Knox County, Illinois Farmland Sales: 2023–2025 Market Analysis

Knox County stands out in Illinois West District for the consistency of its pricing. With 69 courthouse-verified sales from 2023 through early 2025, the county's average and median prices track closely — $9,485 and $8,697/acre respectively — indicating a market without the extreme outliers that distort other counties' averages. This consistency reflects Knox County's relatively uniform soil quality and a well-developed auction infrastructure centered on Galesburg.

Market Overview

Knox County's price history shows a market that has strengthened steadily across the three-year period:

The 2023 volume of 43 sales — the highest single-year count in the dataset — reflects an active seller market, likely driven by estate settlements among aging landowners. Despite this supply, prices held firm and improved modestly in 2024 and 2025, demonstrating the depth of buyer demand for Knox County ground.

Productivity Index Profile

Knox County's average PI of 112.7 places it near the upper boundary of the mid tier, and its median PI of 115.4 crosses into the "good farmland" threshold. The county's soils — predominantly Muscatine, Sable, and Ipava silt loams on gently rolling terrain — support consistent corn and soybean production with lower erosion risk than the more dissected counties to the south.

This PI profile directly explains Knox County's price premium over Fulton County (avg PI 107.8, avg price $8,080/acre). The market is pricing approximately $200–$250 per PI point, consistent with the broader Illinois farmland market's PI-to-price relationship.

Township Analysis

Knox County's most active and highest-value townships cluster in the county's northern and eastern sections, where the terrain is most level and soils most productive:

Ontario Township's $12,220/acre average on a PI of 135.7 represents the county's premium tier. The Copley Township result is notable: $11,192/acre average on a PI of only 96.3 suggests that factors beyond soil productivity — location, parcel size, recreational value — are influencing prices in that area.

Notable Sales

The top three sales by price per acre reveal the range of the Knox County market:

The highest-priced sale was a 19.96-acre Copley Township parcel at $20,000/acre with a PI of only 54.1 — almost certainly a non-agricultural sale (recreational, development, or homesite value). The second and third highest were more representative agricultural transactions: 23.16 acres in Henderson Township at $18,182/acre (PI 134.7) and 34.5 acres in Copley Township at $18,005/acre (PI 141.9).

Outlook

Knox County's combination of above-average PI, consistent pricing, high transaction volume, and proximity to Galesburg's agricultural services infrastructure creates a durable demand profile. The 2025 data (2 sales, avg $9,880/acre) is limited but directionally positive. Buyers seeking Knox County exposure should focus on the Rio, Henderson, and Ontario township corridor for the best combination of soil quality and market liquidity.

Data sourced from Knox County, Illinois courthouse records. All sales are arm's-length transactions verified against deed records.