2026 Land Values: Eastern Missouri Ozarks
Franklin · Gasconade · Crawford · Phelps · Dent Counties, Missouri
What is bare ground actually trading for in the eastern Missouri Ozarks? This page tracks exactly that for 2026: every qualifying closed MLS sale of 30+ acres in our five-county footprint, screened to listings reporting zero bedrooms and zero bathrooms — with blank fields treated as zero — pooled across the year and refreshed as each quarter closes. So far the 2026 median stands at $5,099 per acre across 39 qualifying sales and 2,895.3 acres.
Blended $/Acre by County — 2026
| County | Sales | Closed Volume | Acres | Blended $/Acre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | 14 | $7,887,692 | 891.8 | $8,844 |
| Gasconade | 6 | $1,952,000 | 326.4 | $5,980 |
| Phelps | 8 | $2,307,278 | 617.0 | $3,740 |
| Crawford | 7 | $2,056,434 | 628.5 | $3,272 |
| Dent | 4 | $995,000 | 431.6 | $2,305 |
| Total | 39 | $15,198,404 | 2,895.3 | $5,249 |
Small-sample counties deserve care: with a handful of closings per county, a single sale can move a county's blended figure materially in either direction. Q1 and Q2 datasets revised August 2026 to capture Farm-category closings.
The Bare Dirt Report — County Deep Dives
The table above is the 2026 year-to-date snapshot. For the full three-year view of each county — median by year, price zones, tract-size tiers, and time to contract — each county has its own Bare Dirt Report, updated in place as new closings post:
- What Franklin County Land Is Actually Worth
- What Gasconade County Land Is Actually Worth
- What Phelps County Land Is Actually Worth
- What Crawford County Land Is Actually Worth
- What Dent County Land Is Actually Worth
By Quarter
The year’s trend, quarter by quarter — each links to that edition’s full Ozarks Land Report.
| Quarter | Sales | Median $/Acre | Blended $/Acre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 19 | $5,417 | $6,197 |
| Q2 2026 | 20 | $4,742 | $4,425 |
The 2026 Dataset
The 39 qualifying closings behind these figures are reported as aggregated statistics only, the same standard used across the Bare Dirt Report series — no individual transactions, addresses, or MLS numbers are identified. For the full aggregate detail on any county — median by year, price zones, tract-size tiers, and time to contract — see that county’s Bare Dirt Report linked above.
Common Questions
What is raw land worth per acre in the eastern Missouri Ozarks?
Across 2026 year-to-date (through Q2), qualified closed sales traded at a median of $5,099 per acre (blended $5,249/acre). Individual tracts vary widely with access, water, timber, and location.
Why lead with the median instead of the average?
Outsized, development-influenced tracts pull the average upward and misrepresent what a recreational or grazing buyer actually pays. The median is the more honest figure.
Where does this data come from?
Regional MLS closed sales, filtered to bare ground — the methodology box above has the full rules. The quarter-by-quarter analysis lives in the quarterly Ozarks Land Report editions linked in the trend table above.
Own land in one of these counties? See what it takes to sell it →
Or start with a free professional valuation, try the What’s My Farm Worth? worksheet, or meet Justin & Ryan.