Farmland and its buildings in Otero County averaged $754 an acre in the 2022 Census of Agriculture: the 12th cheapest of the 33 counties in New Mexico, 10% below the New Mexico average in the same census ($838).
In the 2017 census it was $439 an acre, so the average has risen 72% in five years.
| Farmland and buildings, an acre, 2022 | $754 |
|---|---|
| The same, 2017 | $439 +72% |
| Farms counted, 2022 | 467 (473 in 2017) |
| Average farm | 1,857 acres |
| Share of the county that is farmland | 20.5% |
| Median value of an owner-occupied home | $162,700 ± $7,486 |
The farm figure is land and buildings together, averaged over every farm in the county, from the largest ranch to the smallest holding. It is for comparing one county with another, not a price for any parcel: a few acres with road frontage usually costs more an acre than the average, not less.
Source: USDA, 2022 Census of Agriculture, New Mexico county data, Table 8; Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, table B25077
Next door
The counties that share a border with Otero County, cheapest farmland first.
| county | Farmland an acre | Median home |
|---|---|---|
| Sierra County | $406 | $152,600 |
| Chaves County | $887 | $156,400 |
| Eddy County | $907 | $212,600 |
| Lincoln County | $915 | $233,200 |
| Doña Ana County | $2,316 | $220,800 |
Buying land here: the New Mexico rules
The state, not the county, auctions tax-delinquent land, and a well's water is not yours until the State Engineer is told.
Each links to the New Mexico guide, where every fact cites the statute or agency page it came from.