Texas Land Prices in 2026: What the Market Data Shows
The statewide Texas rural land price average was $5,218 per acre in the second quarter of 2026, up 3.27% from a year earlier. But prices were only part of the story. The number of sales increased while acres sold and total dollar volume declined, according to the Texas Real Estate Research Center’s second-quarter 2026 report.
Texas Hunting Land LLC brings this research together with regional price comparisons, farm and ranch values, reported agricultural cash rents, and lending conditions along with our internal sales and market data. Visual representations and source-linked statistics help buyers, sellers, and landowners see how the market differs across each region in Texas along with different pricing and sales data for various property types.
Are Texas Land Prices Rising or Falling in 2026?
Statewide rural land prices increased year over year in the second quarter of 2026, but sales activity showed a mixed picture:
- Annualized number of sales: 3,753, up 4.34%.
- Annualized acres sold: 282,850, down 12.57%.
- Total dollar volume: down 9.72%.
Together, these figures show a market with more transaction volume but smaller acreage amounts changing hands.
The Research Center also reported 8.17% five-year annualized price growth. That longer-term measure provides a different perspective from a single year’s change; it is historical performance, not a forecast.
Source: Texas Rural Land Markets, Second Quarter 2026.
Texas Rural Land Prices per Acre by Region
Regional prices ranged from $1,139 per acre in Far West Texas to $11,369 in Gulf Coast - Brazos in the second-quarter 2026 report. The direction of price changes also varied considerably.
| Texas land market region | Price per acre | Year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Gulf Coast - Brazos | $11,369 | +3.05% |
| Northeast Texas | $8,604 | −5.96% |
| Austin - Waco - Hill Country | $8,040 | +8.63% |
| South Texas | $6,225 | +0.99% |
| West Texas | $3,008 | +14.29% |
| Panhandle - South Plains | $1,719 | −7.53% |
| Far West Texas | $1,139 | +73.89% |
West Texas and Austin - Waco - Hill Country recorded increases in both price per acre and total dollar volume. Northeast Texas reported more sales but a lower price measure, while Panhandle - South Plains prices and dollar volume declined.
Far West Texas requires particular caution. The Research Center states that its results were skewed by a limited sample of sales. Its large percentage increase should not be read as evidence that individual properties throughout the region appreciated at the same rate as this was sampled on just a few highly improved sales.
Source: Texas Real Estate Research Center regional market results, 2Q 2026.
What Does the Statewide Price Measure Mean?
The Research Center describes its price series as a four-quarter moving median per acre, with the statewide figure weighted by the amount of land in each region. Sales activity is reported on a rolling four-quarter basis.
These distinctions matter: 3,753 annualized sales does not mean 3,753 sales occurred during the second quarter alone, and the statewide price measure is not a simple average of the seven regional prices.
Texas Farm and Ranch Values: Separate Measures, Different Context
USDA Farm Real Estate and Pasture Values
The USDA NASS Land Values 2026 Summary reports Texas farm real estate at $3,100 per acre, up 4.4% from $2,970 in 2025. This measure includes land and buildings on farms.
The five-year series rises from $2,440 per acre in 2022 to $3,100 in 2026. Within the agricultural land categories, 2026 Texas cropland averaged $2,790 per acre, while pasture averaged $2,420, up 5.2% from the previous year.
These figures provide agricultural valuation context. They are not interchangeable with the Research Center’s rural land sale-price series or a separate measure of hunting-property prices.
Ranchland Values and Agricultural Lending
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Agricultural Survey for the second quarter of 2026 reports Texas ranchland at $4,467 per acre, up 3.6% year over year.
The same survey reports a 7.59% fixed long-term farm real estate interest rate for the Eleventh District, compared with 7.34% in the first quarter. This is a reported survey measure, not a quoted financing offer for a particular property or borrower.
Agricultural Cash Rents and Hunting-Lease Research
Ownership values and rental rates answer different questions. The research includes 2025 Texas pasture cash rents averaging $7.70 per acre, with published county estimates ranging from $0.40 in Ector County to $21 in Falls County.
The county cash-rent summary adds local detail, although counties without publishable data are omitted. The compilation also identifies Texas rural land value and hunting-lease research.
Agricultural cash rents are not hunting-lease rates. They should remain separate when comparing potential uses of a property.
Using This Market Research for Pricing Your Texas Ranch Property
This reference combines quarterly rural land reports, annual USDA estimates, Federal Reserve surveys, county rental data, and historical research. Their publication dates and measurement periods differ, so they should not be blended into one market average.
The charts provide clear visual representations of individual market trends. The accompanying text and source links explain what those trends measure, highlight areas where results differ significantly, and identify the limitations within available data. This approach aims to make the research behind Texas land prices easier to examine, compare, and cite effectively.
