Jefferson County land: prices, flood and parcels
$6,310 an acre
Median of 54 sales of 1 acre or more, Oct 2025–Sep 2026
- Parcels30,224on the county tax roll
- Acres on the roll362,168
- In a FEMA flood zone11%special flood hazard area
- Land / lot sales59recorded arm's-length, Oct 2025–Sep 2026, declared land / lot only
Property tax calendar
Illinois 2026 taxes are billed in 2027: the first installment is due no earlier than June 1, 2027.
- First installment
- Not before June 1, 2027The date on the county's bill; late taxes bear 1.5% a month
- Second installment
- Not before September 1, 2027The date on the county's bill
- Assessment appeals
- 30 days after the assessment list is publishedFile with the county board of review
Sources: Illinois Property Tax Code 35 ILCS 200/21-15, 35 ILCS 200/21-25, 35 ILCS 200/21-30 and 35 ILCS 200/16-55. Checked Oct 13, 2026.
Free account: 25 parcel cards a day on the map, with sale history, road access and elevation. Get started free
What land sells for in Jefferson County
Land here sold for $5,100–$6,700 an acre (33 sales, Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
| Size | Middle half | Median | Sales | Months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lots under 1 acre | $5.4k–$18.5k a lot | $9,400 | 12 | Nov 2023–Sep 2026 |
| 1 to 10 acres | $5.0k–$13.2k an acre | $7,700 | 17 | Oct 2025–Sep 2026 |
| 10 acres or more | $5,100–$6,700 an acre | $6,000 | 33 | Oct 2025–Sep 2026 |
The middle half (25th to 75th percentile) and the median of arm's-length single-parcel land sales. Source: Illinois Department of Revenue PTAX-203 declarations, land or farm at the sale, screen S1. Recorded sales, not an estimate of any parcel.
No zoning layer for Jefferson County yet. Zoning here is set town by town.
Around Jefferson County
Towns in Jefferson County
- Mount Vernon8,840 parcels
- Bluford674 parcels
- Ina440 parcels
- Nason436 parcels
- Woodlawn331 parcels
- Belle Rive329 parcels
- Waltonville328 parcels
- Bonnie324 parcels
All 10 places
- Dix280 parcels
- Opdyke155 parcels
Flood zones and wetlands
Recorded flood claims in Jefferson County
13 insured flood claims were recorded in Jefferson County from 1978 to Sep 2026; fewer than 10 were on buildings rated outside the mapped flood zone (zone X, B or C). FEMA paid $262,000 on them in total.
| Years | Claims |
|---|---|
| 1978–79 | Fewer than 10 |
| 1980–89 | Fewer than 10 |
| 1990–99 | Fewer than 10 |
| 2000–09 | Fewer than 10 |
| 2010–19 | Fewer than 10 |
| 2020–26 | Fewer than 10 |
Area statistics for buildings with NFIP flood insurance, not any one parcel: a lot that never had an insured building has no claims to count. OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, as of Sep 2026.
What flood insurance costs in Jefferson County
What NFIP policyholders in Jefferson County pay a year for a single-family home, by flood zone: the middle half of premiums on policies that took effect Sep 2025–Sep 2026. It is what insured homes here pay, not a quote for any one building.
| Flood zone | Policies | Middle half | Full-risk median |
|---|---|---|---|
| A zones (special flood hazard area) | 16 | $580–$910 | $720 |
| X zone (outside the mapped flood zone) | Fewer than 10 | Not shown | Not shown |
Full-risk premium: the median of FEMA's own full-risk premium for the same policies (Risk Rating 2.0). A discounted policy rises toward it a step each year, within the law's cap on yearly increases. Zones are the flood zone each policy is rated in. OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Policies v3, as of Sep 2026.
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data.
Farmland rent in Jefferson County
Cropland in Jefferson County rents for about $136 an acre a year (USDA, 2026).
- Cropland rent
- $136 an acrenon-irrigated, 2026; $136 in 2022
- Pasture rent
- $47 an acre2025; $31.50 in 2021
- Farmland rent as a share of price
- 2.3%of a median $6,000 an acre paid in 51 sales of 10+ acres, Nov 2023–Sep 2026
Rent: USDA NASS county cash rents survey, 2026 (released August 21, 2026), public domain. Sale prices: Illinois Department of Revenue transfer declarations (PTAX-203). Farmland rent in every Illinois county →
How the rent-to-price figure works
A year’s cash rent for an acre, divided by the median price an acre paid for the same kind of land in this county over the last three years: sales of a single parcel of 10 acres or more, never lots or house sites. Sales counted: Illinois transfer declarations (IDOR PTAX-203) of 10 acres or more that the parties declared as farm property, single-parcel deeds for value with none of the form’s related-party, distress or partial-interest answers checked. Where fewer than 10 such sales were recorded, or their prices range too widely, no figure is shown. A low share usually means land here is priced for something other than farming, such as homes or development.
What land here is worth and produces
Published land values, crops, forest and farm programs for Jefferson County
- Farmland value (Census of Agriculture)
- $4,940 an acreAverage value of land and buildings on the county's farms, 2022 · USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture
- Farms
- 930 farms on 232,182 acresAverage 250 acres, median 80; 188,580 acres of cropland; 18,560 of pasture; 23,595 of woodland, 2022 · USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture
- What the farms sell
- grains and soybeans 82% · cattle 6%Share of the $136 million of farm products sold in 2022 · USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture
- Crops grown
- soybeans 46% · corn 28% · winter wheat then soybeans 15% · hay (other than alfalfa) 4%Share of the county's 170,565 acres of crops and hay, 2025 · USDA NASS Cropland Data Layer 2025, classified from satellite imagery
- Land cover
- cropland 44% · grass, hay and pasture 18% · forest 23% · wetlands 2% · developed 9% · water 3%Share of the county's 373,606 acres of land and water, 2025 · USDA NASS Cropland Data Layer 2025, classified from satellite imagery
- Forest
- 85,917 acres, 23% of the countyDeciduous 98% of the forest; woody wetlands counted apart · USDA NASS Cropland Data Layer 2025, classified from satellite imagery
- Conservation Reserve (CRP)
- 7,832 acres, average $125 an acre a yearAcres under contract at the end of fiscal year 2025, paid a yearly rent to keep them in grass or trees instead of crops; a new contract's county average soil rental rate is $129 an acre for 2026 · USDA FSA Conservation Reserve Program statistics
- Timber price (black walnut)
- $1,710 a thousand board feetStumpage, statewide average stumpage, Fall-Winter 2025 (−6.0% on Spring-Summer 2025); white oak $730; red oak $320; cherry $300 · Illinois Timber Prices, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forest Resources (survey of timber buyers and mills)
- Farmland assessment
- Farmland assessment by soil productivityLand farmed for the two prior years is assessed on the certified value of its soils' productivity index, not its market value. · 2027 certified values: cropland at least $166.03 an acre; pasture one third of cropland; other farmland one sixth (Illinois Department of Revenue, April 20, 2026). · 35 ILCS 200/10-110 to 10-160
Sources: USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture (2022) · USDA NASS Cropland Data Layer (2025) · USDA FSA Conservation Reserve Program statistics (2025) · Illinois Timber Prices, Fall-Winter 2025 · Farmland assessment by soil productivity. Published survey and census figures for the area, not an appraisal of any parcel.
Land sales by quarter in Jefferson County
15 land sales in Q3 2026, against 9 in Q3 2025.
| Quarter | Land sales | Median per acre, 1+ acre | Median lot, under 1 acre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 (Jul–Sep 2026) | 15 | $6,000 an acre | — |
| Q2 2026 (Apr–Jun 2026) | 11 | $6,300 an acre | — |
| Q1 2026 (Jan–Mar 2026) | 14 | $6,790 an acre | — |
| Q4 2025 (Oct–Dec 2025) | 12 | $5,030 an acre | — |
Recorded arm's-length sales of land, one parcel each, from Illinois Department of Revenue PTAX-203 transfer declarations, recorded through Sep 2026. A median needs 10 sales; a dash means fewer. Recorded sales, not an estimate of any parcel.
People and new homes in Jefferson County
- Population36,147July 2025 estimate, −2.3% since 2020
- Median household income$63,1182020–2024 average, ±$2,847
- New homes permitted122025, 12 single-family; 11 in 2021
- Permitted so far in 20262Jan–Aug, against 10 a year earlier
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 (May 2026); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year (B19013) (Jan 2026); U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey (Sep 2026).
Illinois land market report · Illinois land prices by quarter
Land in Jefferson County by useLand use on the county roll
| Land class | Parcels | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Building on record | 13,333 | 44% |
| Farm and timber | 9,958 | 33% |
| Other or not coded | 4,801 | 16% |
| Institutional | 2,108 | 7% |
| Residential lot | 24 | 0.1% |
9,958 farm and timber parcels cover 303,008 acres. County tax roll, as of Oct 2026; land class read from the roll's land-use and building fields.
Typical lot sizeThe typical lot, from the roll
The median parcel in Jefferson County is 1.34 acres (30,224 parcels with a size).
Acres from the county roll, or from the parcel's own outline where the roll's figure is off by more than three times. Condominium units that share one point (each carrying the whole complex's acres) are left out of the lot sizes.
Land parcels in Jefferson CountyFarm and timber parcels to start with
- 120.0 acres of farm and timber land
- 80.0 acres of farm and timber land
- 80.0 acres of farm and timber land
- 9384 N Rainbow Ln 73.4 acres
- 18768 N Copple Ln 73.0 acres
- 1633 E Doolittle 60.0 acres
- 51.3 acres of farm and timber land
- 50.0 acres of farm and timber land
- 45.1 acres of farm and timber land
Farm and timber parcels of an acre or more, each with its own page of public roll facts.
Every parcel page in Jefferson County (1,193), 100 to a page
Questions about Jefferson County landAnswers from the public records
How many parcels are in Jefferson County, IL?
30,224 parcels on the Jefferson County parcel layer (pulled Oct 2026), covering 362,168 acres.
Is vacancy verified in Jefferson County, IL?
Vacancy not verified: each parcel page says whether the county roll or building footprints show a building.
What is the typical lot size in Jefferson County?
The median parcel is 1.34 acres, from 30,224 parcels with a recorded size.
How much of Jefferson County is in a flood zone?
11% of parcels are in a FEMA special flood hazard area (National Flood Hazard Layer, as of Oct 2026). Check each parcel's own flood line before you buy.
Are there wetlands in Jefferson County?
4.1% of parcels are a quarter or more wetland on the USFWS National Wetlands Inventory, a mapping guide, not a legal delineation.
Has land sold recently in Jefferson County?
59 recorded arm's-length sales declared land / lot only on the transfer form, from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, from the Illinois PTAX-203 transfer declarations.
What does an acre of land sell for in Jefferson County?
The median recorded price was $6,310 per acre across 54 sales of an acre or more (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026). Recorded sales, not an estimate of any parcel.
How many people live in Jefferson County?
About 36,147 (Census estimate for July 1, 2025), −2.3% since 2020.
How many new homes are being built in Jefferson County?
Building permits authorized 12 new housing units in 2025 and 2 from January to Aug 2026 (against 10 a year earlier) (Census Building Permits Survey).
How many land sales were recorded in Jefferson County last quarter?
15 recorded land sales in Q3 2026 (Jul–Sep 2026); 1+ acre land sold for a median $6,000 an acre.
Where does this data come from?
Parcels: Jefferson County parcels: a copy published by The Sidwell Company, the county's mapping vendor (layer as of Oct 2026). Flood: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer. Wetlands: USFWS National Wetlands Inventory. Towns: U.S. Census places. Every figure is counted from those files on our map.
About these numbersSources, dates and how these figures are built
Sources
Parcels: Jefferson County parcels: a copy published by The Sidwell Company, the county's mapping vendor (layer as of Oct 2026) (pulled Oct 2026); flood: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (as of Oct 2026); wetlands: USFWS National Wetlands Inventory (as of Oct 2026); sales: Illinois Department of Revenue PTAX-203 declarations, through Sep 2026; counted on our map built Oct 2026.