No agency publishes a price series for recreational land in Oklahoma, so any honest answer is built from three yardsticks that measure different things. The USDA's 2022 Census of Agriculture valued farm land and buildings in the main recreational counties at roughly $1,900 to $3,700 per acre. The USDA's 2026 statewide estimate is $2,620 per acre for farm real estate and $2,200 for pasture. Average asking prices on listing sites run well above both: $9,212 per acre statewide and $3,461 to $5,870 in the southeastern mountain counties when we recorded them in September 2026. A surveyed recreational tract usually prices above its county's farm value and somewhere around its county's asking average, adjusted for tract size.
This page sets those numbers side by side for the counties recreational buyers actually shop, states where each one comes from, and says what none of them can tell you. It is part of our Oklahoma recreational land guide.
The three yardsticks, and what each one measures
1. Census of Agriculture county values (2022). Every five years the USDA asks farm and ranch operators to estimate the market value of their land and buildings. The result is published for every county as an average per acre. It is the only official per-acre figure that exists at county level. Its limits: it is an operator's estimate and not a sale price, it covers only land in farms, it includes buildings, and the latest edition describes 2022.
2. USDA Land Values summary (2026). Each summer the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service publishes a state-level estimate from a survey of about 30,000 operations nationwide. It is current, but it stops at the state line. There is no county breakdown.
3. Listing-site asking averages (September 2026). Sites such as LandSearch publish the average asking price per acre of everything currently listed in a county. These are current and local, but they are asking prices, not sold prices. They include improved properties and small lots, and a handful of expensive listings can move a thin county's average a long way.
None of the three is a recreational land index. Read them together: the Census figure is a floor set by farm value, the asking average is the middle of what sellers are currently hoping for, and the actual sale price of a given tract is a private number that sits somewhere near the second and seldom below the first.
County table: recreational counties statewide
Census columns are the USDA's "estimated market value of land and buildings, average per acre" for 2022 and 2017. The asking column is LandSearch's county average asking price per acre as we recorded it on September 4, 2026 for our five-acre cost article; a blank means we did not record that county, not that it has no listings.
| County | Part of the state | Census farm value per acre, 2022 | 2017 | Change 2017-22 | Avg asking price per acre, Sept 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pushmataha | Southeast, Kiamichi Mountains | $2,244 | $1,542 | +45.5% | $4,179 |
| Latimer | Southeast, Kiamichi and Ouachita | $2,257 | $1,796 | +25.7% | $3,461 |
| Le Flore | Southeast, Ouachita | $2,896 | $2,162 | +34.0% | $4,253 |
| McCurtain | Southeast, Broken Bow | $2,347 | $2,141 | +9.6% | $16,930 |
| Pittsburg | Southeast, McAlester | $2,168 | $1,752 | +23.7% | $5,870 |
| Atoka | Southeast | $2,051 | $1,834 | +11.8% | |
| Choctaw | Southeast, Hugo | $2,605 | $1,774 | +46.8% | |
| Haskell | East, Lake Eufaula | $2,498 | $1,902 | +31.3% | |
| McIntosh | East, Lake Eufaula | $2,601 | $1,901 | +36.8% | |
| Sequoyah | East, Sallisaw | $3,093 | $2,191 | +41.2% | |
| Cherokee | Northeast, Tahlequah | $3,676 | $2,483 | +48.0% | $20,689 |
| Adair | Northeast, Ozark edge | $3,426 | $2,392 | +43.2% | |
| Delaware | Northeast, Grand Lake | $3,409 | $2,729 | +24.9% | $11,636 |
| Mayes | Northeast | $3,529 | $2,780 | +26.9% | |
| Osage | North | $1,883 | $1,592 | +18.3% | |
| Murray | South-central, Arbuckles | $2,724 | $2,138 | +27.4% | |
| Johnston | South-central | $2,523 | $1,872 | +34.8% | |
| Marshall | South-central, Lake Texoma | $2,584 | $2,422 | +6.7% | |
| Love | South-central | $2,908 | $2,455 | +18.5% | |
| Comanche | Southwest, Lawton and the Wichitas | $2,715 | $1,928 | +40.8% | $12,407 |
| Ellis | West | $1,200 | $994 | +20.7% | |
| Roger Mills | West | $1,374 | $1,282 | +7.2% | |
| Oklahoma statewide | $2,192 | $1,734 | +26.4% | $9,212 |
For scale, the same Census table puts the metro counties at $8,800 per acre (Oklahoma County), $7,122 (Tulsa County) and $6,757 (Cleveland County). Those are farm values on the edge of cities, and they show how much of any county number is location and how little is soil.
What the gap between the two columns tells you
Divide the asking average by the Census farm value and the counties sort themselves into two groups.
| County | Asking average as a multiple of 2022 Census farm value |
|---|---|
| Latimer | about 1.5 times |
| Le Flore | about 1.5 times |
| Pushmataha | about 1.9 times |
| Pittsburg | about 2.7 times |
| Delaware | about 3.4 times |
| Comanche | about 4.6 times |
| Cherokee | about 5.6 times |
| McCurtain | about 7.2 times |
The two columns are four years apart and measure different things, so the multiples are a rough signal and nothing more precise than that. Some of the gap is simply time: the USDA's statewide farm real estate figure rose from $2,070 in 2022 to $2,620 in 2026, about 27%. Even after allowing for that, the pattern holds.
In Latimer, Le Flore and Pushmataha counties, listings are still priced within shouting distance of farm value. Land there is mostly sold as land: timber, pasture and hunting ground in tracts of tens of acres. In McCurtain, Cherokee, Delaware and Comanche counties, the listing average has pulled far away from farm value. That happens where the listings are dominated by small lots, lake and river frontage, cabin sites and parcels near a town, which is a different product from acreage. Our five-acre article walks through the McCurtain County case in detail, where the Broken Bow cabin market prices lots near the lake at several times what the same mountains cost one county west.
The practical reading for a recreational buyer: a county's low multiple suggests you are paying mostly for ground. A high multiple suggests you are paying for a location, a lake or a rental market, and should check whether you want what the premium buys. Our comparison of the Broken Bow area against Talihina and Poteau covers that choice.
Region by region
Southeast: Kiamichi and Ouachita counties. Pushmataha, Latimer and Le Flore carry the lowest asking averages among the forested recreational counties we recorded, at $3,461 to $4,253 per acre in September 2026, on Census farm values of $2,244 to $2,896. Pushmataha's Census value rose 45.5% between 2017 and 2022, one of the larger moves in the table. This is where Blue River Realty sells surveyed tracts with legal deeded access; see recreational land for sale in Oklahoma, the Le Flore County and Latimer County pages, and the Kiamichi Mountains guide for land buyers.
Southeast: McCurtain County. Census farm value of $2,347 per acre, barely changed from 2017, against an asking average of $16,930. The farm market and the cabin-lot market in this county are almost unrelated to each other. See land near Broken Bow.
East and northeast: lake and Ozark counties. Cherokee, Adair, Delaware, Mayes and Sequoyah all carried Census farm values above $3,000 per acre in 2022, the highest rural values in the table, and Cherokee and Delaware show asking averages in five figures. Expect smaller tracts and more competition from residential buyers.
South-central: Arbuckles and Lake Texoma. Murray, Johnston, Marshall and Love sat between $2,523 and $2,908 per acre in the 2022 Census. We did not record asking averages for these counties, so check a listing site directly before relying on any number for them.
Southwest and west. Comanche County's farm value was $2,715 with an asking average of $12,407, a gap that reflects the Lawton market more than the mountains. Farther west, Ellis and Roger Mills counties were $1,200 and $1,374 per acre in the Census, the lowest in the table, in open country sold in large blocks.
For how the regions differ in terrain, public land and use, see the best regions for recreational land in Oklahoma.
How to price one specific tract
County averages narrow the range. They do not price a tract. Three steps do most of the remaining work.
Adjust for size. Small tracts cost more per acre than large ones because survey, title, road and closing costs are spread over fewer acres. Our five-acre article measures that premium inside southeastern Oklahoma. A county average built on 60-acre listings will understate what a 10-acre tract costs per acre.
Look for sold prices in the county records. Oklahoma taxes deeds at 75 cents for each $500 of consideration, or fraction of it, under 68 O.S. § 3201, and the stamps are affixed to the recorded deed. Where a deed in the county clerk's records shows its stamps, dividing the stamp amount by 0.75 and multiplying by 500 gives the approximate price paid, to within $500. The method has limits: the statute excludes the value of any lien that stays on the property, some transfers are exempt, and you still have to know what the tract was like on the day it sold. A title company or a local agent can help read these records.
Price the differences. Legal access, a built road, utilities at the line, water and buildable ground move the price of an individual tract more than the county does. Those are covered in what drives recreational land prices.
This page is general information, not an appraisal. If the number matters to a loan, an estate or a tax filing, hire a licensed appraiser.
For Blue River Realty's current tracts and prices, see available land or ask us for the current terms.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average price per acre for recreational land in Oklahoma?
There is no official recreational figure. The nearest dated benchmarks are the USDA's 2026 statewide estimates of $2,620 per acre for farm real estate and $2,200 for pasture, and a statewide average asking price of $9,212 per acre on LandSearch in September 2026. The asking figure includes metro parcels, small lots and improved property, so rural recreational acreage usually falls between the two.
Which Oklahoma counties have the lowest recreational land prices?
Among forested southeastern counties, Latimer, Pushmataha and Le Flore had the lowest average asking prices we recorded in September 2026, at $3,461, $4,179 and $4,253 per acre. Western counties such as Ellis and Roger Mills had lower USDA Census farm values, $1,200 and $1,374 per acre in 2022, but that is open rangeland sold in large blocks, a different kind of property.
Why is the USDA county value so much lower than listing prices?
They measure different things. The Census of Agriculture figure is what farm operators estimated their land and buildings were worth in 2022, across whole farms. Listing averages are current asking prices and include small lots, lake frontage, cabins and parcels near towns. Asking prices are also not sold prices. The gap is smallest where land is sold mainly as acreage and largest near lakes and cities.
Are asking prices the same as what land sells for?
No. An asking price is what a seller hopes to get. We know of no free statewide database of Oklahoma land sale prices, though the documentary stamps on a recorded deed can indicate the price paid. Treat any county asking average as the middle of sellers' expectations on the day it was recorded, and expect it to change as listings come and go.
How often do these numbers change?
The USDA state estimate is published once a year, at the end of July or in early August. The Census of Agriculture county values are published every five years; the 2022 edition is the latest, and the next will describe 2027. Listing-site averages change daily. Any county asking figure more than a few months old should be re-checked before you rely on it.
Sources
- USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture, Oklahoma, Volume 1 Chapter 2, County Table 8 — estimated market value of land and buildings, average per acre, 2022 and 2017, for Oklahoma and every county in the table (accessed October 2026). Percentage changes and multiples are our arithmetic.
- USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Land Values 2026 Summary — released July 31, 2026: Oklahoma farm real estate $2,620 per acre in 2026 and $2,070 in 2022; pasture $2,200; survey method and sample of about 30,000 operations.
- LandSearch, Land Prices in Oklahoma — average asking price per acre statewide and by county, as recorded September 4, 2026 in our five-acre article. Asking prices, not closed sales; includes improved properties.
- Blue River Realty, How Much Does 5 Acres Cost in Oklahoma? — the September 2026 county asking figures, the small-tract premium and the McCurtain County comparison.
- Oklahoma Statutes, Title 68, § 3201 (Oklahoma Senate compilation) — documentary stamp tax of $0.75 per $500 of consideration or fraction, exclusive of liens remaining on the property; § 3203, stamps affixed before recording.
- Zakrzewicz, Brorsen and Briggeman, "Comparison of alternative sources of farmland values," Agricultural Finance Review 72(1), 2012 — in Oklahoma, transaction prices tended to run higher than USDA and Federal Reserve survey values.
- USDA Economic Research Service, Farmland Value — rural amenity value and urban proximity as parcel-level drivers of value (page updated September 23, 2026).
Part of the Oklahoma Recreational Land Guide. Looking for a tract? See recreational land for sale in Oklahoma.