Average Parcel and Farm Size by US State

The average US farm in 2022 was 463 acres. The average US residential lot is about 0.19 to 0.30 acres depending on state. Here is the state-by-state breakdown, sourced from the USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture and US Census Bureau.

Updated April 2026 | Sources: USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture, US Census Bureau AHS 2023

If you are moving from an eastern state to Texas or Montana, note: the average residential lot is still fairly compact (typically 0.15 to 0.30 acres for new builds), but farm and ranch parcels in the West can be 10x to 50x what you are used to. A "small" Montana ranch may be 2,000+ 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)	Sq ft	Note
Montana	2,156	93,915,360	Largest avg farm size in US
Wyoming	2,066	89,994,960	Ranching-dominant state
Nevada	2,028	88,339,680	High percentage of rangeland
New Mexico	1,775	77,319,000	Large ranch operations
Arizona	1,572	68,476,320	Ranches and irrigated cropland
Texas	1,379	60,069,240	Diverse - grain, cattle, cotton
North Dakota	1,040	45,302,400	Large grain operations
South Dakota	1,005	43,777,800	Cattle and grain
Nebraska	907	39,508,920	Irrigated corn and cattle
Kansas	761	33,149,160	Wheat and sorghum
Colorado	709	30,884,040	Cattle, hay, and grain
Iowa	356	15,507,360	High-value corn and soybean
California	349	15,202,440	High-value crops, irrigated
Florida	205	8,929,800	Mixed citrus, cattle, specialty
Illinois	372	16,204,320	Prime corn and soybean belt
Ohio	193	8,407,080	Diversified grain farming
Pennsylvania	135	5,880,600	Diversified, many small farms
Rhode Island	59	2,570,040	Smallest avg farm size in US

National average: 463 acres per farm (USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture, released 2024).

Average Residential Lot Size by State

Source: US Census Bureau American Housing Survey 2023; NAHB lot size data 2023-2024. Single-family detached homes.

State	Avg Lot (acres)	Sq ft	Note
Vermont	0.91	39,640	Rural, low-density state
Montana	0.62	27,007	Large lots, rural character
New Mexico	0.46	20,038	Spacious suburban development
Massachusetts	0.30	13,068	Older housing stock, varied
Texas	0.29	12,632	Varies widely by city/suburb
North Carolina	0.36	15,682	Growing suburban areas
Georgia	0.30	13,068	Suburban Atlanta and exurbs
Pennsylvania	0.31	13,504	Older suburban suburbs
New York	0.33	14,375	Varies: dense NYC vs rural upstate
Ohio	0.27	11,761	Typical midwestern suburb
Illinois	0.22	9,583	Chicago suburbs and downstate
Florida	0.22	9,583	Subdivisions, active adult
New Jersey	0.19	8,276	Dense, high land costs
California	0.18	7,841	Limited supply, high costs
Nevada	0.15	6,534	Master-planned communities

Ranch Size Norms by Region

Texas working ranch2,000+ acres

Cattle, sheep, or mixed. Texas ranches range enormously - from 500-acre family operations to multi-million-acre King Ranch (825,000+ acres).

Montana / Wyoming3,000-10,000+ acres

Cattle ranching in large-parcel western states. Many working ranches are 5,000-15,000 acres for viable cow-calf operations.

Colorado / New Mexico500-1,500 acres

Smaller-scale ranches, often combining cattle with recreational use.

Midwest row-crop farm400-1,500 acres

Commercial corn and soybean operations. A full-time single-family operation in Iowa or Illinois typically works 800-1,500 acres.

Southeast / South100-500 acres

Timber, cattle, and specialty crops. Smaller operational units than the Great Plains.

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