Farmland Atlas · county record

Putnam County, West Virginia

Putnam County, WV: non-irrigated cash rent $44 an acre (2024); land and buildings $3,285 an acre in the 2022 census. County averages from public records, not an appraisal of any farm. FIPS 54079. Figures as of 2026-09-20.

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Land value stands at $3,285 per acre as of the 2022 census, up 14.6 percent since 2017. July nights have warmed, with the average low at 65.8 F over 2017-2026 against a 1991-2020 normal of 64.3 F, a trend of 0.53 F per decade, and the 2020s is the first decade to reach a 66 F average low. There is no solar or wind capacity operating or proposed in the county.

Cash rent, non-irrigated
$44/ac
2024 county average
too few 2024 county surveys in the state to compare
Land and buildings
$3,285/ac
2022: what operators guessed land and buildings were worth
WV median $3,215 · 21st highest of 47
Rent as % of land value
—
not shown: NASS published no non-irrigated cash rent for this county in 2022
Corn yield, median
—
fewer than 8 published county corn yields
Claims paid per $100 of coverage
—
under the premium floor for a figure
Farmland rented
12%
2022 census, rented from others
WV median 20% · 10th lowest of 48

Cash rent

$0$20$40$60$80201020152020$44$44 dry

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$44/ac
Change 2012 to 2024−42.8%nominal, $76 to $44

Land value

Land and buildings, 2022$3,285/acoperators' own estimate, not a sale price
Census 2012$2,556/ac
Census 2017$2,866/ac
Change 2017 to 2022+14.6%+2.8% 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

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.

Largest causes of loss, 1989–2025heat and drought 45% · excess moisture 42% · price decline (revenue policies) 9%share of dollars paid

Drought and weather

2000200520102015202020250202

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, 2000–202539 of 1,357 weeks3% of weeks
Year with the most D2+ weeks200720 weeks
Last five years, 2021–202518 weeks
July average of daily lows, 2017–202665.8 °F1991–2020 normal 64.3 °F
Trend in July lows since 1976+0.53 °F a decadewarming
Rain, April to September24.3 in1991–2020 normal; last ten years 99% of it
Days with hail 1 inch or larger0.6 a yearreports, 2010–2025; a zero is no report, not proof of no hail

Land, water and programs

Harvested cropland irrigated, 2022— NASS suppressed the irrigated acres to protect individual farms
Drained by tile, 20222% of cropland241 ac
Farmed no-till, 20223% of cropland402 ac
Cover crops, 20221% of cropland135 ac
198619911996200120062011201620218454432

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

CRP enrolled, 2025432 ac3.4% of harvested cropland + CRP
CRP expiring FY2026–202867 ac16% of enrolled acres
CRP average rental payment, FY2025$31/acall contracts in force, old ones included; not today's offer
Cattle and calves, 20224,613+11.7% since 2017
Farmland rented from others, 202212%census tenure, owned plus rented acres in farms

Next door

CountyDry rentLand valueClaims per $100
Putnam County$44 2024$3,285—
Cabell County$21 2024$5,367—
Jackson County$25$2,620—
Kanawha County—$3,883—
Lincoln County—$2,003$64.10
Mason County$103$2,972$7.11
Median next door$64 2 co.$2,972$35.61 2 co.

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. Putnam County, West Virginia. 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/west-virginia/putnam-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.