Special Report
America's Most (and Least) Valuable States
June 3, 2015 5:57 am
Last Updated: December 4, 2019 7:28 am
26. Minnesota
> Value of land per acre: $8,191
> Total value: $416 billion (17th highest)
> Total acres: 50.8 million (13th largest)
Minnesota was the 13th largest in the continental U.S. by landmass, but it ranked as only the 17th most valuable state. Farmland accounted for 53% of Minnesota’s total area, compared to 47% of the entire country.
27. Texas
> Value of land per acre: $7,542
> Total value: $1.3 trillion (2nd highest)
> Total acres: 167.9 million (the largest)
Texas was the largest of the lower 48 states, spanning roughly 168 million acres. A high share of agricultural land may be one reason the state’s per acre value was just $7,500. While just 47% of land in the contiguous states was designated as agricultural, nearly 75% of land in Texas was devoted to agriculture.
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28. Vermont
> Value of land per acre: $7,439
> Total value: $44 billion (the lowest)
> Total acres: 5.9 million (7th smallest)
In addition to being one of the smallest states by acreage in the country, the land in Vermont was worth only $44 billion, the lowest valuation of any state in the contiguous U.S. Among states reviewed, 5.8% of land was considered developed, accounting for more than 50% of their total value. In Vermont, however, roughly the same share of land was considered developed, but it only accounted for 16.3% of the state’s total value, one of the lowest contributions in the country.
29. Oklahoma
> Value of land per acre: $7,364
> Total value: $323 billion (23rd lowest)
> Total acres: 43.9 million (17th largest)
A large proportion of Oklahoma’s total acreage was made up of farmable property. Nearly 80% of Oklahoma’s landmass was agricultural, compared to just 47% of all land across the country. That was the sixth highest figure in the continental U.S. That property made up only 13.6% of the state’s total land value, however, which was 13th-most among the lower 48 states.
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30. Missouri
> Value of land per acre: $7,233
> Total value: $318 billion (22nd lowest)
> Total acres: 44.0 million (16th largest)
While just 47% of land in the lower 48 states was designated as agricultural, 66% of land in Missouri was farmland, the 9th highest percentage of states reviewed. The value from agricultural land in the state was also much higher than elsewhere in the country. More than one-fifth of Missouri’s $318 billion valuation was attributed to agriculture, a significantly higher share than the 8% attributed to agricultural land in the lower 48 states.
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