Based on 20 qualified vacant-land sales in public Colorado county records over the trailing 24 months, the median price is $19,314 per acre in Wellington, CO — though individual parcels range widely depending on zoning, utilities, size, and entitlement status.
Tell us your parcel details and we'll pull comparable county-record sales for your specific land type.
Public Colorado county records show a median vacant land price of $19,314 per acre across 20 qualified sales in Wellington, CO over the trailing 24-month window. This figure represents the middle of recorded transactions — half sold above, half below. It is a starting benchmark, not a parcel-specific valuation.
A median of $19,314/acre does not mean every Wellington parcel is worth that amount. Because the market is thin (only 20 sales), the median can shift substantially from one quarter to the next. Large agricultural tracts will typically price well below the median on a per-acre basis; small, fully serviced residential lots will often price above it.
Always anchor any comparison to parcels of similar size, zoning, and utility status. A 40-acre unzoned parcel and a 0.3-acre platted residential lot are fundamentally different products, even if both appear in the same dataset.
The thin market dynamic is important: with only 20 sales over 24 months, Wellington sees roughly one recorded vacant-land transaction per month. Buyers and sellers both have limited comparable evidence, which increases the value of parcel-specific research.
Wellington's position on the Northern Front Range I-25 corridor continues to attract residential and commercial development interest, which can sustain per-acre values even when transaction volume is low. Monitor county assessor filings for new sales that may update the picture.
Smaller platted lots almost always show higher per-acre values than large raw acreage. The $19,314/acre median blends multiple parcel types — use this table as a conceptual guide, not a price guarantee.
| Parcel Type | Typical Size Range | Relative Per-Acre Value | Key Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platted residential lot (in-town) | 0.15 – 0.5 acres | Highest | Utilities in, plat recorded, buildable now |
| Entitled development parcel | 1 – 10 acres | High | Approvals secured, reduces buyer risk |
| Unentitled in-town parcel | 1 – 20 acres | Moderate | Location premium, but entitlement risk remains |
| Raw rural acreage (county land) | 10 – 80+ acres | Lower | Agricultural use, distance to utilities |
| Irrigated agricultural land | 40 – 160+ acres | Variable | Water rights may add premium over dry land |
| Note: This table is illustrative only. Actual values depend on verified comparable sales for your specific parcel type. These ranges are not price guarantees. | |||
Six factors explain the majority of why one Wellington parcel trades at $5,000/acre and another at $80,000+/acre — even within the same zip code.
The single largest determinant of raw land value. Residential-zoned land inside Wellington town limits that allows higher density or commercial use commands a significant premium over agricultural or unzoned county land. Rezonings can create or destroy value overnight.
↑ Highest impactFully entitled land — where plat approval, site plan, and any special permits are already secured — prices higher than raw land because the buyer assumes far less regulatory risk. Unentitled land reflects a discount for the cost and time of the approval process.
↑ Highest impactWater and sewer are constrained resources in Northern Colorado. A parcel with a Wellington Water District tap allocated or sewer service available at the boundary can be worth substantially more per acre than a comparable parcel requiring expensive well and septic installation or a long utility extension.
↑ High impactProximity to I-25, Wellington's downtown core, and the town's urban growth boundary all affect value. Commercial land with I-25 visibility trades at a premium. Residential parcels close to schools, amenities, and the town center price higher than equivalent land on the rural fringe.
↑ High impactAs discussed above, per-acre values typically decrease as size increases. A quarter-acre residential lot may imply $80,000+/acre while a 40-acre raw parcel nearby might be $5,000–$15,000/acre. Always use size-matched comparables when benchmarking value.
→ Moderate–HighLegal road access (a deeded easement or public road frontage) is required for a buildable parcel. Landlocked land is worth far less. Flat, accessible terrain in Wellington's High Plains setting reduces development cost and commands a modest premium over land with drainage issues, ditch crossings, or steep grades.
→ ModerateWellington is a growing Front Range community in Larimer County, approximately 15 miles north of Fort Collins along I-25. Its relatively affordable land base compared to Fort Collins, combined with I-25 frontage and continued residential growth pressure from the Northern Colorado corridor, sustains ongoing demand for vacant land.
Wellington sits at the northern end of the Fort Collins–Loveland–Greeley growth corridor, a stretch of I-25 that has absorbed significant population and commercial growth from Colorado's expanding Front Range economy. Buyers priced out of Fort Collins have looked to Wellington as an alternative, which has supported residential lot demand.
Parcels within Wellington town limits are governed by the Town of Wellington's zoning and development codes. Unincorporated parcels immediately adjacent fall under Larimer County jurisdiction. This distinction matters significantly for entitlement timelines and allowable uses — always confirm which entity governs your parcel.
Colorado's prior appropriation water system means water rights are a separate, valuable property interest. For agricultural parcels, existing irrigation ditch rights or augmentation plans can add meaningful value. For residential development, availability of Wellington Water District service capacity is a critical gating factor.
Twenty sales over 24 months is a thin dataset. This means a single unusually large or small transaction can move the median substantially. For any specific parcel, a narrowly scoped comparable-sales analysis — filtered to similar size, zoning, and utility status — is far more informative than the broad median alone.
A broad market median gives you context. A parcel-specific report gives you an actionable number. Here's the five-step process Colorado Land Use uses to build one.
Provide the Assessor's Parcel Number (APN) or legal description. This allows us to pull the official Larimer County assessor record, confirm acreage, current zoning designation, and any prior assessment history. It also confirms whether the parcel is within Wellington town limits or in unincorporated Larimer County — a distinction that significantly affects value.
We verify zoning directly against Wellington's zoning map or Larimer County GIS. We also check whether any subdivision plat, site plan, or special-use permit has been recorded. Entitled land and unentitled land are priced differently in the market — and combining them in a comparable set would distort any per-acre estimate.
We check available GIS and utility district records to determine whether municipal water and sewer service are available at or near the parcel boundary. We note whether any tap fees have been paid, whether the parcel is in a utility service area, and the estimated cost of extension if services are not currently available.
We filter the Larimer County clerk and recorder's recorded deed database to identify arm's-length vacant land sales that are comparable in size (within a reasonable range), zoning category, and utility status. We typically look at a 24–36 month window and both Wellington and immediately adjacent areas if the in-town set is too thin to be meaningful.
We present the comparable sales, their per-acre prices, and a descriptive range reflecting where your parcel type has traded. We note any adjustments warranted by specific differences (road access, site improvements, water rights) and clearly label the output as a research summary — not a certified appraisal. For a certified valuation, we'll refer you to a licensed Colorado appraiser.
Request a parcel-specific comparable-sales report from Colorado Land Use. Provide your APN, acreage, and zoning — we'll do the county-record research.
Request My Land Report →Real questions people ask about vacant land pricing in Wellington and Northern Colorado. Click any question to expand the answer.
Colorado Land Use is an independent Colorado commercial real estate and land-use research resource. We aggregate public county assessor and clerk data to produce data-backed guides for buyers, sellers, developers, and advisors navigating Colorado's land markets.
We do not represent buyers or sellers, do not provide certified appraisals, and do not hold a real estate brokerage license. Our outputs are research summaries based on public records. For certified valuations, consult a licensed Colorado appraiser.
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