An acre is a unit of area most commonly used to measure land, equal to 43,560 square feet. Most people understand land visually, so to picture an acre, it’s easiest to imagine a football field — one acre covers 90% of it, not including the end zones.
This guide will walk you through what an acre is, how it’s measured, and how many acres of land you may need in your situation, whether you want to buy a spacious lot for a new home or start a small family-run farm.
What is an acre?
An acre is a unit for measuring surface area, used primarily in the United States and the United Kingdom to measure land. It’s the standard measurement for large plots of property, agricultural lands, and even public parks.
While square feet are used for interior home sizes and smaller urban lots, acres are the go-to measurement unit once you move out of the city or decide to buy land and build your own place. Mathematically, an acre is defined as 43,560 square feet or 4,840 square yards — roughly the size of a football field with no end zones and shortened by an additional ten yards.
🐮 Where does the word "acre" come from? If the numbers seem random, they’re actually not! The term "acre" dates back to the Old English "æcer," which means "field" or "cultivated land." Back then, an acre was defined as the amount of land a pair of oxen could plow in a single day.[1]
Acre dimensions: How large is an acre in different units?
To help understand the scale of an acre, it might be helpful to use other units of measurement you’re more familiar with.
| Unit | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Square feet | 43,560 sq ft |
| Square yards | 4,840 sq yds |
| Square meters | 4,046.86 sq m |
| Hectares | 0.404686 ha |
| Square miles | 1/640 of a square mile |
What does an acre look like?
If you’re standing on a plot of land, it may be hard to estimate its size just by looking. However, being able to visualize what an acre looks like may be helpful, especially for buyers who are shopping for houses with land or looking to build their dream home on an empty plot.
- Football fields: An acre covers approximately 90% of the field (excluding the end zones and about five yards from each end zone). The shaded area in the following picture is roughly equivalent to one acre:
- Basketball courts: If you’re more of a basketball fan, an NBA basketball court is equal to 0.11 acres. You could fit about nine basketball courts into a single acre.
- Tennis courts: For followers of Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff, it might help to think of an acre as being equivalent to about 16 tennis courts.
- Single-family homes: The average house sits on 0.19 acres of land — a figure that includes the house footprint plus the yard and driveway. So you could fit about five houses on one acre of land.
- City blocks: To understand how big an acre is, you can also measure it in familiar streets. Of course, the size of a city block depends on where you live; as an example, in Manhattan, the average block covers about five acres (264 by 900 feet).
- Apartments: Another one for city dwellers — one acre can fit approximately 48 average-sized apartments (900 sq ft each).
Remember that an acre doesn’t have to be square, and they come in all shapes. For example, a 10-foot-wide strip of land that is 0.8 miles long is still exactly an acre.
What is a commercial acre?
You might come across a unit of measurement called a commercial acre, especially when looking for industrial or commercial property in big cities. A commercial acre is 4,000 square yards vs. 4,840 square yards for a standard acre. That makes a commercial acre smaller — about 83% of a standard acre.
When you build a commercial project, you are often required to add sidewalks, curbs, and alleyways. The commercial acre was introduced to account for land that developers cannot use due to public infrastructure constraints.
Real estate agents sometimes use this term to refer to the usable portion of the land after all deductions. Over time, it has become a legal term in a handful of states.
How much is an acre of land worth today?
The price of an acre varies significantly depending on location and intended use. As you can imagine, an acre of barren desert in Nevada is almost incomparable to an acre of developable land in Midtown Manhattan.
Average cost of farmland
According to recent USDA reports, the value of farm real estate is rising. In 2025, the average value of farmland in the US was $4,350 per acre (including both land and the buildings on it).[1] This number can differ depending on the location, land quality, and geographic conditions.
The highest farm real estate values in 2025 were in Rhode Island ($22,500 per acre), and the lowest were in New Mexico ($725 per acre).[2]
Average cost of land to build a house in the US
The average lot size purchased to build a home in 2024 was 20,907 sq ft (0.48 acres) at a price of $91,057.[3] This makes one acre of finished lot (with utilities and road access) worth $189,702 on average. This is a very rough estimate, but it could give you some guidelines on how much land it might cost to buy land for building a house.
Key factors affecting land values
Why is there so much variation in how much an acre costs? In real estate, not all land is equally valued; these are some of the biggest variables that can influence the price of an acre.
- Location: The golden rule in real estate is “location, location, location.” In states with high population density, and especially in popular urban areas, land can easily cost over $100,000 per acre, or even millions per acre. On the other hand, it’s still possible to find land for less than $1,000 per acre in some remote parts of the US.
- Zoning: An acre that’s zoned for high-rise apartments will likely be worth hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, while a land zoned for conservation could have relatively low market value.
- Utilities and access: Land parcels that have electric, water, and sewer connections command higher prices than those without basic infrastructure or access to essential services.
Want to know the exact price for land in your area? Talk with a Clever partner agent to understand land prices in your specific ZIP code, beyond national averages.
How much land do you need to build a house?
You don’t need a full acre to build a house. In fact, the average lot size for a single-family home is about 1/5 of an acre.
A starting point is the land-to-building ratio, which is the ratio of your lot's total area to the area your home occupies. A common rule of thumb for builders is 1:3, where the house occupies ~30% of the lot to ensure there is enough space for a yard and a driveway.
For example, for a single-story 1,500 sq ft house, you would need at least 4,500 sq ft of land (0.1 acre).
❗ Remember, when calculating the land-to-building ratio, don’t use your home’s total floor space, only the area it takes up on your property. Usually, this will be the square footage of the ground floor.
If you decide to buy a parcel of land to build a house, there are additional considerations to keep in mind. Verify there are no zoning restrictions and that the land is suitable for residential use.
On top of that, check whether the land has access to utilities, or you would have to install them. For example, if you don’t have water and sewage systems in place, you might need to install a well and septic system, which could add tens of thousands of dollars to your project.
Researching permits and zoning codes may feel overwhelming for first-time homebuyers. A local Clever partner agent can help you evaluate land and zoning in your market to ensure the lot is buildable before making an offer.
Common acre sizes for different property types
When you are shopping for real estate, you will see some patterns in lot sizes. Here’s what to expect for different types of properties in terms of acreage usage.
- 🏡 Subdivision lots (0.1–0.25 acres): Standard suburban neighborhoods. You have a small backyard and a driveway, but your home is pretty close to neighbors.
- 🏛️ Estate lots (0.5-1 acres): These lots may be a sweet spot for many buyers who want a bit more space. Buying an estate lot, you’ll have space for a large garden, a pool, and privacy, and mowing the lawn would still be doable without hiring extra hands.
- 🤎 Rural homes (1–5 acres): This size can easily accommodate a large house, a vegetable garden, a chicken coop, and a small barn or a workshop.
- 🚜 Small farms (5–40 acres): At this size, you can have a stable or a barn, run your own agricultural business, and may even qualify for agricultural tax exemptions in some states.
- 🐄 Ranches (100+ acres): These are vast properties for raising livestock, with plenty of land that can act as pastures for dozens or even hundreds of animals.
How to find acreage for sale
Buying land is different from buying a house. Photos may not be able to tell you the full story; zoning, utilities, and topography matter more. A listing that says “5 acres” doesn’t necessarily mean you can use all of it. Easements, wetlands, and steep slopes can significantly reduce your buildable and usable area.
If you want to buy land, working with a realtor who understands the specifics can make all the difference. They can evaluate acreage pricing by using a comparative market analysis (CMA), comparing recent land sales and factors such as topography, zoning, and unique features.
Connect with a Clever partner agent to find land that fits your needs and budget. You might even qualify for cash back at closing! Take a short quiz to get started.
FAQ
How many football fields is 1 acre?
One acre is about 90% of a standard football field (excluding the end zones plus about 10 yards).
Is an acre bigger than a football field?
No: One football field (including the end zones) is about 1.32 acres.
How do you measure an acre?
To measure the size of (simply shaped) land in acres, you’d need to multiply the length and width (in feet) of a property to get the square footage, then divide that number by 43,560 to convert to acres. Irregularly shaped lots will be more difficult to calculate.
How big is an acre in Texas?
An acre in Texas is 43,560 square feet, just like anywhere else in the United States.
How big is an acre visually?
An acre is slightly smaller than a football field without the end zones.
How big is an acre in sq. feet / in sq. miles?
One acre equals 43,560 square feet or 1/640 of a square mile.
Can an acre be any shape?
Yes, an acre can be any shape, as long as the area inside the shape is 43,560 sq ft.
How big is an acre of land on a map?
The answer would depend on your map’s scale. To measure the plot’s acreage on the map, you can figure out its length and width in feet and multiply these two numbers.