Report
Wisconsin wooded and hunting land prices by county
Wisconsin forest land sold for $3,952 an acre in 2025 on 902 sales. Counties with 20+ sales ran from $8,230 (Buffalo) to $1,566 (Douglas).
By Jordan Johnson, Founder, Kedron Co.Updated 11 min read
Wooded land that sold and stayed in forest use in Wisconsin averaged $3,952 an acre in 2025, across 902 sales and 50,589 acres (USDA NASS, Forest Land Sales: Wisconsin, 2025). Among counties with at least 20 sales, averages ran from $8,230 an acre in Buffalo County to $1,566 in Douglas County. The number of sales behind each county figure matters as much as the price.
Wisconsin forest land prices by county, 2025
Source: USDA NASS Wisconsin Field Office, Forest Land Sales: Wisconsin, 2025, released September 1, 2026, and Forest Land Sales: Wisconsin, 2024. Forest land continuing in forest use. Counties are sorted by 2025 price per acre. Counties not listed have no row in the 2025 report.
| County | 2025 sales | 2025 acres | 2025 $/acre | 2024 sales | 2024 $/acre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Racine | 3 | 22 | $17,636 | 8 | $14,266 |
| Walworth | 3 | 18 | $16,383 | 9 | $13,267 |
| Washington | 4 | 21 | $12,586 | 7 | $12,680 |
| Kenosha | 4 | 71 | $11,963 | 7 | $13,485 |
| Ozaukee | 2 | 8 | $10,375 | 6 | $8,392 |
| Jefferson | 6 | 100 | $9,761 | 9 | $6,362 |
| Dane | 10 | 160 | $8,801 | 29 | $9,121 |
| Fond du Lac | 7 | 163 | $8,588 | 10 | $7,105 |
| Buffalo | 21 | 1,375 | $8,230 | 16 | $7,709 |
| Grant | 16 | 1,049 | $8,130 | 16 | $7,061 |
| Brown | 3 | 97 | $7,752 | 4 | $8,209 |
| Columbia | 8 | 199 | $7,689 | 12 | $6,406 |
| Pierce | 11 | 462 | $7,533 | 24 | $6,395 |
| Pepin | 6 | 434 | $7,177 | 11 | $5,774 |
| St. Croix | 14 | 373 | $6,938 | 23 | $7,231 |
| La Crosse | 10 | 540 | $6,892 | 12 | $6,322 |
| Calumet | 5 | 50 | $6,862 | 7 | $3,592 |
| Trempealeau | 31 | 1,555 | $6,839 | 28 | $5,850 |
| Crawford | 14 | 682 | $6,663 | 23 | $5,855 |
| Vernon | 18 | 696 | $6,497 | 22 | $6,273 |
| Winnebago | 5 | 30 | $6,467 | 7 | $5,930 |
| Door | 6 | 288 | $6,382 | 12 | $5,783 |
| Richland | 17 | 795 | $6,305 | 19 | $6,499 |
| Marquette | 10 | 236 | $6,260 | 10 | $6,222 |
| Waupaca | 16 | 510 | $6,158 | 24 | $5,454 |
| Sauk | 16 | 717 | $6,050 | 20 | $6,306 |
| Monroe | 13 | 606 | $6,049 | 34 | $5,238 |
| Manitowoc | 7 | 135 | $6,021 | 18 | $5,948 |
| Green Lake | 5 | 86 | $5,971 | 6 | $7,181 |
| Shawano | 8 | 536 | $5,805 | 25 | $4,698 |
| Rock | 6 | 32 | $5,681 | 9 | $6,963 |
| Jackson | 16 | 702 | $5,645 | 15 | $4,562 |
| Iowa | 7 | 241 | $5,611 | 16 | $7,721 |
| Waushara | 13 | 617 | $5,507 | 28 | $4,767 |
| Dunn | 18 | 863 | $5,491 | 23 | $4,432 |
| Dodge | 6 | 47 | $5,406 | 3 | $5,511 |
| Sheboygan | 11 | 123 | $5,211 | 6 | $5,170 |
| Green | 13 | 208 | $5,195 | 21 | $5,937 |
| Portage | 9 | 389 | $5,010 | 22 | $5,352 |
| Eau Claire | 18 | 658 | $4,938 | 22 | $5,623 |
| Barron | 21 | 996 | $4,838 | 29 | $4,376 |
| Lafayette | 5 | 113 | $4,789 | 15 | $5,737 |
| Marathon | 28 | 1,417 | $4,694 | 55 | $4,195 |
| Oconto | 13 | 890 | $4,654 | 20 | $4,539 |
| Adams | 11 | 796 | $4,189 | 34 | $3,741 |
| Outagamie | 8 | 284 | $4,149 | 9 | $4,181 |
| Burnett | 13 | 563 | $4,129 | 27 | $3,335 |
| Polk | 19 | 820 | $4,043 | 59 | $4,565 |
| Juneau | 18 | 892 | $3,922 | 33 | $3,737 |
| Wood | 11 | 747 | $3,533 | 16 | $3,961 |
| Kewaunee | 8 | 297 | $3,532 | 4 | $3,077 |
| Chippewa | 18 | 734 | $3,356 | 25 | $4,032 |
| Clark | 21 | 1,030 | $3,318 | 34 | $3,777 |
| Marinette | 20 | 1,039 | $3,252 | 30 | $2,682 |
| Oneida | 15 | 2,025 | $3,110 | 34 | $2,251 |
| Washburn | 20 | 1,747 | $2,691 | 32 | $2,928 |
| Lincoln | 17 | 978 | $2,645 | 39 | $2,048 |
| Taylor | 21 | 1,173 | $2,490 | 24 | $2,818 |
| Forest | 10 | 780 | $2,421 | 18 | $2,285 |
| Langlade | 16 | 1,727 | $2,295 | 37 | $2,195 |
| Sawyer | 18 | 1,754 | $2,262 | 33 | $2,181 |
| Rusk | 31 | 2,013 | $2,240 | 54 | $2,078 |
| Bayfield | 26 | 2,523 | $2,147 | 54 | $1,807 |
| Vilas | 5 | 405 | $2,059 | 13 | $3,433 |
| Florence | 5 | 398 | $1,763 | 12 | $2,191 |
| Ashland | 28 | 2,469 | $1,708 | 27 | $868 |
| Price | 30 | 2,560 | $1,649 | 48 | $1,528 |
| Douglas | 25 | 2,738 | $1,566 | 40 | $1,804 |
| Iron | 5 | 787 | $1,259 | 16 | $1,565 |
| Wisconsin | 902 | 50,589 | $3,952 | 1,496 | $3,668 |
Waukesha County had 2 sales in 2024 ($17,073 an acre) and none in the 2025 table. We checked that the 2025 county rows add up to the state totals of 902 sales and 50,589 acres, and that the acre-weighted average matches $3,952.
Which counties have enough sales to trust?
The counties below had at least 20 forest land sales in 2025. These are the county averages you can quote with the most confidence. The average parcel size is a Kedron calculation (acres sold divided by number of sales).
| County | 2025 sales | Acres sold | $/acre | Average parcel (Kedron calc.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | 21 | 1,375 | $8,230 | 65 acres |
| Trempealeau | 31 | 1,555 | $6,839 | 50 acres |
| Barron | 21 | 996 | $4,838 | 47 acres |
| Marathon | 28 | 1,417 | $4,694 | 51 acres |
| Clark | 21 | 1,030 | $3,318 | 49 acres |
| Marinette | 20 | 1,039 | $3,252 | 52 acres |
| Washburn | 20 | 1,747 | $2,691 | 87 acres |
| Taylor | 21 | 1,173 | $2,490 | 56 acres |
| Rusk | 31 | 2,013 | $2,240 | 65 acres |
| Bayfield | 26 | 2,523 | $2,147 | 97 acres |
| Ashland | 28 | 2,469 | $1,708 | 88 acres |
| Price | 30 | 2,560 | $1,649 | 85 acres |
| Douglas | 25 | 2,738 | $1,566 | 110 acres |
Source: USDA NASS, Forest Land Sales: Wisconsin, 2025 (released September 1, 2026).
Two patterns show up. Price per acre falls as you go north, and northern parcels are bigger: the average Douglas County sale was 110 acres, against 56 acres statewide (Kedron calculation). A buyer looking at 80 wooded acres in Bayfield County and 80 in Buffalo County is shopping in two different markets.
How does wooded land compare with farmland?
The same NASS series reports farmland without buildings that stayed in farming. In most western counties, bare farmland sold for more per acre than wooded land, but not everywhere.
| County | Forest land: sales | Forest $/acre | Farmland: sales | Farmland $/acre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | 21 | $8,230 | 6 | $9,613 |
| Grant | 16 | $8,130 | 19 | $10,478 |
| Pierce | 11 | $7,533 | 3 | $8,185 |
| Pepin | 6 | $7,177 | 5 | $6,853 |
| St. Croix | 14 | $6,938 | 10 | $9,670 |
| Trempealeau | 31 | $6,839 | 9 | $6,424 |
| Crawford | 14 | $6,663 | 9 | $7,625 |
| Vernon | 18 | $6,497 | 9 | $8,935 |
| Richland | 17 | $6,305 | 12 | $7,913 |
| Dunn | 18 | $5,491 | 12 | $6,531 |
| Polk | 19 | $4,043 | 12 | $5,473 |
| Bayfield | 26 | $2,147 | 2 | $2,251 |
| Price | 30 | $1,649 | 2 | $2,167 |
| Wisconsin | 902 | $3,952 | 497 | $9,057 |
Sources: USDA NASS, Forest Land Sales: Wisconsin, 2025 and Agricultural Land Sales: Land Without Buildings, 2025, both released September 1, 2026. Farmland is agricultural land continuing in agricultural use.
In Trempealeau and Pepin counties, wooded land averaged more per acre than farmland in 2025. With only 5 to 9 farmland sales behind those two county figures, treat that as something to watch next year, not a rule.
How to read these numbers
- Always show the sale count. Pepin County's $7,177 rests on 6 sales. Buffalo County's $8,230 rests on 21. Quote them the same way and a seller will read them as equally solid. They aren't.
- Expect big swings year to year in thin counties. Vilas County fell from $3,433 an acre on 13 sales in 2024 to $2,059 on 5 sales in 2025, a 40% drop. Ashland County went from $868 to $1,708, up 97% (both Kedron calculations). Neither means the market doubled or halved. A few unusual parcels moved the average.
- Volume fell while price rose. Statewide, forest land sales dropped from 1,496 in 2024 to 902 in 2025 (down 40%), while the average price rose from $3,668 to $3,952 (up 7.7%). Both changes are Kedron calculations from the NASS state rows.
- It is an average per acre, weighted by acres. The county figure is total dollars divided by total acres, so one 300-acre sale counts for more than three 20-acre sales. The average can sit well away from what a small parcel brings.
- What the data excludes. The Wisconsin land sales series is built from real estate transfer returns reviewed by the Department of Revenue, and NASS says sales made under other than normal market conditions, such as family sales or foreclosures, are not included (NASS, Agricultural Land Sales summary, 2025).
- What the data can't tell you. A county row says nothing about the parcel you're pricing: its access, water, timber quality, enrollment in Managed Forest Law, buildings or neighbors. Those are the things that put a property above or below its county average.
- Diverted land is a separate market. Wooded land sold to leave forest use averaged $5,908 an acre in 2025, on only 15 sales statewide.
How to use the table with a seller or buyer
Bring the county row and its sale count to the kitchen table, along with the two neighboring counties. If a seller in Pierce County wants $9,000 an acre for wooded ground, the table shows $7,533 on 11 sales in 2025 and $6,395 on 24 sales in 2024. That doesn't make $9,000 wrong. It means the listing has to show what puts this parcel at the top: frontage, access, a building site, the timber. For the rest of that conversation, see how to tell a landowner their land is overpriced.
For buyers, the same table sets expectations. Someone driving up from Milwaukee with $300,000 buys roughly 36 acres at the Buffalo County average or about 180 acres at the Price County average (Kedron calculations). That is a different hunt and a different property. What hunting land buyers look for covers the rest of the fit.
Hunting demand itself shows up in harvest data, not land data. What deer harvest data tells a land buyer covers how to use it without overselling it. For the drop in Wisconsin land sale volume since 2021, see why fewer land sales in Wisconsin. More reports are on the market data page.
When this updates
- USDA NASS Wisconsin forest and agricultural land sales: annual. The 2025 edition was released September 1, 2026. The 2026 edition should follow in late summer 2027, and we'll update this page when it does. Figures here are as of September 30, 2026. The full list of editions back to 2014 is on the NASS Wisconsin land sales page.
- Minnesota and Iowa: there is no comparable public county series for wooded land sales. The University of Minnesota's Minnesota Land Economics stopped updating its timberland sales in 2014.
Pull your county's row, and the two around it, before your next listing appointment on wooded ground. Print it with the sale counts showing.
