Farmland Atlas · county record

Monterey County, California

Monterey County, CA: non-irrigated cash rent $14 an acre (2024); land and buildings $12,799 an acre in the 2022 census. County averages from public records, not an appraisal of any farm. FIPS 06053. Figures as of 2026-09-20.

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The census market value of land and buildings was $12,799 per acre in 2022, a rise of 73.7 percent from 2017. Groundwater supplies 71 percent of irrigation water, and the county spent 317 of 1357 weeks in severe drought or worse during 2000-2025.

Cash rent, non-irrigated
$14/ac
2024 county average
CA median of 2024 surveys $22 · lowest of 13
Cash rent, irrigated
$1,810/ac
2025 county average
too few 2025 county surveys in the state to compare
Land and buildings
$12,799/ac
2022: what operators guessed land and buildings were worth
CA median $11,471 · 21st highest of 52
Corn yield, median
—
fewer than 8 published county corn yields
Claims paid per $100 of coverage
$5.65
2016–2025, closed crop years
CA median $7.22 · 13th lowest of 42
Farmland rented
37%
2022 census, rented from others
CA median 43% · 17th lowest of 55

Cash rent

$0$100$200$300$400$500$600$700$800$900$1000$1100$1200$1300$1400$1500$1600$1700$1800$1900$2000$2100$2200$2300$24002010201520202025$53$14 dry$1,310$1,810 irrigated

Dollars per acre, USDA NASS county survey. A break in a line is a year with no published survey; nothing is drawn across it.

Non-irrigated, 2024$14/ac
Change 2014 to 2024+39.2%nominal, $10 to $14
Irrigated, 2025$1,810/ac
Pasture, 2026$18/ac

Land value

Land and buildings, 2022$12,799/acoperators' own estimate, not a sale price
Census 2012$4,893/ac
Census 2017$7,368/ac
Change 2017 to 2022+73.7%+11.7% a year, nominal
Dry rent ÷ census value— NASS published no non-irrigated cash rent for this county in 2022

Corn yield

County corn yield— fewer than 8 published county corn yields

Crop insurance record

1996200120062011201620210.069.441.731.00: claims equal premium

Claims paid divided by total premium (the farmer share plus the federal subsidy), each closed crop year since 1989. Above the dashed line, the county's insurance book paid out more than it took in. 2026, still open, is left out.

Claims paid per $100 of coverage, 2016–2025$5.65
Loss ratio, 2016–20251.63claims ÷ total premium
Loss ratio, 1989–20251.01$109.5 million paid
Years claims exceeded premium6 of 30
Worst year2020ratio 9.44
Largest causes of loss, 1989–2025other 38% · freeze 28% · heat and drought 21%share of dollars paid

Drought and weather

2000200520102015202020250520

Weeks per year, U.S. Drought Monitor, with half the county or more in D2 (severe) drought or worse.

D2 or worse for half the county, 2000–2025317 of 1,357 weeks23% of weeks
Year with the most D2+ weeks201652 weeks
Last five years, 2021–202578 weeks
July average of daily lows, 2017–202655.2 °F1991–2020 normal 54.0 °F
Trend in July lows since 1976+0.70 °F a decadewarming
Rain, April to September2.1 in1991–2020 normal
Days with hail 1 inch or larger0.1 a yearreports, 2010–2025; a zero is no report, not proof of no hail

Land, water and programs

Harvested cropland irrigated, 202298%
Drained by tile, 20226% of cropland22,755 ac
Farmed no-till, 20222% of cropland6,099 ac
Cover crops, 20226% of cropland21,082 ac
1986199119962001200620112016202179518,19012,372

Acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, USDA FSA, by fiscal year.

CRP enrolled, 202512,372 ac3.8% of harvested cropland + CRP
CRP expiring FY2026–2028425 ac3% of enrolled acres
CRP average rental payment, FY2025$23/acall contracts in force, old ones included; not today's offer
Irrigation wells on record2,581California DWR well completion reports (new wells)
Median well depth406 ft
Solar and wind operating, 202511.6 MW solar · 14.9 MW windnameplate, EIA Form 860
Cattle and calves, 202250,420+6.7% since 2017
Farmland rented from others, 202237%census tenure, owned plus rented acres in farms

Next door

CountyDry rentIrr. rentLand valueClaims per $100
Monterey County$14 2024$1,810 2025$12,799$5.65
Fresno County$22$305$16,378$5.95
Kings County$22 2024$305$10,391$7.87
San Benito County$16 2024$651$5,362$7.64
San Luis Obispo County$27 2023$811$12,118$5.97
Santa Cruz County—$2,220 2025$38,401$1.31
Median next door$22 1 co.$478$12,118$5.97

Counties that share a stretch of boundary. An older rent carries its year and stays out of the median.

Cite this page

AGSIST Farmland Atlas. Monterey County, California. Figures as of 2026-09-20, from USDA NASS, USDA RMA, USDA FSA, the U.S. Drought Monitor and NOAA. https://agsist.com/farmland-atlas/california/monterey-county
Every figure is a county average from the sources named below. Ranks count counties with 10,000 acres or more in farms, in the same survey year for rent, within the state. Methods: how each figure is built. Downloads: all counties, CSV.
Sources, dates and arithmetic

"Figures as of" is the date this page's numbers last changed; it moves only when a figure on the page does. Source files and their retrieval dates are listed on the data page.

Rent: USDA NASS Cash Rents Survey, county. Land value: Census of Agriculture, operators' estimate of land and buildings. Yield: NASS county corn yields, trend fitted here over every published year since 2008. Loss ratio: claims (indemnity) divided by total premium, USDA RMA Summary of Business, 1989 on, open crop year left out. Drought: U.S. Drought Monitor, weeks with half the county or more in D2 or worse. July lows: NOAA nClimDiv county monthly minimum temperature. A dash means the record does not carry the figure or the source withheld it; the reason is printed beside it.