Plymouth County Iowa Farmland Market — 2025 Year in Review

Plymouth County is one of Northwest Iowa's premier farmland markets, anchored by a productive land base with above-average CSR2 scores and a strong agricultural infrastructure. The county's 2025 market produced 50 courthouse-verified sales averaging $14,710 per acre — a -4.5% decline from 2024's $15,404 average and the second consecutive year of modest softening after the extraordinary 2022 peak of $18,140 per acre. Despite the two-year correction, Plymouth County values remain 42% above their 2021 level of $10,325 per acre, reflecting the durable demand for quality Northwest Iowa farmland.

The 2025 data reveals a market that is correcting in an orderly fashion rather than experiencing a sharp downturn. With 50 sales — matching 2024's volume exactly — buyer activity remained robust, and the price range of $5,000 to $39,947 per acre demonstrates that the market is pricing individual parcel quality with increasing precision. The outlier transactions at the top of the range — including two America township sales above $30,000 per acre — reflect the premium that exceptional ground near the county's best infrastructure commands, even in a softening environment.

Year-by-Year Price Summary

2025 Market Analysis

The 50 sales recorded in Plymouth County during 2025 span a wide quality spectrum, from sub-$6,000 fair-ground parcels to exceptional prime tracts above $30,000 per acre. The CSR2 breakdown tells the story clearly: prime ground (CSR2 75+) averaged approximately $16,500 per acre across 23 sales, while good-quality ground (CSR2 55–74) averaged around $13,200 across 20 sales — a $3,300 per acre premium for the top tier. The seven fair-ground sales averaged approximately $10,800 per acre, reflecting the county's diverse landscape that includes both highly productive river-bottom ground and more challenging upland soils.

The America township transactions stand out as the year's most notable events. A 37.55-acre parcel sold for $39,947 per acre in May — the county's highest $/acre transaction in the dataset — followed by a 102.9-acre sale in the same township at $30,542 per acre in October. These transactions reflect the extraordinary premium that buyers place on the county's best ground, and they pull the county average meaningfully above what a typical Plymouth County parcel would command. The Milford and Franklin townships also produced strong results, with multiple sales above $18,000 per acre.

CSR2 Tier Breakdown — 2025

Top Transactions — 2025

Township Analysis

America township produced Plymouth County's two highest $/acre transactions in 2025 and stands as the county's most competitive submarket. Milford and Franklin townships followed with multiple sales above $18,000 per acre, reflecting the strong productivity of the county's central and eastern townships. The geographic spread of high-value transactions across multiple townships suggests that the premium for quality ground is not limited to a single area of the county — buyers are competing for the best acres wherever they are located.

Market Outlook

Plymouth County's farmland market appears to be settling into a new equilibrium in the $13,000–$16,000 per acre range for typical quality ground, with exceptional parcels continuing to command significant premiums. The two-year, 18% correction from the 2022 peak has been orderly and has not dampened buyer activity, as evidenced by the consistent 50-sale annual volume. The county's strong agricultural fundamentals — productive soils, good infrastructure, and proximity to Sioux City processing capacity — support a constructive long-term outlook even as near-term price pressure persists.