Montana Land Values - Western Ranch Brokers (2024)

FAQs

Montana Land Values - Western Ranch Brokers? ›

Current listings are priced at $20K AUM. Dollar per acre sales price for properties with 640+ acres in western Montana have been steadily increasing over the last 30 years, with an average dollar/acre value of $1,255 (1990-2020). Dollar per acre sales in western Montana reached a new high in 2021 at $2,115/acre.

Average and median per acre prices (for unimproved land) have remained fairly constant from 2020 – 2022 with an average per acre price of $4,000+ and a median per acre price of approximately $2,000, both values notably higher from the two previous years (2018-2019).

Before last December's sale of Beaverhead, the previous record-holder in Montana was held by Broken O ranch, which was snapped up for $132.5 million in 2012. However, the most expensive ranch ever sold in the U.S. is a title that remains with the W.T. Waggoner Ranch.

Stan Kroenke – 225,162 acres

According to the most current land report, Stan is the fifth-largest land owner in the United States as of 2021.

Dollar per acre sales price for properties with 640+ acres in western Montana have been steadily increasing over the last 30 years, with an average dollar/acre value of $1,255 (1990-2020). Dollar per acre sales in western Montana reached a new high in 2021 at $2,115/acre.

On average, a farm is considered a ranch at about 450 acres although this varies significantly by state and cattle headcount. In the USA you will find small ranches with about 200 acres of land and 2,000+ acre properties which are considered large ranches.

Big Sky, Montana

This also includes other cities in Southwest Montana, including Bozeman, Livingston, Belgrade and Manhattan. “Pending sales on land in Montana are up 40% in Big Sky and 50% in Bozeman,” White says.

Montana is home to 28,100 farm and ranch operations that cover 59,700,000 acres of land (63% of state land area). The average size of these Montana farms and ranches is 2,125 acres.

See it: Largest land offering in California—50,000 acres in Bay Area— hits market at $72 million. A massive, unspoiled property in the Bay Area that stretches over 50,500 acres has hit the market for $72 million.

What celebrity owns the most land in Montana? ›

Huey Lewis, a popular lead singer of Huey Lewis and the News from the 1980s, found his way to Montana in 1987. He bought a 500-acre ranch outside of Stevensville, where he lives comfortably today.

340,000-acre Montana ranch sold to Rupert Murdoch; biggest in state's history.

The nation's largest private landowners are the Emmerson family in California who own over 2.4 million acres. The bulk of that land is dedicated to timber in Northern California. But the most headline-worthy transaction of 2022 was the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas.

Dutton Ranch isn't one place (although there is a home office on Graton Road where the Shop Block vineyard is), but a collection of over 60 non-contiguous parcels in Russian River Valley that comprise approximately 1,300 acres of land that they either own, lease or manage.

So for both 1 acre and 5 acre plots, the cheapest states to buy land in 2023 are New Mexico, Arizona, Mississippi, followed by Colorado and California. Some great news for you here is that at Compass Land USA, we do a lot of work in Colorado, and Arizona.

A bred cow would bring $1,300 to $1,500 per cow. Profitability varies significantly among individual producers, but Olson said the general picture is that per-head average profit should be from $175 to $200 per cow; the majority of producers aren't making enough money.

What type of ranching is most profitable? ›

Large cattle ranches make the most money because of the price of a cow.

The average salary for a farm rancher in the United States is $31,547. Farm rancher salaries typically range between $13,000 and $74,000 a year. The average hourly rate for farm ranchers is $15.17 per hour.

The Homestead Act of 1862 enabled thousands to claim land in Montana. This act offered 160 acres of public land to US citizens on the condition that they live on, cultivate, and improve it.

Montana's low cost of living, low crime rates, and booming job market make it a favorite state for many families and millennials. The state's low property taxes, zero sales tax, and shorter commuting time make moving to Montana appealing to many people.

How much does a Ranch Hand make in Montana? As of Jun 3, 2023, the average annual pay for a Ranch Hand in Montana is $27,690 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $13.31 an hour. This is the equivalent of $532/week or $2,307/month.

Montana State University range specialist, Jeff Mosely, said that with the rainfall in the Flathead, the stocking rate should be one animal unit per 10 acres. An animal unit is a 1,000 lb. cow-calf pair. A horse is considered 1.5 animal units.

In states such as Colorado, Idaho and Montana, working ranches typically start around 10,000 acres at a minimum of about $1,000 an acre, says Ben Pierce, a buyer's broker with Sweetwater Ranches based in Livingston, Mont. Other buyers are focused on trout fishing and elk hunting out the back door.

Hosting Hunting and Fishing on Your Land

Another great way to make a profit off of 50 acres of vacant land is to host hunters, fishers and even have a campground. You would be surprised how many hunters and fishers are interested in guided activities. Plant some trees if you don't already have a decent wooded area.

The 2022 Top Landowners in the Land Report 100:

The Emmerson Family – 2.33 million acres. John Malone – 2.2 million acres. Reed Family – 2.1 million acres.

How to make a profit on 20 acres? ›

Established in 1893 by H.D. Hildreth, Hildreth Livestock Ranch is one of Montana's oldest continuously owned and operated working ranches. Hildreth Livestock Ranch sits in the beautiful Medicine Lodge Valley on the Montana-Idaho border in extreme southwestern Montana.

The largest private home in Montana, Shelter Island boasts 32,000 square feet of structures and 6,000 feet of prime lakeside frontage on Montana's Flathead Lake. The 22.3-acre private island has seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms across three buildings.

How Big is the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch? Yellowstone Dutton Ranch is estimated to be around 776,000 acres. In an early episode of Yellowstone, John Dutton says he owns “a ranch the size of Rhode Island,” which is 776,900 acres.

By Shawn Patrick on January 30, 2023

If you're a Yellowstone fan, you can now stay in Kevin Costner's real-life ranch. Two things though: It's in Aspen, Colorado, not Montana, and it's $36,000 PER NIGHT.

Dubbed Dunbar Ranch, Costner's Aspen compound is aptly named after the lieutenant he played in the Oscar-winning film Dances With Wolves. He originally bought the parcel of land back in 2000, before turning it into the wilderness retreat it is today, reported the New York Post.

West Creek Ranch is part of AMB West Philanthropies, which comprises the nonprofit interests of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation in the Western United States, and also includes AMB West Community Fund, AMB West Conservation, AMB West Base Camp, and AMB West Challenge Course.

The Dutton family's gorgeous log cabin is actually a 5,000-square foot mansion located on Chief Joseph Ranch near Darby, Montana. Just like on TV, it' a real working cattle ranch and family home—and it's totally stunning, of course. "On the ranch, we're actually filming where it's actually set.

What is the largest ranch in Montana? The N Bar Ranch in Fergus County. The N Bar Ranch in Fergus County is the largest single private ranch owned in Montana, spanning over 200,000 acres.

King Ranch, largest ranch in the United States, composed of a group of four tracts of land in southeastern Texas, totaling approximately 825,000 acres (333,800 hectares). The King Ranch was established by Richard King, a steamboat captain born in 1825 in Orange county, New York.

Did Dennis Quaid sell his Montana ranch? ›

Dennis Quaid is selling his beloved 418 acre Montana ranch for $14,000,000. The home was once owned by Hollywood legends Warren Oates and Sam Peckinpah, who co-owned the property and eventually sold it to Quaid.

Yellowstone's Dutton Ranch Is a Real Property—And Yes, You Can Actually Stay There. How to live like John Dutton and co.

Inhabitants. Yellowstone Dutton Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States located in the Paradise Valley in Park County, Montana, east of Bozeman and west of Livingston. The ranch is owned by John Dutton.

The most sought-after ranches in the U.S. are generally in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, which stretch through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, brokers said—it's a range that's both singularly beautiful and evokes a real sense of the West.

Other spectacular ranches currently for sale include; billionaire Charles Koch's Matador Ranch in Texas, which will soon hit the market for $124 million, Boone Pickens Mesa Vista Ranch in Texas for $220 million, Tobacco billionaire Brad Kelley's Elk Valley Ranch in New Mexico for $96 million, Hamms Brewing William ...

Soon, ranchers learned to take advantage of loopholes in the state's law. They would claim as many acres that they could with the state, and then have their family, friends, and employees do the same. They would eventually buy the land from them and other property owners.

Surprisingly, The Yellowstone Ranch, with its massive white barns and big "Y" decals, is a real place that you can visit. Nestled some five hours away from Yellowstone National Park, the Chief Joseph Ranch—a functioning cattle ranch in Darby, Montana—is the official location for the Dutton family home.

The largest ranch in the world is Anna Creek Station, a cattle ranch operating in Australia. This ranch measures 2,000,000 acres or 3,100 square miles, larger than Israel and the state of New Hampshire. The ranch is located in a very remote part of the country called South Australia.

As Wide Open Country Magazine points out, Yellowstone illustrates some key points about wealthy families and dynasties. Even if you estimated Dutton's net worth to be $725 million, if the ranch was worth the same as the real-life Waggoner Ranch, that wouldn't mean Dutton actually can access $725 million.

Montana is among the five U.S. states with the most ranches for sale by overall acreage. Recent listings in Montana of ranches for sale totaled approximately 800,000 acres acres of ranches and a combined market value of $1 billion. The average price of ranches for sale in Montana was $5.3 million.

Is Montana expensive to buy land? ›

Montana Land Information

With thousands of properties and rural land for sale in the state, these land listings account for a total of 947,708 acres of land for sale in Montana. The average price of Montana land parcels and rural property for sale is $1 million.

Montana is home to 28,100 farm and ranch operations that cover 59,700,000 acres of land (63% of state land area). The average size of these Montana farms and ranches is 2,125 acres.

Ranchers can make anywhere between $70,000 to $140,000 a year on average. There are many factors that come into play when it comes to producing income from ranching. The size of your ranch will make an impact. Large cattle ranches make the most money because of the price of a cow.

Ranch Owner Salary. $39,000 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers. $181,500 is the 75th percentile.

Some of the best states to start a farm or ranch are Montana, Kansas, North Dakota, Texas and Oklahoma, to name a few. Though farming or ranching are not considered glamorous, it is still one of the most rewarding and essential professions in the world.

Ranches are always profitable. Even if you don't plan on developing or planting crops or raising livestock, you can still earn money by having your property leased. This provides a passive revenue stream that requires you to do nothing while earning an income at the same time.

The land in Montana has become an escape ground for people who want to live a life of peace away from the city hustle. In addition, the reason why people are now thinking of investing in Montana land is because of the abundance of natural resources.

If you own land in Montana, you must pay property taxes on that land. The amount of taxes you pay depends on the value of the land and anything attached to it like houses, garages and other structures, concrete driveways and sidewalks. You must pay the taxes when they are due each May and November.

Overview of Montana Taxes

Montana has relatively low taxes on residential real estate. The state's average effective property tax rate is 0.74%, lower than the national average of 0.99%.

How much do ranchers make Montana? ›

How much does a Ranch Hand make in Montana? As of Jun 2, 2023, the average annual pay for a Ranch Hand in Montana is $27,690 a year.

The Yellowstone River Valley is home to some of the most beautiful, productive land in Montana. This river valley borders the Yellowstone River all the way from its origin in Yellowstone National Park to the moment 676 miles later when it merges with the Missouri river in North Dakota.

The Homestead Act of 1862 enabled thousands to claim land in Montana. This act offered 160 acres of public land to US citizens on the condition that they live on, cultivate, and improve it. They could then "prove up" and obtain a deed after five years.