2021 Land Report: Who owns the most land in the United States? (2024)

America’s leading landowners added hundreds of thousands of acres to their holdings last year. That’s one of the many takeaways from the 2021 Land Report 100, which is compiled each year by Land Report magazine. Now in its 15th edition, this landmark study tracks the diverse array of farmers, ranchers, forest owners, entrepreneurs, and investors who own at a minimum 243.75 square miles. As time has proven, this ownership figure is a moving target — and it keeps moving up.

In the study’s first year, 2007, the founder of Burt’s Bees, Roxanne Quimby, qualified for the No. 100 slot with 75,000 acres of Maine timberland. In 2021, the rock-bottom figure to join this club was more than double that amount: 156,000 acres. And there are some specific criteria that must be followed, too. Only domestic holdings can be counted, and ownership must be deeded, not leased. Otherwise, No. 100 on the list — Nevada’s Ellison Family — would be in the top 10. That’s because the Ellisons’ cattle kingdom in Elko and Lander Counties consists of more than 2 million acres of leased federal lands. But because they hold title to 156,000 acres, that is how they ranked.

Who is the No. 1 landowner in the United States?

Photo credit: Land Report

At the top end of the Land Report 100, an entirely different story emerged. In 2021, California’s Emmerson Family, owners of Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI), acquired 175,000 acres in Oregon from Seneca Jones Timber. That transaction, which was announced on October 1, raised the family’s holdings to more than 2.33 million deeded acres.

The inspiring story of the family’s patriarch, Red Emmerson, is the magazine’s cover story and the featured profile in the 2021 roundup. In 1949, Emmerson began his career in the wood products industry when he teamed up with his father to run a leased mill in northern California that had been sitting idle. Seventy-two years later, the 92-year-old is still on the job, officing at SPI’s headquarters just down the hall from his sons, George and Mark, SPI’s chairman and CEO, respectively. His daughter, Carolyn Dietz, runs the family’s Sierra Pacific Foundation, which has distributed almost $34 million to community programs and scholarships.

Other top landowners

Liberty Media Chairman John Malone ranked No. 2 with 2.2 million acres of ranchland out West and timberland holdings in the Northeast. Washington’s Reed Family ranked No. 3 with 2.1 million acres. CNN Founder Ted Turner ranked No. 4 with 2 million acres. Los Angeles Rams’ owner Stan Kroenke ranked fifth with 1,627,500 acres. In recent years, Kroenke Ranches has become a major player in the renewable energy sector and is on track to be able to power more than 1 million households.

With almost 269,000 acres, Bill Gates retained his ranking as America’s largest private farmland owner. But instead of what he bought, of note in 2021 was what Microsoft’s cofounder did not buy: Easterday Farms and Ranches. The extensive operations in eastern Washington were at the center of a megamillion-dollar scam that defrauded Tyson Foods, among others. At a bankruptcy court auction, Farmland Reserve paid $209 million, outbidding an investment company owned by Gates by $1 million.

2021 Land Report: Who owns the most land in the United States? (2)

Photo credit: Courtesy of Florida Crystals

Finally, one of the nation’s most innovative agricultural operations was the subject of an in-depth profile in the 2021 Land Report 100. Over the last 50 years, the Fanjul Family, owners of Florida Crystals, have developed an extraordinary land management program that blends cutting-edge technology with Mother Nature. On the one hand, GPS technology is used to enhance laser leveling and the creation of furrows on the family’s 190,000 acres in South Florida. And on the other hand, some 600 bird boxes house the barn owls the company relies on to curb losses to rats whose fondness for sugarcane can have a considerable impact on harvest.

The 2022 Top Landowners in the Land Report 100:

  1. The Emmerson Family – 2.33 million acres
  2. John Malone – 2.2 million acres
  3. Reed Family – 2.1 million acres
  4. Ted Turner – 2.0 million acres
  5. Stan Kroenke – 1.627 million acres

2021 Land Report: Who owns the most land in the United States? (3)

Photo credit: Courtesy of Florida Crystals

Editor's note: Eric O'Keefe unveiled the Land Report 100 at the 2022 Land Expo in Des Moines, Iowa on January 11, 2022.

2021 Land Report: Who owns the most land in the United States? (4)

Eric O’Keefeis the editor of The Land Report, the magazine of the American landowner. See LandReport.com.

2021 Land Report: Who owns the most land in the United States? (2024)

FAQs

Who owns most of the land in the USA? ›

1. EMMERSON FAMILY. The nation's largest private landowners, California's Emmerson family, are a prime example of this trend. Through their Sierra Pacific Industries, the Emmersons increased their landholdings by more than 100 square miles to over 2.4 million acres.

Who owns the most land in the world 2021? ›

12 Largest Landowners In The Entire World
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  • The Catholic Church. This entity holds approximately 177 Million acres or 70 million hectares in countries across the globe. ...
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Jan 19, 2023

Who owned most of the land? ›

The largest landowners in the United States are the Emmerson family, with 2,330,000 acres of land.

Is the Catholic Church the largest landowner in the world? ›

After gaining permission from the Vatican, Burhans underwent a comprehensive of bringing the Church into the 21st century. A live database provides a visual of all its land holdings. Conclusion: The Catholic Church owns the most land, far more than McDonald's and billionaire Bill Gates.

Who owns the lands in America? ›

Land that is not owned by the federal government may be owned by state or local governments, but much of the remaining land is privately-owned land. Privately-owned land is defined as land owned by an individual or group that is kept for their exclusive use. Privately-owned land is where many Americans live.

How much of the US land is privately owned? ›

Private individuals and corporations own about 60 percent of U.S. land while Federal, State, and local governments own the rest.

Does McDonald's own all the land? ›

While the brand has sold more than one billion hamburgers to customers around the world, 85% of its stores are owned by franchisees. Franchisees pay to use McDonald's brand name, its proprietary processes and trademarked menu items, but unlike other franchises, McDonald's owns the land the stores are built on.

What is the largest private Ranch in the United States? ›

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.

Who is the biggest farmer in the US? ›

Bill Gates

What is the largest piece of land owned by one person? ›

John Malone – 2.2 million acres.

What is the biggest land ever bought? ›

The Louisiana Purchase has been described as the greatest real estate deal in history. In 1803 the United States paid France $15 million for the Louisiana Territory--828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River.

Does the LDS Church own the most land in the US? ›

A new database shows the LDS church is the nation's fifth largest private landowner.

What church has the most billionaires? ›

List of wealthiest religious organizations
OrganizationWorth (billion USD)Country
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints100.0United States
Sree Venkateswara Swamy Temple30.0India
Catholic Church in Germany26.0Germany
Catholic Church in France23.0France
9 more rows

Is the Catholic Church the richest in the world? ›

We decided to look at the Catholic Church because with 1.36 billion members around the world, Catholics make up the biggest denomination in the biggest religious group on the planet. It's also one of the wealthiest.

Who is the richest rancher in America? ›

Largest private land owners in the United States in 2021
NameAcres
1Emmerson family2,330,000 2,330,000
2John Malone2,200,000 2,200,000
3Reed family2,100,000 2,100,000
4Ted Turner2,000,000 2,000,000
10 more rows
Aug 16, 2022

Is there any land in the US not owned by anyone? ›

In the US, if no one specifically owns land it owned by the state or federal government by default so there is no unowned in the US. Government owned land that is not designated for a specific purpose is called the 'public domain' and at the federal level is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Who owns BLM land? ›

The BLM holds the coal mineral estate to more than 570 million acres (2,300,000 km2) where the owner of the surface is the federal government, a state or local government, or a private entity.

What percent of US land is owned by foreigners? ›

In terms of percentages, as shown in Table 3, foreign entities owned 2 percent of U.S. agricultural land in 2011, and in 2021, foreign entities owned 3.1 percent of this land.

How much US land is owned by foreigners? ›

During a session on foreign investment in U.S. agriculture at USDA's 99th Annual Agricultural Outlook Forum on Feb. 24, Clayton Michaud, an agricultural economist with USDA, said foreign entities own approximately 40 million acres, which accounts for 3% of all privately held agricultural land in the U.S.

Why does the US own so much land? ›

The history of federal land ownership has been largely one of divestiture and public use, not acquisition. As the United States expanded across the continent, it did so by purchasing or taking the land that became new states. (Among the groups it took land from were Native Americans.)

Who owns the most real estate? ›

The 2022 Land Report 100, compiled each year by The Land Report magazine, released its annual list of landowners who own the most acres in the United States. The nation's largest private landowners are the Emmerson family in California who own over 2.4 million acres.

How many acres does the Catholic Church own? ›

As the largest non-governmental landowner in the world, the Catholic Church has amassed a diverse and global portfolio of parishes, schools, monasteries, cemeteries, hospitals, and more—combining to an estimated 177 million acres.

What company owns the most real estate in the world? ›

Largest Real Estate Companies Research Summary

The largest real estate company in the world is Keller Williams Realty, with a revenue of $381.4 billion. As of 2023, the global real estate industry has a market size of $4.4 trillion. Over 5.8 million housing transactions were completed in the U.S. in 2022.

What is the biggest family owned ranch? ›

1. Waggoner Ranch: The Waggoner Ranch is located in North Texas and is on 535,000 acres. It was built in 1849 and originally was owned by Dan Waggoner.

What is the largest beef farm in the United States? ›

King Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States. At some 825,000 acres (3,340 km2; 1,289 sq mi) it is larger than the state of Rhode Island and country of Luxembourg. It is mainly a cattle ranch, but also produced the Triple Crown winning racehorse Assault.

Who owns the most land in Florida? ›

Summary of the 11 Largest Landowners in Florida
RankLandownerAcreage Owned
1The St. Joe Company576,000 acres
2Foley Timber and Land Company562,000 acres
3Plum Creek Timber415,000 acres
4Rayonier Company400,000 acres
7 more rows
May 16, 2023

What is the most valuable property on earth? ›

To date, the title for the most expensive house in the world is held by the Buckingham Palace in London. The larger-than-life property (which cannot be sold) is over 200 years old and is currently owned by King Charles III after the demise of the Queen of England, Elizabeth II.

What is the most valuable piece of land? ›

The most expensive plot of land ever sold is located at 2 Murray Road in Hong Kong's Central Business District. On 16 May 2017, the government of Hong Kong sold the plot, which measures 31,000 sq ft (2,880 m^2) for HK$23.28 billion (US$3,003,780,000) to local developer Henderson Land Development.

Which is the most precious piece of land on earth? ›

Then Todermal ji spread all his coins, a total of 78000 gold coins were spread and 4 square meters of land was bought. According to that time, the cost of 78000 gold coins were 2 billion 50 crore rupees, this was the most expensive land till date, no one has bought such a small amount of land in the world till date.

Who is the richest farmer ever? ›

Qin is the richest farmer in the world and owns 883 million shares of Muyuan stock, 40.06% of the company.

Which state has the richest farmers in USA? ›

The wealthiest farmer in the United States lives and farms in California. Stewart Resnick, 81, owner of The Wonderful Company and 65 percent of the nation's pistachios, has had a distinct and sweeping effect on agriculture in the Golden State.

What state has the most farming? ›

Texas had the most farms in the United States in 2021 followed by Missouri and Iowa.

Who owns the largest cattle ranch in the US? ›

Waggoner Ranch
W. T. Waggoner Estate
CountryUnited States of America
Construction started1849
OwnerStan Kroenke
Grounds510,527 acres
2 more rows

Who owns the most houses in the US? ›

John Malone is the largest private landowner in the United States. Malone made his fortune as a media tycoon, building the company Tele-Communications, Inc, or TCI, and acting as its CEO before selling it to AT&T for $50 billion in 1999.

How much land does Jeff Bezos own in the US? ›

Some of the world's biggest billionaires are landowners, such as media mogul Ted Turner who owns 2 million acres, Amazon.com's AMZN, -0.66% CEO Jeff Bezos who has amassed 420,000 acres and Microsoft MSFT, +0.47% co-founder Bill Gates's 270,000 acres, he notes.

What billionaire owns the most land? ›

One of the largest landowners in the US is real estate tycoon Stan Kroenke, who owns nearly 1.7 million acres of land scattered over seven states. Ranches, forestry, hunting preserves, and several significant developments are among Kroenke's holdings.

Why did Russia sell Alaska to the US instead of Canada? ›

Defeat in the Crimean War further reduced Russian interest in this region. Russia offered to sell Alaska to the United States in 1859, believing the United States would off-set the designs of Russia's greatest rival in the Pacific, Great Britain.

Who sold the United States this land? ›

Louisiana Purchase, 1803

The Louisiana Purchase encompassed 530,000,000 acres of territory in North America that the United States purchased from France in 1803 for $15 million.

Does the LDS Church have more money than the Catholic Church? ›

For Latter-day Saints, who have 16.3 million members, our church's wealth translates to about $6,130 per member, or 161 times the Catholics' money-to-member ratio.

How much of Florida is owned by the Mormon church? ›

The Mormon church stands to own nearly 2 percent of Florida by completing a deal to buy most of the real estate of the St. Joe Co. for more than a half-billion dollars.

How much is the Mormon church worth today? ›

Journalists and whistleblowers have estimated the Mormon church's portfolio at around $100 billion.

Which church is the true church? ›

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Catholic ecclesiology professes the Catholic Church to be the "sole Church of Christ"—i.e., the one true church defined as "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic" in the Four Marks of the Church in the Nicene Creed.

What religion are most millionaires? ›

A study done by the nonpartisan wealth research firm New World Wealth found that 56.2% of the 13.1 million millionaires in the world were Christians, while 6.5% were Muslims, 3.9% were Hindu, and 1.7% were Jewish; 31.7% were identified as adherents of "other" religions or "not religious".

Who is the billionaire in the Bible? ›

In Old Testament Bible mentions about the richest and wisest man who ever lived. He was King Solomon, By following his strategy we can become more prudent and wealthy.

How much does the pope get paid? ›

Popes usually get paid hendsomely, the current wage he gets is $32,000 on a monthly basis but he refused to get any of that money. Instead, Pope Francis decided to either donate this money to the church, use it to endow a foundation, placed in trust or pass it on to a family member.

What bank does the Catholic Church own? ›

The role of the Vatican Bank is perhaps the most controversial and little-understood part of the Vatican's finances. Also known as the Institute for the Works of Religion, the Vatican Bank is a private bank located in Vatican City founded by Pope Pius XII in 1942.

What's the pope worth? ›

Pope Francis Net Worth is $16 Million US Dollars. Pope Francis is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 2013.

How much land does Jeff Bezos own? ›

Amazon founder and chairman Jeff Bezos has amassed 420,000 acres in recent years. Other noteworthy farmland investors include Ted Turner and Thomas Peterffy.

Who owns the most US agricultural land? ›

China owns roughly 384,000 acres of U.S. agricultural land, according to a 2021 report from the Department of Agriculture. Of that, 195,000 acres, worth almost $2 billion when purchased, are owned by 85 Chinese investors, which could be individuals, companies or the government.

Who owns the majority of farms in the US? ›

People own most farmland. Some 2.6 million owners are individuals or families, and they own more than two thirds of all farm acreage. Fewer than 32,500 non family held corpor ations own farmland, and they own less than 5 percent of all U.S. farmland. Farmland owners hold an aver age of about 280 acres each.

What is the largest private ranch in the United States? ›

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.

Why do billionaires buy farmland? ›

Currently, investors are attracted to farmland due to its low correlation with the stock market's volatility. This makes it an exceptional tool for diversifying portfolios. Farmers have pricing power for their crops. Food is not a discretionary item on any budget.

Does China own land in Missouri? ›

Chinese entities owned 42,596 acres of Missouri agricultural land as of 2021 — just a little under half of the roughly 100,000 agricultural acres owned by all foreign entities, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

Where is the most farmland in the US? ›

Texas had the most land in farms in the United States in 2021 followed by Montana and Kansas. Texas accounted for more than 14% of the land in farms in the United States in 2021.

What is the biggest farm in the world? ›

What is the Largest Farm in the World? Did you know the largest farm in the entire world is bigger than 11 U.S. states? This massive farm dairy farm is located in Heilongjiang, China. Mudanjiang City Mega Farm has over 100,000 dairy cows and covers an impressive 22.5 million acres.

What is America's largest privately owned house? ›

Virtual Tour: Biltmore House—America's Largest Home.

Who owns the most expensive property in the US? ›

In 2019, hedge fund owner Ken Griffin logged the highest amount paid for a residence on record in the US, when he bought a penthouse for $238 million in the lauded limestone tower.

Who owns the biggest house in the world? ›

Who is the owner of the biggest house in the world ? Istana Nurul Iman Palace, the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, is the largest house in the world, spread over 2.15 million square feet.

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