How Much Does 1 Acre of Land Cost in the U.S. (2025)? Real Ranges, Factors, and Buyer Checklists

TL;DR

• Nationwide, the cost of 1 acre of land swings from a few thousand dollars in remote areas to millions inside major metros.
• Typical 2025 ranges: rural/recreational ($2k-$12k); cropland ($2k-$60k+ depending on irrigation and region); suburban residential land ($250k-$3M/acre); urban infill ($1M-$10M+).
• Main drivers: location, zoning/entitlements, utilities and road access, water rights, soil/flood risk, and parcel size/shape.
• Quick estimate method: find 3-5 nearby comps, adjust for utilities and zoning, apply a size discount (5-20%), add 10-35% for soft costs and site work.
• Authoritative sources to sanity-check: USDA Land Values Summary (farm), state/university farmland surveys, your county GIS/assessor, and Realtor land comps.

What 1 Acre Costs in the U.S. Right Now (and Why)

People ask this because the spread is wild. In one county, you can buy 20 acres for the price of a parking spot in a big city. I live in Los Angeles, and an entitled infill acre here can trade at numbers that make your eyes water. Drive a few hours into high desert, and you’ll find acreage listed for the price of a used car. So the real question isn’t “what’s the average?” but “what’s the range for my location and land type?”

Here’s how to think about it. First, pin down the land type. Is it rural recreational, farm/crop, residential (buildable), or commercial/industrial? Price per acre largely starts with that box. Then layer in utilities, legal status (zoning and entitlements), access, and constraints like floodplains or slope. Finally, size matters: the bigger the parcel, the lower the per-acre price-until you cut it up and sell as smaller lots.

These are credible, current ranges for 2025 based on industry reports and what brokers, appraisers, and public data show. For agriculture, use USDA’s annual Land Values Summary as your anchor-those numbers move yearly and differ by state and region. Many states also run independent surveys (Iowa State University, Texas A&M, University of Nebraska, Purdue) that give sharper local reads. For residential and commercial land, local MLS comps, assessor rolls, and Realtor land market surveys paint the picture.

Why the wide ranges? Three forces dominate:

• Use and entitlements: Zoned and entitled land is worth more than speculative dirt. A parcel with an approved subdivision map can be 2-5x the price of raw acreage next door.
• Utilities and access: Paved road, power at the lot line, municipal water/sewer, and fiber can add tens of thousands per acre. No legal access or expensive utility runs can halve value.
• Scarcity and income: In cities, land price mirrors what can be built (density, rents, cap rates). In farming areas, it tracks income potential (yields, commodity prices, water).

Credible reference points you can trust: the USDA Land Values Summary (farm real estate, cropland, pasture) published every August, state ag school land surveys (they gather sales and expert opinions), and Federal Reserve district reports that note land trends. For residential/commercial, lean on local MLS land comps, assessor sales data, and your city’s planning portal for zoning details.

How to Price a Specific Acre: Steps, Math, Real Examples

If you only need one thing from this guide, it’s this: use local comps, then adjust like an appraiser. The internet averages are just guardrails. Here’s a simple way to land on a number you can defend.

1. Define the land type and end use. Are you building a home, farming, or holding for the long term? Your end use affects what “value” means.
2. Pull 3-5 recent nearby sales. Aim for the past 6-12 months within 10-25 miles, same county if possible. Use MLS (agent), county recorder/assessor, and land marketplaces. Note price, size, utilities, zoning, access, and days on market.
3. Normalize to price per acre. Price per acre = sale price ÷ acres. For small platted lots, convert to $/acre using 43,560 sq ft = 1 acre.
4. Adjust for utilities and access. Add 10-40% if your parcel has paved access, power, water, and sewer while comps don’t. Subtract if you’re missing something they had.
5. Adjust for zoning/entitlements. If you’re entitled for higher density or a by-right use the comps didn’t have, add 15-50%. If you’re raw and they were entitled, subtract similarly.
6. Adjust for constraints. Floodplain, steep slope, poor soils, wetlands, easements, or deed restrictions reduce usable area. Discount the impacted percentage at a 50-100% haircut depending on severity.
7. Apply a size discount. Bigger parcels sell for less per acre. As a quick rule: 5-10% discount for 5-10 acres vs. 1-2-acre comps; 10-20% for 20+ acres.
8. Cross-check with income (if applicable). For farm or commercial land, check if the price implies a sensible return (cash rent, crop income, or future project pro forma).
9. Validate with a local pro. A conversation with a land-savvy broker, appraiser, or attorney can save you thousands and months of hassle.

Handy math you’ll use a lot:

• Price per acre = Sale price ÷ Acres.
• Price per square foot = Sale price ÷ 43,560.
• Usable acreage = Total acres × (1 − % constrained). Value the unusable portion at a heavy discount.

Realistic examples to set expectations:

• Remote recreational acre (Mountain West): A 10-acre off-grid tract sells at $35,000 ($3,500/acre). Your target 1-acre parcel is a legal lot with gravel road and power at the line. Utility/access uplift of ~25% gets you near $4,375/acre. If your lot is smaller and more marketable than the 10-acre comp, you might trim the size discount and round to $5,000/acre.
• Corn Belt cropland: Two recent 80-acre sales at $11,200 and $12,000 per acre with similar soils and tile drainage. Your 40-acre parcel is slightly lower CSR2/PI soil rating. Knock off 5-8%, landing ~$10,500-$11,400 per acre. Check the county cash rent at, say, $300/acre; you’re implying a 2.6-2.9% gross yield before appreciation-consistent with many 2024-2025 farm sales. Cross-check with the state ag survey to confirm.
• Suburban residential infill (Sun Belt): A 1.2-acre lot with R-3 zoning (up to 9 units/acre), all utilities, closed at $1.9M. Your 1-acre site has the same zoning but needs a small sewer extension estimated at $80k. Adjust down by the cost plus headache (say −$120k), then adjust for slightly lower density due to shape (−10%). You’re in the ballpark of $1.6-$1.7M per acre.

Pro tips from people who do this all day:

• Call the planner before you write an offer. A 10-minute zoning chat can add or erase six figures of value.
• Never assume water/sewer is stubbed-ask for utility maps and will-serve letters. Power “nearby” can still mean a five-figure extension.
• Perk tests are king on rural residential. No perk, no conventional septic, no build-price that risk in.
• Ask for the last three years of farm yields, lease terms, and tile maps. For irrigated land, confirm water rights and priority dates.
• Check legal access. Easement language should be recorded and specific. “We’ve always driven through Joe’s gate” is not access.

What the data says, briefly: the USDA’s 2024 Land Values Summary shows farm real estate and cropland values rising again in many states, with irrigated land strongest where water is reliable. University surveys (like Iowa State’s annual land value report) confirm premium prices for top soils. Realtor land market surveys in 2024 reported steady to firm demand in residential and industrial land, especially near high-growth corridors, while raw recreational tracts vary with interest rates and migration patterns.

Costs Beyond the Dirt, Mini‑FAQ, and Your Next Moves

Budgeting only for the land price is how buyers blow timelines and bank accounts. Your total landed cost includes fees to transfer the dirt and money to make it usable.

Common add-ons to plan for:

• Closing costs (buyer): Title, escrow, recording, lender fees where applicable. Rule of thumb: 1-3% on cash deals, 2-5% with financing.
• Survey and lot line work: $1,000-$6,000 depending on terrain and county; more for large or tricky boundaries.
• Environmental and soils: Phase I ESA ($2,000-$3,000) for commercial/industrial; perk test and soils ($600-$2,500) for rural residential.
• Utilities: Power drop ($2,500-$20,000+), well ($5,000-$25,000+), septic ($6,000-$25,000+), sewer/water taps (can be $10,000-$50,000+ in some cities).
• Access and site work: Driveway/road base ($5-$25 per linear foot), grading ($1-$5 per sq ft disturbed), culverts, drainage.
• Entitlements/permits: Planning fees, impact fees, school/traffic fees where applicable. Can range from a few grand in small towns to six figures per lot in high-cost metros.
• Carrying costs: Property taxes, HOA/POA dues, and loan interest if financed.

Heuristics that save time:

• If the land is cheap for the area, assume it lacks something expensive. Confirm utilities and access first.
• In growth corridors, entitled land tends to outpace inflation. Raw land may lag unless the zoning tide turns.
• When price per acre looks high, work backward from what can be built and sold or rented. If the residual doesn’t pencil, keep walking.

Quick decision tree to sanity-check your offer:

• Is zoning compatible with your plan today? If no, talk to planning about probability and timeline before you proceed.
• Are water/sewer available at the lot line? If no, price in well/septic or utility extensions with a 20% contingency.
• Any floodplain, wetlands, or steep slopes? If yes, discount the unusable acres and add design/mitigation costs.
• Are there clean recent comps? If no, widen your radius but stay in the same regulatory and utility context.

Buyer checklist you can print:

• Confirm legal access (recorded easement or public road) and frontage.
• Pull zoning map, permitted uses, and any overlays (flood, environmental, airport noise).
• Get utility maps and will-serve letters (power, water, sewer, gas, fiber).
• Order a survey if boundaries or acreage are in doubt.
• Run soil/perk tests for septic; Phase I ESA for commercial/industrial.
• Check water rights, wells, and well logs (state database) in the West.
• Ask for CCRs/HOA rules and road maintenance agreements.
• Confirm taxes, ag exemptions, current leases, and any rollbacks if you change use.
• Verify mineral rights, timber, and any encumbrances.

Mini‑FAQ

• How big is an acre? 43,560 square feet. Think a football field minus the end zones.
• Why do larger parcels sell for less per acre? Fewer buyers can take down big tracts, and there’s more work before they become small lots. That illiquidity discount is real.
• What raises value the fastest? Entitlements and utilities. Getting a parcel from raw to build-ready can double or triple per-acre value-if the market supports it.
• Can I finance land? Yes. Banks often want 20-35% down for land-only loans, with higher rates and shorter terms than home mortgages. Seller financing is common on rural tracts.
• How do property taxes affect value? High taxes or losing an ag exemption can drag returns. Always check current classification and potential rollback taxes.
• Are auctions better for farm land? In the Midwest, many prime farms sell at auction, sometimes above list prices. Talk to a local farm broker; they’ll know the current pulse.
• What about water rights in the West? They can be more valuable than the dirt. Verify priority dates, volumes, and transferability with a water attorney.

Risks and how to hedge them:

• Entitlement risk: Don’t pay entitled-land prices for speculative land. Make offers contingent on approvals if possible.
• Utility shock: Get written estimates from utilities. Add 20-30% contingency for delays or cost creep.
• Environmental surprises: A $2-3k Phase I can save six figures if there’s legacy contamination.
• Access disputes: Recorded access trumps handshakes. Title insurance should flag gaps-read the exceptions page.

What serious buyers do next:

• Build a comp deck: 3-5 sales with photos, $/acre, zoning, utility notes. It’s your map and your negotiation tool.
• Call planning and utilities: Get real answers on what’s allowed and what it costs. Document names and dates.
• Walk the parcel: Look for markers, culverts, flags, and neighbor encroachments. Take a laser measure and a notebook.
• Order only the due diligence you need: Start with the cheapest high-signal tests (perk, records search) before expensive surveys.

A note on sources and credibility: For farm and rural land, lean on the USDA’s Land Values Summary (updated annually) and your state university’s land value survey; those are the benchmarks lenders and appraisers reference. Federal Reserve regional reports often summarize land price momentum and ag credit conditions. For residential and commercial, use your county GIS/assessor and MLS land sales, plus any recent appraisals you can get your hands on. In hot markets, local broker intelligence beats stale averages.

If you’re price-anchoring without comps, use this short rule set:

• Remote rural base: $2,000-$4,000/acre, then add $1,000-$8,000 for utilities/access depending on how complete they are.
• Good dryland farm: Start at the state’s USDA dryland average, then scale up/down 20% for soil ratings and tile/drainage.
• Entitled residential: Back-solve from final product value (lots or units), subtract hard/soft costs and developer margin; what’s left is land value.
• Industrial: Price per buildable square foot can be cleaner than $/acre; convert knowing coverage ratios and setbacks.

One LA reality check from me: a single entitled acre in the right pocket of LA can change hands for mid-seven figures because the zoning lets you stack rentable units and spread land cost over them. Two hours away in the Antelope Valley, you’ll find 1-2-acre lots for a fraction of that-until you add the cost to bring power and build a well. Both can be fair prices once you run the real math.

Last thing: when someone asks “How much does an acre cost in the U.S.?” the honest answer is a range with a method. Use the ranges above to set guardrails, then do the local work-comps, zoning, utilities-to land on your number. If it pencils after you load in the hidden costs, you’re not guessing anymore. You’re buying on purpose.