Essex County, Massachusetts
Essex County, MA: non-irrigated cash rent $78 an acre (2026); land and buildings $20,111 an acre in the 2022 census. County averages from public records, not an appraisal of any farm. FIPS 25009. Figures as of 2026-09-20.
Land value stood at $20,111 per acre in 2022, up 15.2 percent over 2017-2026, 2.9 percent a year. July nights average 63.2 F over 2017-2026 against a 1991-2020 normal of 61.8 F, warming at 0.75 F per decade since 1976; no July since 1900 has averaged 70 F or above at night. Drought weeks in severe or worse categories totaled 31 of the 2021-2025 span, against 71 of 1357 weeks in 2000-2025.
MA median $82 · 4th lowest of 9
MA median $268 · highest of 5
MA median $14,377 · 3rd highest of 9
MA median 15% · highest of 9
Cash rent
Land value
Corn yield
Crop insurance record
Claims paid divided by total premium (the farmer share plus the federal subsidy), each closed crop year since 1994. Above the dashed line, the county's insurance book paid out more than it took in. 2026, still open, is left out.
Drought and weather
Weeks per year, U.S. Drought Monitor, with half the county or more in D2 (severe) drought or worse.
Land, water and programs
Acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, USDA FSA, by fiscal year.
Next door
| County | Dry rent | Irr. rent | Land value | Claims per $100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County | $78 | $345 | $20,111 | — |
| Middlesex County | $65 | $122 | $22,138 | $9.39 |
| Suffolk County | — | — | $52,340 | — |
| Hillsborough County, NH | $69 2025 | — | $10,594 | $13.90 |
| Rockingham County, NH | $122 2025 | — | $17,929 | $14.60 |
| Median next door | $65 1 co. | $122 1 co. | $20,034 | $13.90 |
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. Essex County, Massachusetts. 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/massachusetts/essex-countyEvery 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.