6,746 |
| 2026 | 4 | $10,672 | $7,100 | $14,389 | 111.3 | 235 |
The wide spread between average and minimum prices in all years reflects a two-tier market: a large body of mid-quality rolling upland ground trading in the $6,000–$9,000 range, and a premium tier of high-PI parcels in Liberty, Houston, and Melrose townships regularly clearing $15,000–$31,000/acre.
Productivity Index Context
Adams County's average Productivity Index (PI) of 103.1 places it in the lower-mid tier for western Illinois. The Illinois Productivity Index ranges from roughly 60 (poor, steep ground) to 147 (prime Class A bottomland), with 115 considered the threshold for "good" cropland. Adams County's PI profile reflects its diverse topography — rolling uplands with moderate productivity dominate the central and eastern portions of the county, while the Illinois River-bottom townships carry significantly higher PI scores.
The relationship between PI and price per acre is pronounced in Adams County. Ground scoring above 120 PI consistently commands a premium of 40–60% over county-average ground, particularly in Houston and Ellington townships where river-bottom soils push PI scores into the 115–135 range.
Township Breakdown
Adams County's 207 recorded sales span a wide range of townships, with Melrose, Northeast, Beverly, and Richfield accounting for the highest transaction volumes. Township-level averages reveal significant geographic variation in land values:
| Township | Sales | Avg $/Acre | Avg PI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melrose | 19 | $13,464 | 100.3 |
| Houston | 11 | $12,833 | 118.9 |
| Ellington | 10 | $12,766 | 114.1 |
| Liberty | 12 | $10,904 | 108.9 |
| Burton | 10 | $9,006 | 105.6 |
| Northeast | 18 | $7,967 | 108.1 |
| Beverly | 17 | $8,098 | 98.6 |
| Keene | 12 | $8,077 | 94.5 |
| Richfield | 16 | $6,616 | 97.6 |
| Concord | 13 | $6,434 | 92.9 |
Melrose Township stands out with the highest average at $13,464/acre despite a moderate average PI of 100.3 — a premium likely driven by its location along the Illinois River corridor and strong buyer competition for limited inventory. Houston Township, with an average PI of 118.9, commands $12,833/acre on the strength of its high-quality bottomland soils.
Notable Sales
The 2025 market produced several benchmark transactions that set new price ceilings for Adams County. A 30.2-acre Melrose Township parcel sold for $31,457/acre in October 2025 — the highest recorded price per acre in the county's three-year dataset. A 2023 Melrose sale (43.7 acres, PI 97.7) reached $29,703/acre, demonstrating that premium pricing in that township predates the 2025 surge.
In Ellington Township, a 41-acre parcel with PI 131 sold for $23,006/acre in July 2025, and a Houston Township tract (80 acres) cleared $15,000/acre in the same period. These transactions confirm that the strongest demand is concentrated in the county's river-adjacent and high-PI townships.
What's Driving the 2025 Surge
Several factors appear to be driving Adams County's 26% year-over-year price gain in 2025. First, the Illinois River corridor townships have attracted institutional and out-of-state buyers seeking productive ground at prices still well below Iowa's comparable markets. Second, the county's relatively high transaction volume — 81 sales in 2025 alone — provides a statistically robust signal that the price increase reflects genuine market demand rather than a handful of outlier sales. Third, the county's proximity to Quincy (the regional agricultural hub) and its established grain infrastructure make it attractive to both operating farmers and investors.
Buying and Selling Patterns
Adams County's 207 sales include a mix of warranty deed (WD) transactions and auction sales. The auction channel has been particularly active in the premium townships, where competitive bidding has pushed prices above pre-auction estimates. The county's high transaction volume relative to neighboring counties (Brown: 93, Cass: 63) suggests a more liquid market with more willing sellers — a characteristic that benefits buyers seeking comparable data and sellers seeking competitive price discovery.
Outlook
With 2025 averaging $10,619/acre and early 2026 holding above $10,600/acre, Adams County appears to have established a new price floor significantly above its 2023–2024 range. The key question for 2026 is whether the premium townships can sustain prices above $15,000/acre as interest rates stabilize and buyer competition continues. The county's depth of transaction data — 207 verified sales across four years — makes it one of the best-documented markets in western Illinois for appraisers, lenders, and investors tracking regional trends.
All sales data is courthouse-verified from Adams County, Illinois recorder records. Productivity Index (PI) values are sourced from Illinois soil survey data. Analysis covers 207 arm's-length sales from 2023 through early 2026.
Browse all Adams County sales on LandSleuth.
Written by
Greg Conrad
The Land Sleuth
Greg Conrad has spent more than a decade sourcing courthouse-verified farmland sales data across Iowa. LandSleuth is built on that same standard of accuracy — every record verified, every price real.
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Adams County, Illinois Farmland Sales: 2023–2026 Market Analysis
Adams County, Illinois Farmland Sales: 2023–2026 Market Analysis
Adams County leads Illinois West District in transaction volume, with 207 courthouse-verified arm's-length sales recorded from 2023 through early 2026. This depth of data makes Adams County one of the most reliable benchmarks for western Illinois farmland values — and the 2025 surge to $10,619/acre signals a market that is repricing rapidly.
Market Overview
Adams County's price trajectory over the past three years tells a clear story of accelerating demand. After a high-volume 2024 that absorbed 71 transactions at $8,425/acre, the 2025 market broke sharply higher: 81 sales averaged $10,619/acre, a 26% year-over-year gain. Early 2026 data (4 sales through the first quarter) holds near that level at $10,672/acre, suggesting the repricing is not a one-year anomaly.
| Year | Sales | Avg $/Acre | Min $/Acre | Max $/Acre | Avg PI | Total Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 51 | $8,555 | $767 | $29,703 | 101.6 | 5,064 |
| 2024 | 71 | $8,425 | $1,000 | $22,891 | 103.4 | 7,524 |
| 2025 | 81 | $10,619 | $1,576 | $31,457 | 103.3 | 6,746 |
| 2026 | 4 | $10,672 | $7,100 | $14,389 | 111.3 | 235 |
The wide spread between average and minimum prices in all years reflects a two-tier market: a large body of mid-quality rolling upland ground trading in the $6,000–$9,000 range, and a premium tier of high-PI parcels in Liberty, Houston, and Melrose townships regularly clearing $15,000–$31,000/acre.
Productivity Index Context
Adams County's average Productivity Index (PI) of 103.1 places it in the lower-mid tier for western Illinois. The Illinois Productivity Index ranges from roughly 60 (poor, steep ground) to 147 (prime Class A bottomland), with 115 considered the threshold for "good" cropland. Adams County's PI profile reflects its diverse topography — rolling uplands with moderate productivity dominate the central and eastern portions of the county, while the Illinois River-bottom townships carry significantly higher PI scores.
The relationship between PI and price per acre is pronounced in Adams County. Ground scoring above 120 PI consistently commands a premium of 40–60% over county-average ground, particularly in Houston and Ellington townships where river-bottom soils push PI scores into the 115–135 range.
Township Breakdown
Adams County's 207 recorded sales span a wide range of townships, with Melrose, Northeast, Beverly, and Richfield accounting for the highest transaction volumes. Township-level averages reveal significant geographic variation in land values:
| Township | Sales | Avg $/Acre | Avg PI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melrose | 19 | $13,464 | 100.3 |
| Houston | 11 | $12,833 | 118.9 |
| Ellington | 10 | $12,766 | 114.1 |
| Liberty | 12 | $10,904 | 108.9 |
| Burton | 10 | $9,006 | 105.6 |
| Northeast | 18 | $7,967 | 108.1 |
| Beverly | 17 | $8,098 | 98.6 |
| Keene | 12 | $8,077 | 94.5 |
| Richfield | 16 | $6,616 | 97.6 |
| Concord | 13 | $6,434 | 92.9 |
Melrose Township stands out with the highest average at $13,464/acre despite a moderate average PI of 100.3 — a premium likely driven by its location along the Illinois River corridor and strong buyer competition for limited inventory. Houston Township, with an average PI of 118.9, commands $12,833/acre on the strength of its high-quality bottomland soils.
Notable Sales
The 2025 market produced several benchmark transactions that set new price ceilings for Adams County. A 30.2-acre Melrose Township parcel sold for $31,457/acre in October 2025 — the highest recorded price per acre in the county's three-year dataset. A 2023 Melrose sale (43.7 acres, PI 97.7) reached $29,703/acre, demonstrating that premium pricing in that township predates the 2025 surge.
In Ellington Township, a 41-acre parcel with PI 131 sold for $23,006/acre in July 2025, and a Houston Township tract (80 acres) cleared $15,000/acre in the same period. These transactions confirm that the strongest demand is concentrated in the county's river-adjacent and high-PI townships.
What's Driving the 2025 Surge
Several factors appear to be driving Adams County's 26% year-over-year price gain in 2025. First, the Illinois River corridor townships have attracted institutional and out-of-state buyers seeking productive ground at prices still well below Iowa's comparable markets. Second, the county's relatively high transaction volume — 81 sales in 2025 alone — provides a statistically robust signal that the price increase reflects genuine market demand rather than a handful of outlier sales. Third, the county's proximity to Quincy (the regional agricultural hub) and its established grain infrastructure make it attractive to both operating farmers and investors.
Buying and Selling Patterns
Adams County's 207 sales include a mix of warranty deed (WD) transactions and auction sales. The auction channel has been particularly active in the premium townships, where competitive bidding has pushed prices above pre-auction estimates. The county's high transaction volume relative to neighboring counties (Brown: 93, Cass: 63) suggests a more liquid market with more willing sellers — a characteristic that benefits buyers seeking comparable data and sellers seeking competitive price discovery.
Outlook
With 2025 averaging $10,619/acre and early 2026 holding above $10,600/acre, Adams County appears to have established a new price floor significantly above its 2023–2024 range. The key question for 2026 is whether the premium townships can sustain prices above $15,000/acre as interest rates stabilize and buyer competition continues. The county's depth of transaction data — 207 verified sales across four years — makes it one of the best-documented markets in western Illinois for appraisers, lenders, and investors tracking regional trends.
All sales data is courthouse-verified from Adams County, Illinois recorder records. Productivity Index (PI) values are sourced from Illinois soil survey data. Analysis covers 207 arm's-length sales from 2023 through early 2026.
Browse all Adams County sales on LandSleuth.