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North Texas land prices 2026 are not following the statewide trend. Across eight counties and 1,034 closed transactions, the data shows a split market. Some counties held value. Others gave back two years of gains in six months. That spread defines North Texas land prices 2026. The median price per acre fell 7.5% in the first half of 2026 against the matched 2025 window, while the statewide rural land market kept climbing.
That divergence is the story. Texas Rural Land Prices 2025 closed the year at a $5,214 per acre statewide median, up 6.56% year over year, with four straight quarters of accelerating growth. North Texas 10 to 50 acre tracts trade at four to six times that statewide figure because of metro proximity. When metro-adjacent land softens while the broader state climbs, the gap tells you where demand is actually moving. This is the ground-level read on North Texas land prices 2026, built from NTREIS closed-sale data covering January 2024 through June 2026.
The Overall Numbers Behind North Texas Land Prices 2026
Three years of medians frame the shift. The 2024 full year posted a $25,926 median price per acre across 476 transactions. The 2025 full year edged up to $26,524 across 400 transactions, a 2.3% gain. Then 2026 YTD dropped to $24,387 across 158 transactions, down 7.5% against the same January through June 8 window in 2025.
Volume tells the parallel story. The market ran 476 transactions in 2024 and 400 in 2025. The 2026 annualized pace sits near 300, roughly a 25% decline from 2024. Fewer deals are closing, and the ones that close are clearing at lower medians. Thin volume is part of the North Texas land prices 2026 picture. That combination is what separates a healthy market from a thinning one.
Two things are true at once. The statewide tailwind is real. The local 2026 correction is also real. North Texas land prices 2026 reflect a metro-adjacent market working off a premium that ran ahead of fundamentals.
County Breakdown: Where North Texas Land Prices 2026 Split
The county data is where North Texas land prices 2026 show the split market most clearly.
North Texas Land Prices 2026 by County
Median price per acre, 10 to 50 acre tractsSource: NTREIS via Focus1st. Vacant land 10 to 50 acres. 2026 figures are YTD through June 8, compared to the matched Jan 1 to Jun 8 window in 2025. Tarrant and the larger tract buckets carry thin volume; read directionally. Per-acre figures are medians.
Grayson held flat. Three years of medians barely moved: $28,800, then $30,000, then $30,036. Sherman and Denison metro growth gives the county a consistent demand floor without the volatility of the closer-in markets. With 111 transactions on the books, Grayson anchors the steady side of North Texas land prices 2026 with statistical weight rather than noise.
Parker posted a gain. Up 4% YTD as DFW growth pushes west along the I-20 corridor. The 2026 sample is thinner than the full-year figures, so read it as directional, but the direction is up.
Denton reversed hardest. It led every county in 2025 at $55,809, then fell to $34,455 YTD, a 38% drop. That is the sharpest correction in the dataset. The premium buyers paid for metro-adjacent Denton land outran what the fundamentals supported, and 2026 is the repricing. Denton is the sharpest correction in North Texas land prices 2026.
Collin slid for a third year. From $50,000 to $48,750 to $37,064 YTD. Smaller tracts cushioned the fall. The 10 to 20 acre bucket held near $56,282 YTD while larger parcels compressed harder.
Hunt, Fannin, and Cooke softened together. Hunt down 19%, Fannin down 8%, Cooke down 24% YTD. These are the high-volume Northeast Texas rural counties. When they move down in tandem, it points to broad demand fatigue across the rural corridor, not an isolated county problem.
Tarrant shows a $46,342 YTD median, but with only five transactions this year, treat it as a thin-volume signal, not a trend.
Acreage Size: The Demand Signal in North Texas Land Prices 2026
Tract size separates the rate-sensitive buyers from the patient ones, and it splits North Texas land prices 2026 along buyer profile.
The 10 to 20 acre segment is the one to watch. It is by far the most liquid, accounting for 400 of 634 transactions across 2024 and 2025. A 9% YTD decline in the most-traded size class is a broad demand signal, not a niche move. When the liquid segment cools, the whole market feels it, which is why this bucket leads North Texas land prices 2026.
The 20 to 30 acre class stayed essentially flat, the steadiest size bucket in 2026 YTD. The larger tracts, 30 to 40 and 40 to 50 acres, show YTD gains, but on thin volume of 47 and 38 transactions across the prior two years combined. Buyers in those categories tend to be ranchers, ag operators, and long-hold investors. That profile is less rate-sensitive, and it has not pulled back the way smaller-tract buyers have.
One Denton outlier deserves a flag, not a headline. The county’s 40 to 50 acre bucket shows $93,808 in 2025 and $106,250 YTD, but on fewer than five transactions. Those are almost certainly development-adjacent parcels near infrastructure. It is a data point, not a trend.
Days on Market: The Leading Indicator
Price tells you where the market has been. Days on market tells you where it is going.
| Period | Median DOM | Transactions |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Full Year | 86 days | 400 |
| 2025 Full Year | 86 days | 400 |
| 2026 YTD | 106 days | 158 |
DOM held flat at 86 days for two straight years, then jumped to 106 in 2026 YTD, a 23% increase. Land is sitting longer before buyers commit. That pattern typically runs ahead of further price softening, and it is the clearest forward read on North Texas land prices 2026 unless demand recovers in the back half of the year.
The list-to-close ratio confirms the direction. Sellers captured 95% of list price in 2024 and 2025, then 93% YTD in 2026. The erosion is modest. Land is not discounting heavily. But the DOM jump and the ratio slip point the same way.
For sellers, the math is direct. A property that would have closed in 86 days at asking in 2025 may need 106 days or more in 2026, or a price adjustment to hold the original timeline. Both paths belong in the listing conversation from day one.
What North Texas Land Prices 2026 Mean by Audience
Buyers. Leverage has shifted your way in the metro-adjacent counties. Denton and Collin are repricing. Longer DOM means more room to negotiate terms and price, especially on tracts that have been listed past the 106-day median.
Sellers. Price to the 2026 market, not the 2025 peak. In Denton and Collin, the 2025 comps are no longer the comps. Grayson and Parker sellers have a stronger hand. Everyone should plan for a longer marketing window.
Agents. The split market is the listing conversation. Grayson and Parker support firmer pricing. Denton, Collin, and the rural northeast counties need realistic expectations set before the sign goes up. The DOM trend is your evidence for how North Texas land prices 2026 are likely to move next.
What is the median price per acre for North Texas land in 2026?
The median is $24,387 per acre for vacant 10 to 50 acre tracts in 2026 YTD, based on 158 closed NTREIS transactions through June 8. That is down 7.5% from the matched 2025 window.
Which North Texas counties are holding value in 2026?
Grayson and Parker. Grayson held flat at roughly $30,000 per acre across three years. Parker posted a 4% YTD gain on DFW growth moving west along I-20.
Which counties saw the biggest price drops in North Texas land prices 2026?
Denton fell hardest at 38% YTD, from $55,809 to $34,455. Collin dropped 24% to $37,064, and Cooke also fell 24% to $20,000.
How long does land take to sell in North Texas in 2026?
The median is 106 days in 2026 YTD, up from 86 days in both 2024 and 2025. That 23% increase is the clearest leading indicator of softening demand.
What size tract is selling best in North Texas right now?
The 20 to 30 acre class is the most stable, essentially flat YTD. The 10 to 20 acre segment is the most liquid but down 9%. Larger tracts show gains on thin volume.
How do North Texas land prices compare to the Texas statewide average?
North Texas 10 to 50 acre tracts trade at four to six times the statewide rural median of $5,214 per acre, reflecting metro proximity. The statewide market rose 6.56% in 2025 while North Texas land prices 2026 softened.
Data and Methodology
All transaction data sourced from NTREIS via Focus1st. Reflects closed sales of vacant land between 10 and 50 acres in Collin, Denton, Grayson, Hunt, Cooke, Parker, Fannin, and Tarrant counties. Dataset covers January 1, 2024 through June 11, 2026. 1,034 qualifying records after filtering for valid acreage, close price above $100, and confirmed close date. Per-acre figures are median values. All North Texas land prices 2026 figures cited here are medians, not averages. 2026 YTD comparisons use a matched January 1 through June 8 window against 2025 to control for seasonality. This content is informational and does not constitute investment or financial advice.
Want the full picture for your county? This post covers the eight-county median. For tract-level activity, recent comps, and market notes specific to Collin, Denton, Grayson, Parker, and the rest, see our North Texas county land breakdowns.
