Wheat cost, floor and price by state
$ per bushel unless noted · tap a column to sort
| North Dakota | Northern Great Plains | #1 | 51 | $422 | $86 | $8.28 | $4.67 | $5.39 | −$148 |
| Kansas | Prairie Gateway | #2 | 40 | $386 | $78 | $9.66 | $5.61 | $4.65 | −$200 |
| Montana | Northern Great Plains | #3 | 34.7 | $377 | $41 | $10.86 | $5.55 | $5.06 | −$201 |
| Washington | Fruitful Rim | #4 | 62.7 | $636 | $234 | $10.14 | $6.73 | $5.18 | −$311 |
| Idaho | Fruitful Rim | #5 | 86.5 | $614 | $212 | $7.09 | $4.62 | $5.45 | −$142 |
| Minnesota | Northern Great Plains | #6 | 64.7 | $542 | $206 | $8.38 | $5.53 | $5.33 | −$198 |
| Illinois | Heartland | #7 | 85.4 | $665 | $261 | $7.79 | $5.76 | $5.11 | −$229 |
| Oklahoma | Prairie Gateway | #8 | 32 | $349 | $41 | $10.92 | $5.85 | $4.79 | −$196 |
| Oregon | Basin and Range | #9 | 68.2 | $581 | $184 | $8.51 | $5.65 | $6.05 | −$168 |
| South Dakota | Northern Great Plains | #10 | 50.2 | $478 | $142 | $9.53 | $5.86 | $4.85 | −$235 |
| Texas | Prairie Gateway | #11 | 33.2 | $359 | $50 | $10.81 | $5.93 | $4.84 | −$198 |
| Ohio | Heartland | #12 | 84.6 | $592 | $188 | $7.00 | $4.95 | $5.19 | −$153 |
| Michigan | Northern Crescent | #13 | 86 | $587 | $157 | $6.83 | $4.67 | $5.14 | −$145 |
| Missouri | Heartland | #14 | 71.6 | $562 | $158 | $7.85 | $5.43 | $5.31 | −$182 |
| Kentucky | Heartland | #15 | 81.2 | $574 | $170 | $7.07 | $4.94 | $5.60 | −$120 |
Avg yield = NASS final state yield, five-year average. Cost/acre = ERS operating costs + overhead (land charge removed) + NASS state cash rent. Return/acre = (state price − full-cost floor) × average yield. Every state uses the same method; see sources below.
Wheat costs by farm region
| Region | Operating | All costs listed | ERS yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Crescent | $244 | $574 | 91 |
| Heartland | $231 | $567 | 87 |
| Fruitful Rim | $188 | $507 | 59 |
| Basin and Range | $201 | $475 | 67 |
| Northern Great Plains | $152 | $407 | 46 |
| Prairie Gateway | $147 | $356 | 50 |
| U.S. average | $163 | $409 | 54 |
$ per planted acre. "All costs listed" includes ERS's own land and unpaid-labor charges.
ERS cost forecast, U.S. wheat
- 2025 actual$163 operating · $409 total
- 2026 forecast$169 operating · $419 total
- 2027 forecast$169 operating · $428 total
ERS publishes cost forecasts for the U.S. only, not by region, so the state pages stay on 2025 actuals. If the forecast moves operating costs, your floor moves with it: plug the new figure into the calculator.
Reporting on wheat
Ukraine Crisis Dims Hopes for US Wheat Prices
As Russia escalates attacks on Ukraine's grain corridor, US wheat farmers face price chaos from a war they can't control. Global market shocks keep reshaping harvest season earnings.
Winter Wheat Crop Collapses to 60-Year Low Amid Plains Drought
USDA forecasts winter wheat production down 25% to smallest crop since 1965 as severe drought devastates prime growing regions across the Great Plains.
Record Heat Threatens Northern Plains Spring Wheat and Barley
As temperatures shatter records across the Northern Plains, wheat and barley crops at a critical growth stage face severe yield damage. USDA warns of compounding climate and financial crisis for growers.
Where these numbers come from
- Costs per acre come from the USDA ERS Commodity Costs and Returns accounts for 2025, the latest year with actual (not forecast) figures. ERS reports by Farm Resource Region, not by state. Each state uses the region that holds at least half of its planted acres for that crop, measured from NASS county acreage and the ERS county-to-region file. If no region with an ERS budget clears half, we use the U.S. average and say so.
- Overhead is ERS's allocated overhead minus its land charge: machinery and equipment capital recovery, unpaid family labor, hired labor, taxes and insurance, and general farm overhead. The cash-cost floor keeps only operating costs and rent and drops all of overhead: roughly what it takes to pay this year's bills, not to replace the machinery.
- Land is the NASS state average cash rent for cropland from the Cash Rents Survey, in place of ERS's regional land charge. Owned ground carries an opportunity cost too, so we charge rent either way.
- Yield is the five-year average of NASS final state yields from Quick Stats. NASS reports yield per harvested acre and ERS reports costs per planted acre, so where acres get abandoned (dryland wheat especially) the real floor sits higher than shown. Current-year NASS forecasts are shown for context and are not used in the averages.
- Price is the NASS marketing-year average price received in the state. It is what farmers were paid on average, not a forecast and not your local basis.
- A state average is not your farm. Use your own yields, inputs and rent in the calculator. This is a planning estimate, not financial, lending or marketing advice.
Data last refreshed October 9, 2026.