The USDA's estimate of Oklahoma farm real estate rose from $1,690 per acre in 2016 to $2,620 per acre in 2026, a gain of about 55% in ten years, or roughly 4.5% a year compounded. Pasture rose from $1,380 to $2,200. The fastest stretch was 2021 through 2024, and the pace has slowed since: the 2026 increase was 3.1%. That series is the best long record of land values in the state, but it measures working farms and ranches, not recreational tracts, and it has been revised downward after the fact more than once.
This page lays out the series, shows where it has been revised, and separates what it can tell a recreational buyer from what it cannot. It is part of our Oklahoma recreational land guide. Nothing here is a forecast or a promise about what any tract will be worth.
The series, year by year
Figures are from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service annual Land Values summaries. Because the USDA revises earlier years, each year below is taken from the most recent summary that printed it: 2022 to 2026 from the 2026 summary, 2021 from the 2025 summary, 2020 from the 2024 summary, 2018 and 2019 from the 2022 summary, and 2016 and 2017 from the 2020 summary.
| Year | Oklahoma farm real estate, per acre | Change | Oklahoma pasture, per acre | United States farm real estate, per acre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $1,690 | $1,380 | $2,990 | |
| 2017 | $1,750 | +3.6% | $1,350 | $3,030 |
| 2018 | $1,800 | +2.9% | $1,380 | $3,100 |
| 2019 | $1,870 | +3.9% | $1,460 | $3,160 |
| 2020 | $1,810 | see note | $1,450 | $3,130 |
| 2021 | $1,900 | +5.0% | $1,550 | $3,330 |
| 2022 | $2,070 | +8.9% | $1,720 | $3,720 |
| 2023 | $2,210 | +6.8% | $1,830 | $3,970 |
| 2024 | $2,400 | +8.6% | $2,000 | $4,170 |
| 2025 | $2,540 | +5.8% | $2,100 | $4,350 |
| 2026 | $2,620 | +3.1% | $2,200 | $4,500 |
Note on 2020. The apparent dip from 2019 to 2020 is a seam between two revised editions, not a recorded fall. The 2022 summary printed 2019 at $1,870 and 2020 at $1,890, a rise of about 1%. The 2024 summary later revised 2020 to $1,810 without reprinting 2019. The safest reading is that 2019 to 2020 was roughly flat.
"Farm real estate" in this series means the value of all land and buildings used for agricultural production, including dwellings. "Pasture" is land normally grazed by livestock. The percentage changes are our arithmetic from the published values.
Three things the series shows
A long, fairly steady climb. Over ten years Oklahoma farm real estate gained about 55% and pasture about 59%. The national figure gained about 51% over the same years. Oklahoma started lower and remains lower: $2,620 against $4,500 nationally in 2026.
A surge, then a slowdown. From 2021 to 2026 Oklahoma farm real estate rose about 38%. Annual gains ran between 5.8% and 8.9% from 2022 through 2025, then dropped to 3.1% in 2026. Pasture has held up better than the overall figure in the last two years, rising 4.8% in 2026.
Very little growth after inflation in the latest year. The USDA Economic Research Service reports that the national average rose 3.4% in 2026 in nominal terms and 0.4% after adjusting for inflation. Oklahoma's 3.1% nominal gain is below the national nominal figure, which puts its 2026 change at about flat in real terms. ERS also notes that inflation-adjusted values nationally were stable from 2014 to 2020 before they began rising in 2021. Flat stretches lasting several years are part of the record.
The revisions matter more than most readers expect
The USDA revises these estimates the following year, and again after each five-year Census of Agriculture. The changes are not trivial.
| Year described | First published | Latest published | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | $2,000 (2018 summary) | $1,800 (2022 summary) | about 10% lower |
| 2022 | $2,250 (2022 summary) | $2,070 (2026 summary) | about 8% lower |
Two practical points follow. First, never splice a figure from an old article into a new series; the level may have been revised since. Second, the most recent year's number is the one most likely to be adjusted later. The 2026 figure of $2,620 is a current estimate, not a settled fact.
The estimates come from a survey. For the 2026 summary the USDA sampled about 30,000 operations nationwide between April and June and asked producers to report the value of their land. Regional offices then set state estimates using the survey results and other information. It is a well-run survey of opinion about value, not a tally of sales.
A second check: the five-year census
The Census of Agriculture asks every farm and ranch operator a similar question every five years and publishes the answer by county. For Oklahoma as a whole, the estimated market value of land and buildings rose from $1,734 per acre in 2017 to $2,192 in 2022, a gain of 26.4%.
County results varied widely over the same five years:
| County | 2017 | 2022 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pushmataha | $1,542 | $2,244 | +45.5% |
| Le Flore | $2,162 | $2,896 | +34.0% |
| Latimer | $1,796 | $2,257 | +25.7% |
| Pittsburg | $1,752 | $2,168 | +23.7% |
| McCurtain | $2,141 | $2,347 | +9.6% |
| Oklahoma statewide | $1,734 | $2,192 | +26.4% |
A statewide trend does not move every county by the same amount, and the county figures are farm values, which is why McCurtain County's small change sits alongside the highest listing prices in the region. County-level figures for the main recreational counties are in recreational land price per acre in Oklahoma by county.
What lenders and brokers reported in 2026
Two other dated sources describe the same market from different seats.
Agricultural lenders. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City surveys banks across its district, which includes Oklahoma, every quarter. In its August 14, 2026 release, lenders reported that in the second quarter of 2026 nonirrigated cropland values were about 1% higher than a year earlier, irrigated cropland about 4% higher, and ranchland more than 7% higher. Farm loan interest rates were described as slightly above their twenty-year average, though 50 basis points below a year earlier. Lenders expected steady cropland values and further growth in ranchland values over the following three months. The bank's June 2026 update tied sharp ranchland gains in some areas to strong cattle prices, and listed weaker farm income and loan repayment as headwinds. These are district-wide figures; the releases we read did not break out Oklahoma.
Land brokers. The REALTORS Land Institute and the National Association of REALTORS survey land brokers each January. Their 2026 report, covering 2025, put average price-per-acre growth across all land types at 1.5% nationally, with recreational land at 1.9%, a slower pace than the year before. Respondents expected price growth to slow further in the near term. Recreational land made up about 30% of the land sales in the survey. These are national figures drawn from brokers' own estimates.
Put together, the three sources agree on the direction for 2025 and 2026: values still rising, more slowly than in 2022 to 2024, with grazing land stronger than cropland.
What the series does not tell a recreational buyer
It is not a recreational price. The USDA figure values land by what it earns in agriculture, across whole farms. A surveyed 10-acre wooded tract with deeded access and a road is a different product. Listing-site asking averages in Oklahoma run several times the USDA figure; the comparison is in our county article.
It runs below transaction prices. A 2012 study in Agricultural Finance Review compared Oklahoma sale prices with the USDA series and the Kansas City Fed survey. The three moved together closely, but transaction prices tended to be higher, especially for ranchland.
It hides the spread. A state average says nothing about the difference between a tract near Broken Bow Lake and one two counties away, or between a five-acre and a fifty-acre tract. Those differences are covered in what drives recreational land prices.
It is driven by things recreational buyers do not control. The USDA's economists point to interest rates and the prices of alternative investments on the national side, and soil quality, government payments, rural amenity value and urban proximity on the parcel side. The Kansas City Fed's 2026 commentary points to cattle prices. A recreational tract is exposed to some of these and insulated from others.
It says nothing about next year. A ten-year average rate is a description of the past. The same data set includes years of no real growth, and the first-published figures have been revised down by 8% to 10% after the fact.
How to use trend data when you are buying
- Use the series to understand the direction of the wider market and to sanity-check claims in listings. If a seller says land in the area "doubles every five years", the USDA record for Oklahoma does not support that.
- Price the tract itself on its own features and on current comparable listings, not on the state trend. Start with how much 5 acres costs in Oklahoma.
- Budget on what you can afford to hold through a flat stretch. The yearly bills are laid out in the yearly cost of owning recreational land.
- If part of your reason for buying is financial, read recreational land as an investment first.
Blue River Realty sells surveyed tracts with legal deeded access in Southeastern Oklahoma and offers owner financing. Current listings are on our recreational land for sale page. This article is general information, not financial advice; talk to a CPA or financial adviser about your own situation.
Frequently asked questions
Are land prices going up in Oklahoma?
By the USDA's measure, yes, but more slowly than a few years ago. Oklahoma farm real estate was estimated at $2,620 per acre in 2026, up 3.1% from 2025, after annual gains of 5.8% to 8.9% between 2022 and 2025. Pasture rose 4.8% to $2,200. These are farm and ranch values from a survey, not recreational sale prices.
How much has Oklahoma land gone up in the last 10 years?
USDA estimates put Oklahoma farm real estate at $1,690 per acre in 2016 and $2,620 in 2026, a rise of about 55%, or roughly 4.5% a year compounded. Pasture rose from $1,380 to $2,200, about 59%. The national average rose about 51% over the same period. Earlier years in the series have been revised by the USDA since first publication.
Will land prices drop in Oklahoma?
Nobody can know, and this page does not forecast. What the record shows is that growth slowed in 2025 and 2026, that the national figure barely rose after inflation in 2026, and that inflation-adjusted values nationally were flat from 2014 to 2020. Agricultural lenders surveyed in mid-2026 expected steady cropland values and further ranchland gains over the following quarter.
Does the USDA land value apply to recreational land?
Only loosely. The USDA values land and buildings used for agricultural production, as estimated by farm and ranch operators. Recreational tracts are priced by buyers who want timber, terrain, water, access and privacy, and they are usually smaller. The USDA series is useful for the direction of the rural land market, not for the price of a specific recreational tract.
Why do USDA land values for past years keep changing?
The USDA revises each year's estimate the following year and again after each five-year Census of Agriculture. Oklahoma's 2022 farm real estate value was first published at $2,250 per acre and now stands at $2,070. Its 2018 value was first published at $2,000 and later revised to $1,800. Always take a year's figure from the most recent summary that prints it.
Sources
- USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Land Values 2026 Summary — released July 31, 2026: Oklahoma and United States farm real estate and pasture values for 2022 to 2026, definitions, survey method and revision policy.
- USDA NASS, Land Values summary, August 2025 and August 2024 — the 2021 and 2020 values used in the table.
- USDA NASS, Land Values 2022 Summary, 2020 Summary and 2018 Summary — the 2016 to 2019 values, and the first-published 2018 and 2022 figures used in the revisions table.
- USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture, Oklahoma County Table 8 — estimated market value of land and buildings per acre, 2017 and 2022, state and counties.
- USDA Economic Research Service, Farmland Value — 3.4% nominal and 0.4% inflation-adjusted national change in 2026; stable real values 2014 to 2020; drivers of farmland value (page updated September 23, 2026).
- Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, "Steady Tightening of Agricultural Credit Conditions Persists," August 14, 2026 — second-quarter 2026 changes in cropland and ranchland values, interest rates and lender expectations.
- Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, "Continued Resilience in Farmland Values," June 3, 2026 — cattle prices and ranchland values; farm income and repayment headwinds.
- National Association of REALTORS, "Land Market Demonstrates Price Resilience," May 5, 2026 — RLI and NAR Land Market Report: 2025 price growth by land type, near-term expectations, recreational share of sales.
- Zakrzewicz, Brorsen and Briggeman, "Comparison of alternative sources of farmland values," Agricultural Finance Review 72(1), 2012 — Oklahoma transaction prices compared with USDA and Kansas City Fed survey values.
Part of the Oklahoma Recreational Land Guide. Looking for a tract? See recreational land for sale in Oklahoma.