Jasper County, Illinois is overwhelmingly agricultural, but the 2025 map is more varied than the 76.23% agriculture figure suggests. Forest covers 14.46%, developed land 6.93%, wetlands 1.29%, and water 0.96%. Broad field blocks occupy most of the county, yet wooded corridors run through many of those fields and a distinct water-and-forest complex in the southwest creates one of the strongest local contrasts.
This page compares the general land cover map, a forest-and-farmland view, an impervious/developed-land map, and a 1985–2025 class-difference map. The WebP versions can be viewed directly on the page, while the four original JPG maps are packaged in one download. Each map answers a different question: present-day cover, the relationship between fields and woods, hard-surface concentration, or long-term classification differences.
Table of Contents
Agriculture covers 76.23%, but forest corridors repeatedly break up the farm grid
Yellow agricultural cover dominates the north, east, southeast, and much of central Jasper County. The fields form large blocks separated by a dense road grid. Green forest is not limited to a thin county edge, however. Wooded areas appear in branching bands through the northwest, north-central area, eastern side, and south-central portion of the county, creating a repeated pattern of fields divided by narrow or medium-sized forest corridors.
The 14.46% forest share is unevenly distributed. Larger and more connected green patches are visible in the northwest and north-central parts of the county. Long wooded strips also extend north-south on the eastern side, while several branching pieces cross the middle and south-central areas. These patterns make forest an important structural feature of the map even though agriculture remains the clear countywide majority.
Developed land accounts for 6.93% and is most visible in the large central cluster. Thin red lines radiate away from that center along roads, while smaller developed concentrations appear in the southwest and southeast. The county does not have one continuous developed belt. Instead, several compact nodes sit within a much larger agricultural landscape and are connected by a fine road network.
The southwest water-and-forest complex is the sharpest departure from the county’s agricultural majority
Water represents only 0.96% of the county summary, yet the southwest contains a visually prominent blue area that stands out immediately from the surrounding fields. Forest and wetlands wrap around parts of this water feature, and a small developed cluster sits nearby. The combination of blue water, green forest, teal wetland, and red development creates a local pattern that looks very different from the broad agricultural blocks elsewhere in Jasper County.
Wetlands cover 1.29% and appear mostly as small patches or narrow bands rather than a single continuous zone. Some lie close to water, while others follow the edges between forest and agriculture. Additional wetland traces appear on the eastern and southeastern sides. Their percentage is modest, but their placement helps explain why some field-and-forest boundaries look irregular or moisture-influenced on the map.
The forest-and-farmland map makes the field grid and branching wooded bands easier to compare
The forest-and-farmland view removes much of the competition from developed colors and emphasizes Jasper County’s two dominant surface types. Large yellow agricultural blocks extend across most of the county. Green forest pieces interrupt that grid, especially in the northwest, north-central area, eastern side, and central-southern corridors. This map is the clearest choice when the main question is how a strongly agricultural county still contains a connected wooded network.
A 1.57% mean impervious value shows how concentrated the built surfaces really are
Impervious surface measures hard materials such as pavement, parking areas, and rooftops that do not readily absorb water. Jasper County has a mean impervious value of 1.57%, and only 0.47% of the county reaches 50% impervious or greater. Those values are far below the 6.93% developed-land share because a developed land-cover class can still include lawns, trees, soil, and other permeable surfaces.
The darkest impervious values are concentrated in the central developed cluster, where multiple streets and road connections form a dense network. A diagonal road line extends away from that center, and smaller dark concentrations appear in the southwest and southeast. Most agricultural and forested areas remain nearly white or very light, explaining why the countywide mean is low despite visible developed land on the general map.
Most of the 7.63% 1985–2025 class difference is categorized as “other”
The change map highlights cells whose 1985 and 2025 land-cover classifications differ. Jasper County has an overall class-difference value of 7.63%. The summary identifies 0.82% as classified to developed, 0.32% as forest loss, 0.95% as agricultural loss, and 5.44% as other class difference. Because the “other” category accounts for most of the total, the 7.63% figure should not be interpreted as a direct measure of development growth or agricultural decline.
Purple other-class differences are scattered throughout the county, with some larger groups in the south-central, northeast, and southwest portions. Red developed differences appear around current built nodes and along some road lines. Yellow agricultural-loss and orange forest-loss cells are smaller and more fragmented rather than forming one broad conversion zone.
Choosing among the four maps keeps present-day cover, built surfaces, and historical comparison separate
The general land cover map is the best starting point for a broad description of Jasper County. It shows agriculture, forest, developed land, wetlands, and water together and makes the central developed cluster and southwest water complex easy to place within the larger agricultural landscape. The forest-and-farmland view is more effective when the discussion is limited to the relationship between fields and wooded corridors.
The impervious map answers a narrower question about hard surfaces. It shows where pavement and rooftops are concentrated and why the developed-land percentage is higher than the countywide impervious average. The change map serves a completely different purpose because it compares classification endpoints rather than displaying the present-day mix. Keeping those roles separate makes the map set easier to explain.
Thirty-meter raster cells generalize narrow roads, forest edges, and small wetlands
Annual NLCD products are commonly represented with roughly 30-meter raster cells. A raster divides the surface into a grid and assigns each cell a representative class or value. Where one cell contains several surfaces—such as cropland beside a road, forest beside a wetland, or water next to vegetation—the final map may simplify that mixed ground into one classification.
This limitation matters in Jasper County because many forest features are long and narrow, the road network is dense, and some wetland patches are small. The mapped shapes should not be treated as parcel surveys. Forest colors do not identify ownership or protected status, wetland colors do not establish legal wetland limits, and developed classes do not define zoning.
The 2025 map is also a snapshot of one classification year. Construction, crop changes, vegetation management, water levels, or other changes after that observation are not automatically included. Likewise, the 1985–2025 map compares two endpoints and does not reconstruct every intermediate event. These maps are most useful for county-scale pattern comparison and for identifying places where newer or more detailed information may be needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the largest 2025 land-cover class in Jasper County?
Agriculture is the largest at 76.23%, followed by forest at 14.46%, developed land at 6.93%, wetlands at 1.29%, and water at 0.96%. Forest appears in branching corridors through the farm grid.
Why is developed land 6.93% while mean impervious cover is only 1.57%?
Developed land-cover classes can include lawns, trees, soil, and other permeable surfaces. Hard surfaces are concentrated in the central settlement, roads, and a few smaller nodes, so the countywide impervious mean remains low.
Does the 7.63% 1985–2025 class difference equal physical land-use change?
Not necessarily. Real change may be included, but imagery, vegetation, moisture, classification methods, and mixed pixels can also create differences. Other class difference accounts for 5.44%.
Map File Information
The download combines four original JPG maps for Jasper County: 2025 land cover, forest and farmland, impervious/developed land, and the 1985–2025 land-cover class comparison.
- Included Versions: Land Cover Map, Forest & Farmland Map, Impervious/Developed Land Map, and 1985–2025 Land Cover Change Map
- File Type: One ZIP containing four JPG files
- Intended Use: agriculture and forest comparison, southwest water review, built-surface patterns, class-change reference, teaching, and presentations
Related Maps
- Adams County Illinois Land Cover Map
- Alexander County Illinois Land Cover Map
- Bond County Illinois Land Cover Map
Sources and references
- MRLC Annual NLCD Data – official access point for Annual NLCD land-cover and impervious-surface products.
- USGS Annual NLCD Land Cover Classification – official documentation for land-cover classes and raster interpretation.
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles – official geographic boundary source for Jasper County.
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data.
These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
