BEST PLACES TO OWN A RANCH IN THE U.S. (2024)

BEST PLACES TO OWN A RANCH IN THE U.S.

According to arecent study comparing all 50 states, the top states to own a ranch areKentucky, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Texas and Montana. There are many key factorsthat weigh into the ranking: cost of land, property taxes, climate,infrastructure and even mineral production. Below we break down each area soyou can decide where the best place is for you to own and operate your cattleranch, hunting ranch, recreational ranch or luxury ranch.

Farmand Ranch Land Prices

Thenational average cost per acre for farm and ranch land in the United States is$4,442. It has risen 4.5 percent over the past 20 years. The lowest land pricesare in Montana ($808), Oklahoma ($1,180), South Dakota ($1,186) and Wyoming($1,215). On the flip side, the highest cost per acre lies in the states of NewJersey ($12,900), California ($9,340) and Arizona ($8,026). Other popular ranchstates like Missouri, Texas and Colorado all fall well below the nationalaverage.

PropertyTax Rates

Justlike land prices, property tax rates have climbed rapidly, particularly overthe past five to 10 years. California, by far, has the highest property taxesin the nation at more than $17,000 per farm on average. Nebraska has seen the biggest spike in property tax rates,increasing more than 30 percent since 2012. The average rate per farm in thestate is $16,151. Although South Dakota has some of the lowest cost of land inthe country, they come in third for highest property tax rates at $9,568 per farm.

Thelowest property taxes are in the states of Texas and Nevada, which don’t havestate property tax.

MineralRights and Production

Inthe last five years, five states have led the country in mineral production,accounting for nearly one-third of the total mineral production value for theU.S. Those states are Nevada, Arizona, Texas, California and Minnesota. You canview all mineral rights by state on theMineral Rights Forum.

OverallRankings for Best Places to Own a Ranch

LawnStarterrecently conducted a survey comparing all 50 states across 44 keymetrics to rank the best states to own a farm or ranch. Some of the metricsincluded infrastructure, cost, environmental factors and potential returns.

Thestudy concluded that the top 10 states for owning a ranch were as follows:

1.Kentucky

2.Oklahoma

3.North Dakota

4.Texas

5.Montana

6.Arkansas

7.Idaho

8.Iowa

9.Kansas

10.Nebraska

Comingin close behind these states were Missouri, Tennessee and Wyoming.

Weasked some of our ranch land experts from across the country atUC Ranch Propertiesand United Country Real Estate to tell us which state they believeis the best to own and operate a ranch. Here are some of their responses:

Colorado.

“Withour water resources, the National Forest and state land leases for grazing, youdon’t have to buy or own a large piece of land to operate a ranch. The troutfishing is legendry and world class. Then, add theincredible hunting we have for deer, elk, bear and mountain lions on top ofthat for more adventure or for additional lease income from your ranchproperty. Our skiing is always close by any ranch property for winterrecreation as well. We have I-70 running east to west and I-25 bisecting thestate north to south, so accessing your ranch is pretty convenient.” MichaelKrieg,United Country |Real Colorado Properties.

Idaho.

“NorthernIdaho! We have the Selway, Lochsa and Clearwater Rivers. Amazing fishing forstarters, great elk, other big game and deer hunting, lots of pheasant, grouseand turkey hunting. Idaho has productive cattle ranchesand state land to graze on, including plentiful hay fields. .”- CandiceCrosby-Short,United Country |Steelhead Realty.

Oklahoma.

“InSoutheast Oklahoma, we have the best of it all. We have several rivers,grasses, hayfields, woods and a lot of ranches here. This is cattle country atit* best!” – Kam Harden,United Country |AltaTerra Realty and Auction.

“InSouthern Oklahoma, there is easy access to the rodeo circuit. Very low propertytaxes, less expensive property and world renowned horse trainers and breeders.The Noble Foundation also has a massive amount of resources developed forfarmers and ranches investing nine figures into research and development.” –Marcus Cunningham,United Country |Southern Oklahoma Realty.

Missouri.

“Wehave ample water, plentiful grass and favorable private property rights. We canrun one cow/calf pair per three acres, combined with some of the lowest landprices in the Midwest and Southeast. We have plenty of ground water and rainand, while we have all for seasons, none are extreme. We graze 12 months ayear. Very low property taxes too. And, as an added bonus, our rolling hillsgive us more grazing per acre.” – Liz Citron,United Country |Ozarks Realty and Auction Group.

Texas.

“Texasis cattle country. We have them everywhere with pastures dotted with oil wells.In this area south of Houston we have a lot of wide open land. Easy access to major cities and excellent transportationinfrastructure.” – Chuck Redman,United Country | TexasLandmark Properties.

“Texasis known as “The Lone Star State.” There are many benefits of owning a ranchthat has potential of making money here. A ranch you choose could be forraising cattle, growing crops, equine boarding business, an event center andmore. Land can be leased, which allows others to use it for their business,said Wendy Johnson, owner/broker for United Country | Texas LandmarkProperties. “You can make a profit by owing a ranch in Texas no matter whatsize it is. There are also tax advantages; whether it is a homestead residenceexemption, wildlife/conservation tax exemption, agricultural or timberexemptions. A working farm is also entitled to deductions like depreciation,equipment, operating losses, utilities and salaries.”

Overall,ranches are available in every state in the U.S. and you can find luxuryranches, prime hunting, fishing and recreational ranches, cattle ranches andother ranch properties for sale in nearly every state if you’re looking foryour dream ranch or to expand your ranching operations. EvenHawaiihas beautiful ranchland. If you’re looking to buy or sell your ranchland, contact one of our ranch experts at United Country and UC RanchProperties. Find an agent near you or search all available ranch propertylistings atwww.UnitedCountry.com.