Average Parcel and Farm Size by US State
The average US farm in 2022 was 463 acres, from Wyoming at 2,729 acres down to Rhode Island at 56. The median new single-family home lot in 2023 was about 0.19 acre nationally, ranging from roughly 0.14 acre in the Pacific region to over 0.56 acre in New England. Farm size is reported by state; residential lot size is published only nationally and by Census region.
Updated September 2026 | Sources: USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture (farm size); US Census Bureau Survey of Construction 2023 (new-home lot size)
If you are moving from an eastern state to Texas or Montana, note: new residential lots stay fairly compact (the median new-home lot runs about 0.14 to 0.19 acre across the West and South), but farm and ranch parcels there can be 10x to 50x what you are used to. Montana's average farm is 2,374 acres - larger than an entire New Jersey township.
Average Farm Size by State (USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture)
Sorted by average farm size, largest first. Includes cropland, pasture, woodland, and farmsteads.
| State | Avg Farm (acres) |
|---|---|
| Wyoming | 2,729 |
| Montana | 2,374 |
| New Mexico | 1,865 |
| Nevada | 1,790 |
| North Dakota | 1,537 |
| Arizona | 1,528 |
| South Dakota | 1,495 |
| Nebraska | 989 |
| Colorado | 838 |
| Kansas | 804 |
| Texas | 544 |
| California | 383 |
| Illinois | 370 |
| Iowa | 345 |
| Florida | 217 |
| Ohio | 180 |
| Pennsylvania | 144 |
| Rhode Island | 56 |
National average: 463 acres per farm (USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture, released 2024).
Residential Lot Size, Nationally and by Region
The Census Bureau does not publish residential lot size by individual state. The best national measure is the median lot of new single-family detached homes in the Census Bureau Survey of Construction: 8,400 sq ft (about 0.19 acre) in 2023. Roughly 40% of new lots that year were under 7,000 sq ft (0.16 acre) and 65% under 9,000 sq ft. Lot size varies far more by Census region than the national median suggests.
Median lot of new single-family detached homes by Census division, 2023. Source: US Census Bureau Survey of Construction (NAHB analysis).
| Census region | Median lot (acres) |
|---|---|
| New England | 0.56 |
| East South Central | 0.33 |
| Mountain | 0.16 |
| West South Central | 0.15 |
| Pacific | 0.14 |
National median: 8,400 sq ft (0.19 acre), new single-family detached homes sold, 2023.
Ranch Size Norms by Region
Cattle, sheep, or mixed. Texas ranches range enormously - from 500-acre family operations to multi-million-acre King Ranch (825,000+ acres).
Cattle ranching in large-parcel western states. Many working ranches are 5,000-15,000 acres for viable cow-calf operations.
Smaller-scale ranches, often combining cattle with recreational use.
Commercial corn and soybean operations. A full-time single-family operation in Iowa or Illinois typically works 800-1,500 acres.
Timber, cattle, and specialty crops. Smaller operational units than the Great Plains.