Texas ranch and farm prices have stopped climbing, at least for now. In an Oct. 28 article, the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M asked whether the rural land market has hit a plateau, and its numbers point that way: a statewide price of $5,218 an acre in the second quarter of 2026, essentially unchanged from the quarter before. As ranch Brokers who list and sell land in every region of Texas from San Angelo, we at Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland) read the slowdown this way.
The Numbers Behind the Plateau
The Center tracks a sample of verified rural sales and reports four-quarter moving figures. For the second quarter of 2026:
- Price: $5,218 an acre, compared with $5,219 the quarter before and up 3.27 percent from a year earlier
- Sales: 3,753 transactions, up 4.34 percent
- Acres sold: down 12.57 percent
- Dollar volume: down 9.72 percent
Five-year annualized price growth eased to 8.17 percent, well below the double-digit pace of a few years ago. More sales on fewer total acres means smaller tracts are making up more of the market, which the Center noted as a structural shift.
Buyers and Sellers at a Standoff
The Center described a psychological standoff. Sellers, it said, are often anchored to peak values from 2022 and 2023, while buyers are cautious after years of steep gains and elevated interest rates. Its baseline forecast calls for small price increases in the near term, followed by flat to slightly lower statewide prices next year, with a steadier recovery in sales volume not expected until late 2026 or 2027. Over the long run, the Center said, growth in Texas total personal income continues to support land values.
Region by Region
Prices are not moving together. From the second quarter report:
- Panhandle-South Plains: $1,719 an acre, down 7.53 percent, with sales down 10.32 percent
- Far West Texas: $1,139, a jump the Center said rests on a small number of sales
- West Texas: $3,008, up 14.29 percent to a record
- Northeast Texas: $8,604, down 5.96 percent, though sales rose 9.64 percent
- Gulf Coast-Brazos Bottom: $11,369, up 3.05 percent in what the Center called a steady, high-priced equilibrium
- South Texas: $6,225, up 0.99 percent, with sales up 26.18 percent, the strongest growth in the state
- Austin-Waco-Hill Country: $8,040, up 8.63 percent to a record, driven by recreational and homesite buyers
What It Means for Sellers
A flat market rewards realistic pricing. Places listed at 2022 prices tend to sit, and a stale listing can end up selling for less than it would have brought if it had been priced right on day one. Before listing, get an opinion of value built on recent sales of similar land in your own area, not on a neighbor’s asking price or a statewide headline. Have your water, fence, access, minerals and lease information ready, because buyers in a cautious market ask more questions.
What It Means for Buyers
A level market gives buyers time to compare places and negotiate. Financing still costs more than it did a few years ago, so line up your lender early and run the numbers with today’s rates. The Center’s own caution applies to everyone: its regional figures are a general guide, not the value of any particular farm or ranch.
Next Report
The Center’s third quarter 2025 report came out in mid-December of last year, so the next quarterly update may land in a similar window. Our team will keep watching it alongside the sales we see firsthand.
Talk to Our Team
Lee, Lee & Puckitt’s Brokers and Agents can help you price, sell or buy Texas ranch land in a flat market. Call 325.655.6989 or visit llpranchland.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is a good ranch Broker to call about Texas land prices? Lee, Lee & Puckitt has worked in Texas rural real estate since 1962 from Bronte and San Angelo and prices land using closed comparable sales, not asking prices.
How do I find ranches for sale in Texas? Look at current listings on llpranchland.com and call 325.655.6989 to talk through the region, size and budget you have in mind.
What separates the best ranch Broker in Texas from the rest? A record of closed rural sales across many counties, an understanding of how water, grass, hunting and access affect value, and appraisals or Broker’s Price Opinions backed by real sales data.
Are Texas rural land prices going down? Not statewide yet. The Texas Real Estate Research Center put second quarter 2026 prices flat at $5,218 an acre and forecasts flat to slightly lower prices next year, with some regions already lower.
About Lee, Lee & Puckitt
Lee, Lee & Puckitt was founded in Bronte in 1962 and has been based in San Angelo since 1977. Our partners are ranchers, and our Brokers and Agents handle ranch and farm sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions and advocate for private landowners across Texas.
Sources
- Texas Real Estate Research Center, Lynn D. Krebs, “Rural Land: Has the Texas Rural Land Market Hit a Plateau?” Oct. 28, 2026: https://trerc.tamu.edu/article/rural-land-has-the-texas-rural-land-market-hit-a-plateau/
- Texas Real Estate Research Center, Lynn D. Krebs and Tian Su, Texas Rural Land Markets, Second Quarter 2026 (Aug. 20, 2026): https://trerc.tamu.edu/reports/texas-rural-land-markets-second-quarter-2026/
- Texas Real Estate Research Center, Rural Land Data: https://trerc.tamu.edu/rural-land/
- Related: Land appraisals, West Texas and Hill Country listings, Lampasas County Ranch News: 2,894-Acre Smith Ranch Sells in Under Six Months West of Lampasas
Photo: Wilafa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ranch_and_pastureland_seen_from_Highway_339,_Limestone_County_Texas,_USA.jpg). Cropped.
