Farmland and its buildings in McDowell County averaged $4,027 an acre in the 2022 Census of Agriculture: the 43rd cheapest of the 55 counties in West Virginia, 22% above the West Virginia average in the same census ($3,303).
In the 2017 census it was $6,196 an acre, so the average has fallen 35% in five years.
That average rests on only 20 farms, so a single large sale moves it a long way. Read it as rough.
| Farmland and buildings, an acre, 2022 | $4,027 |
|---|---|
| The same, 2017 | $6,196 -35% |
| Farms counted, 2022 | 20 (14 in 2017) |
| Average farm | 46 acres |
| Share of the county that is farmland | 0.3% |
| Median value of an owner-occupied home | $50,000 ± $4,822 |
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, West Virginia county data, Table 8; Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, table B25077
Next door
The counties that share a border with McDowell County, cheapest farmland first.
| county | Farmland an acre | Median home |
|---|---|---|
| Mingo County | $1,361 | $90,500 |
| Mercer County | $2,733 | $121,700 |
| Wyoming County | $3,991 | $82,900 |
Buying land here: the West Virginia rules
A septic permit dies with the sale, and the farm rate is something you apply for every year.
Each links to the West Virginia guide, where every fact cites the statute or agency page it came from.