Texas Land Trends: Texas landowner changes and trends

Authors: Alison Lund, Addie Smith, Angelica Lopez, Roel Lopez

Texas is changing. Rural working lands in Texas are selling, subdividing, and converting to alternative
land uses at an unprecedented rate. Rapid population growth across the state continues to influence
land fragmentation and land use changes, impacting rural working lands and the natural resources
they provide. Landowner factors such as age, land residency, and land-use preferences influence
management decisions on rural working lands. Public benefits derived from these lands, such as clean
air and water, fish and wildlife habitat, ecosystem services, and recreation, are needed but are limited
by a shrinking open space land mass. Understanding Texas’ changing population and land management
needs can help inform land development planning, education, and policies geared toward sustaining
the states’ rich open spaces and natural resources for generations to come.

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