Federal Land by State 2023 - Wisevoter (2024)

Introduction

In the United States in 2018, 615,311,596 acres of land were federally managed of the 2,271,343,360 total acreages of all the states combined in the U.S., or 27.1% of the United States’ total acreage. This vast landscape is managed by four federal agencies: the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the National Park Service (NPS), and the Forest Service (FS). Each state in the U.S. has at least 4,000 acres of federally managed land within its boundaries.

In spite of the massive quantity of federal land in Alaska, it is not the state with the highest percentage of federal acreage within a state. The state with the highest percentage of federal land is Nevada, of which 80.1%, or 56,262,610 acres of its total landmass is federally managed. By percentage of total acres, the next states with the most federally managed lands are Utah and Idaho, with 63.1% and 61.9% of their lands managed, respectively, by a federal agency.

Learn more about federal land by state by looking at the data in the charts.

#StateFederal LandTotal Area
1Nevada80.1%110,572 mi²
2Utah63.1%84,897 mi²
3Idaho61.9%83,569 mi²
4Alaska60.9%665,384 mi²
5Oregon52.3%98,379 mi²
6Wyoming46.7%97,813 mi²
7California45.4%163,695 mi²
8Arizona38.6%113,990 mi²
9Colorado36.2%104,094 mi²
10New Mexico31.7%121,590 mi²
11Montana29%147,040 mi²
12Washington28.6%71,298 mi²
13District of Columbia24.7%68 mi²
14Hawaii20.2%10,932 mi²
15New Hampshire14%9,349 mi²
16Florida12.9%65,758 mi²
17Georgia12.9%59,425 mi²
18Michigan10%96,714 mi²
19Arkansas9.4%53,179 mi²
20Virginia9.3%42,775 mi²
21North Carolina7.8%53,819 mi²
22Vermont7.8%9,616 mi²
23West Virginia7.4%24,230 mi²
24Minnesota6.8%86,936 mi²
25South Dakota5.4%77,116 mi²
26Wisconsin5.3%65,496 mi²
27Mississippi5.1%48,432 mi²
28Tennessee4.8%42,144 mi²
29Louisiana4.7%52,378 mi²
30South Carolina4.5%32,020 mi²
31Kentucky4.3%40,408 mi²
32North Dakota3.9%70,698 mi²
33Missouri3.8%69,707 mi²
34New Jersey3.6%8,723 mi²
35Maryland3.2%12,406 mi²
36Alabama2.7%52,420 mi²
37Delaware2.4%2,489 mi²
38Pennsylvania2.2%46,054 mi²
39Texas1.9%268,596 mi²
40Indiana1.7%36,420 mi²
41Maine1.5%35,380 mi²
42Oklahoma1.5%69,899 mi²
43Illinois1.2%57,914 mi²
44Massachusetts1.2%10,554 mi²
45Ohio1.2%44,826 mi²
46Nebraska1.1%77,348 mi²
47New York0.8%54,555 mi²
48Rhode Island0.7%1,545 mi²
49Kansas0.5%82,278 mi²
50Connecticut0.3%5,543 mi²
51Iowa0.3%56,273 mi²

Federal Land by State

Alabama

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Federal Land

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2.7%

Ranked in the US

#36

52,420 mi²

Ranked in the US

#30

Federal Land

Total Area

Alaska

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Federal Land

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60.9%

Ranked in the US

#4

665,384 mi²

Ranked in the US

#1

Federal Land

Total Area

Arizona

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Federal Land

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38.6%

Ranked in the US

#8

113,990 mi²

Ranked in the US

#6

Federal Land

Total Area

Arkansas

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Federal Land

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9.4%

Ranked in the US

#19

53,179 mi²

Ranked in the US

#29

Federal Land

Total Area

California

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Federal Land

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45.4%

Ranked in the US

#7

163,695 mi²

Ranked in the US

#3

Federal Land

Total Area

Colorado

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Federal Land

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36.2%

Ranked in the US

#9

104,094 mi²

Ranked in the US

#8

Federal Land

Total Area

Connecticut

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Federal Land

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0.3%

Ranked in the US

#50

5,543 mi²

Ranked in the US

#48

Federal Land

Total Area

Delaware

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Federal Land

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2.4%

Ranked in the US

#37

2,489 mi²

Ranked in the US

#49

Federal Land

Total Area

District of Columbia

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Federal Land

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24.7%

Ranked in the US

#13

68 mi²

Ranked in the US

#51

Federal Land

Total Area

Florida

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Federal Land

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12.9%

Ranked in the US

#16

65,758 mi²

Ranked in the US

#22

Federal Land

Total Area

Georgia

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Federal Land

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12.9%

Ranked in the US

#17

59,425 mi²

Ranked in the US

#24

Federal Land

Total Area

Hawaii

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Federal Land

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20.2%

Ranked in the US

#14

10,932 mi²

Ranked in the US

#43

Federal Land

Total Area

Illinois

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Federal Land

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1.2%

Ranked in the US

#43

57,914 mi²

Ranked in the US

#25

Federal Land

Total Area

Indiana

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Federal Land

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1.7%

Ranked in the US

#40

36,420 mi²

Ranked in the US

#38

Federal Land

Total Area

Iowa

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Federal Land

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0.3%

Ranked in the US

#51

56,273 mi²

Ranked in the US

#26

Federal Land

Total Area

Kansas

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Federal Land

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0.5%

Ranked in the US

#49

82,278 mi²

Ranked in the US

#15

Federal Land

Total Area

Kentucky

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Federal Land

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4.3%

Ranked in the US

#31

40,408 mi²

Ranked in the US

#37

Federal Land

Total Area

Louisiana

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Federal Land

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4.7%

Ranked in the US

#29

52,378 mi²

Ranked in the US

#31

Federal Land

Total Area

Maine

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Federal Land

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1.5%

Ranked in the US

#41

35,380 mi²

Ranked in the US

#39

Federal Land

Total Area

Maryland

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Federal Land

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3.2%

Ranked in the US

#35

12,406 mi²

Ranked in the US

#42

Federal Land

Total Area

Massachusetts

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Federal Land

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1.2%

Ranked in the US

#44

10,554 mi²

Ranked in the US

#44

Federal Land

Total Area

Michigan

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Federal Land

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10%

Ranked in the US

#18

96,714 mi²

Ranked in the US

#11

Federal Land

Total Area

Minnesota

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Federal Land

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6.8%

Ranked in the US

#24

86,936 mi²

Ranked in the US

#12

Federal Land

Total Area

Mississippi

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Federal Land

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5.1%

Ranked in the US

#27

48,432 mi²

Ranked in the US

#32

Federal Land

Total Area

Missouri

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Ranked in the US

#33

69,707 mi²

Ranked in the US

#21

Federal Land

Total Area

Montana

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Federal Land

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29%

Ranked in the US

#11

147,040 mi²

Ranked in the US

#4

Federal Land

Total Area

Nebraska

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Federal Land

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1.1%

Ranked in the US

#46

77,348 mi²

Ranked in the US

#16

Federal Land

Total Area

Nevada

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Federal Land

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80.1%

Ranked in the US

#1

110,572 mi²

Ranked in the US

#7

Federal Land

Total Area

New Hampshire

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Federal Land

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14%

Ranked in the US

#15

9,349 mi²

Ranked in the US

#46

Federal Land

Total Area

New Jersey

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Federal Land

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3.6%

Ranked in the US

#34

8,723 mi²

Ranked in the US

#47

Federal Land

Total Area

New Mexico

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Federal Land

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31.7%

Ranked in the US

#10

121,590 mi²

Ranked in the US

#5

Federal Land

Total Area

New York

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Federal Land

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0.8%

Ranked in the US

#47

54,555 mi²

Ranked in the US

#27

Federal Land

Total Area

North Carolina

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Federal Land

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7.8%

Ranked in the US

#21

53,819 mi²

Ranked in the US

#28

Federal Land

Total Area

North Dakota

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Federal Land

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3.9%

Ranked in the US

#32

70,698 mi²

Ranked in the US

#19

Federal Land

Total Area

Ohio

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Federal Land

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1.2%

Ranked in the US

#45

44,826 mi²

Ranked in the US

#34

Federal Land

Total Area

Oklahoma

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Federal Land

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1.5%

Ranked in the US

#42

69,899 mi²

Ranked in the US

#20

Federal Land

Total Area

Oregon

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Federal Land

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52.3%

Ranked in the US

#5

98,379 mi²

Ranked in the US

#9

Federal Land

Total Area

Pennsylvania

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Federal Land

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2.2%

Ranked in the US

#38

46,054 mi²

Ranked in the US

#33

Federal Land

Total Area

Rhode Island

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Federal Land

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0.7%

Ranked in the US

#48

1,545 mi²

Ranked in the US

#50

Federal Land

Total Area

South Carolina

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Federal Land

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4.5%

Ranked in the US

#30

32,020 mi²

Ranked in the US

#40

Federal Land

Total Area

South Dakota

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Federal Land

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5.4%

Ranked in the US

#25

77,116 mi²

Ranked in the US

#17

Federal Land

Total Area

Tennessee

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Federal Land

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4.8%

Ranked in the US

#28

42,144 mi²

Ranked in the US

#36

Federal Land

Total Area

Texas

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Federal Land

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1.9%

Ranked in the US

#39

268,596 mi²

Ranked in the US

#2

Federal Land

Total Area

Utah

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Federal Land

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63.1%

Ranked in the US

#2

84,897 mi²

Ranked in the US

#13

Federal Land

Total Area

Vermont

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Federal Land

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7.8%

Ranked in the US

#22

9,616 mi²

Ranked in the US

#45

Federal Land

Total Area

Virginia

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Federal Land

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9.3%

Ranked in the US

#20

42,775 mi²

Ranked in the US

#35

Federal Land

Total Area

Washington

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Federal Land

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28.6%

Ranked in the US

#12

71,298 mi²

Ranked in the US

#18

Federal Land

Total Area

West Virginia

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Federal Land

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7.4%

Ranked in the US

#23

24,230 mi²

Ranked in the US

#41

Federal Land

Total Area

Wisconsin

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Federal Land

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5.3%

Ranked in the US

#26

65,496 mi²

Ranked in the US

#23

Federal Land

Total Area

Wyoming

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Federal Land

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46.7%

Ranked in the US

#6

97,813 mi²

Ranked in the US

#10

Federal Land

Total Area

Federal Land by State 2023 - Wisevoter (2024)

FAQs

Federal Land by State 2023 - Wisevoter? ›

The state with the highest percentage of land held by the federal government is Nevada (80.1%); the states with the lowest percentage of land held by the federal government are Connecticut and Iowa (0.3%).

Which state has most federally owned land? ›

The state with the highest percentage of land held by the federal government is Nevada (80.1%); the states with the lowest percentage of land held by the federal government are Connecticut and Iowa (0.3%).

How much land is owned by the federal government by state? ›

California has 45,493,133 acres of federally owned land. It's ranked 7th in having the most federally owned property. Colorado has 24,100,247 acres of federally owned land.

Which states have blm land? ›

In addition to the Bureau of Land Management Headquarters Office in Washington, D.C., the BLM operates 12 state offices that have jurisdiction across the nation.
  • National Office. ...
  • Alaska.
  • Arizona.
  • California.
  • Colorado.
  • Eastern States. ...
  • Idaho.
  • Montana-Dakotas.

What percentage of total state land is federal land? ›

Federal land by state
[hide]Federal land ownership by state (as of 2018)
Alaska222,666,58060.9%
Arizona28,077,99238.6%
Arkansas3,159,4869.4%
California45,493,13345.4%
50 more rows

Why is Nevada mostly federal land? ›

When Nevada became a state in 1864, its constitution explicitly said that the state wouldn't claim any public land that wasn't spoken for. This left the vast majority of Nevada's land in the public estate, managed by the federal government.

Who owns the most land in the United States besides the government? ›

The nation's largest private landowners are the Emmerson family in California who own over 2.4 million acres. The bulk of that land is dedicated to timber in Northern California. But the most headline-worthy transaction of 2022 was the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas.

How long can you live on BLM land? ›

Dispersed camping is generally allowed on public land for a period not to exceed 14 days within a 28 consecutive day period.

Why is there no BLM land in Texas? ›

The lack of BLM land in Texas goes back to Texas' entrance to the union in 1845. At the time, the Republic of Texas owned more than 225 million acres, which the soon-to-be state saw as a significant revenue generator.

What are the 12 states that have most of the BLM lands? ›

Most BLM public lands are located in these 12 western states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,Washington and Wyoming.

Which state has the most public hunting land? ›

Here are the 10 states with the highest percentage of land available for hunting:
  • Nevada - 76.5%
  • Alaska - 74.3%
  • Utah - 66.1%
  • Idaho - 65.8%
  • Oregon - 56.6%
  • Wyoming - 50.5%
  • Arizona - 44.8%
  • New Mexico - 40.5%

How much land is unowned in the US? ›

Of them, 4,871,270 blocks totaling 4.61 million square kilometers were reported to have no population living inside them. Despite having a population of more than 310 million people, 47 percent of the USA remains unoccupied.

What are the three types of federal lands? ›

The BLM further subdivides its holdings into four primary categories: (a) Public Lands, (b) Developed Recreation Areas, (c) Wilderness Areas, and (d) Conservation Lands. All four are open for camping, but each comes with its own unique rules and limitations.

Why is there so much federal land in the West? ›

Policymakers were afraid of running out of forest land, so they decided to hold on the land they had. They figured the government could manage the land better than private interests.

Can states buy federal land? ›

States can obtain authority to own and manage federal lands within their borders only by federal, not state, law. Congress's broad authority over federal lands includes the authority to dispose of lands, and Congress can choose to transfer ownership of federal land to states.

Can the federal government own state land? ›

About 46% of California's land area — or about 48 million acres — is owned by federal agencies, such as the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, according to a Chronicle analysis of local, state and federal public land ownership data.

Who owns 80% of the land in the state of Nevada? ›

According to the Legislative Counsel Bureau, 85.9 percent of Nevada is owned and controlled by various federal entities. 2 Only Alaska has a greater percentage of public lands (95.8 percent). The public lands are not subject to taxation, depriving Nevada of a main source of revenue.

Who controls 80% of Nevada land? ›

The majority of the land in Nevada is owned by the federal government but also serves to protect several of the state's most well-known attractions including Lake Tahoe, Red Rock Canyon (pictured), and Great Basin National Park.

Does the US government own 85% of Nevada? ›

Nearly 85 percent of Nevada is owned by the federal government.

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

How much property does China own in the US? ›

China owns roughly 384,000 acres of U.S. agricultural land, according to a 2021 report from the Department of Agriculture.

What is the largest privately owned ranch in the US? ›

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.

Can you run a generator on BLM land? ›

Yes, absolutely. As noted, use commonsense and be mindful of your neighbors. Use an appropriate generator and not an open-frame one.

What does BLM do with their land? ›

Congress tasked the BLM with a mandate of managing public lands for a variety of uses such as energy development, livestock grazing, recreation, and timber harvesting while ensuring natural, cultural, and historic resources are maintained for present and future use.

What does Boondocking mean when camping? ›

Boondocking in an RV is when you camp without hookups to electricity, water, or sewage. You can boondock in many different ways, like staying overnight in a business parking lot or camping on public lands.

Is Boondocking legal in Texas? ›

Can I Go Boondocking in Texas? The short answer: of course, you can! While it doesn't have the vast expanses of BLM or Forest Service Land found to the west of the Rockies, there are still plenty of places for boondocking in Texas.

Does BLM ever sell land? ›

The BLM does not offer much land for sale because of its congressional mandate, passed in 1976, to generally retain these lands in public ownership. However, the BLM does occasionally sell parcels of land where our land-use planning finds disposal is appropriate. Q: Where are these public lands?

Which state has the most BLM land? ›

The state with the highest percentage of federal land is Nevada, of which 80.1%, or 56,262,610 acres of its total landmass is federally managed.

Who controls BLM land? ›

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., and with oversight over 247.3 million acres (1,001,000 km2), it governs one eighth of the country's landmass.

What is the difference between the BLM and the USFS? ›

Unlike the US Forest Service, the BLM manages essentially no land in the eastern U.S. This is because BLM managed lands were created from “surplus” public lands that the federal government had not designated as National Forests or given to homesteaders.

What percent of U.S. 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.

What state is the easiest to hunt public land? ›

In fact, Pennsylvania ranks 1st in the country in both hunter and bowhunter density per square mile. 14.5% of the state is public ground, comprising 4.2 million acres, and an additional 2 million acres of private ground is open to hunting through cooperative agreements.

Which state can you shoot the most deer in? ›

One of the regions with the highest success rates in the country is the Midwest. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin record some of the highest antlered buck harvest rates in the country, with Pennsylvania topping the charts in 2021 with estimates of 145,320 harvested bucks.

What states hunt the least? ›

Urbanization and strict gun laws, in addition to a drop in overall interest, are why California has the fewest number of hunting licenses in the nation.

Where is land the cheapest in America? ›

Rural areas in the Midwest and South often offer lower costs of living, which is reflected in cheaper land prices. Additionally, land prices can vary based on its potential uses; for example, agricultural land typically has lower values than residential or commercial building sites.

What is the largest piece of unclaimed land? ›

The largest unclaimed territory on Earth is in Antarctica. Marie Byrd Land, a 620,000-square-mile collection of glaciers and rock formations, lies in the western portion of the southernmost continent. Because of its remoteness, no nation has ever claimed it.

What is the largest unclaimed land? ›

Marie Byrd Land (MBL) is an unclaimed region of Antarctica. With an area of 1,610,000 km2 (620,000 sq mi), it is the largest unclaimed territory on Earth. It was named after the wife of American naval officer Richard E.

Who controls federal land? ›

Four major federal land management agencies—the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and National Park Service (NPS)—are responsible for managing about 95% of these lands.

What is most federal land used for? ›

Since the 20th century, however, federal lands have remained primarily under federal ownership and are managed for conservation, recreation, the protection of fish and wildlife, and the development of natural resources, including limited oil and natural gas production.

Who is the owner of federal land? ›

Federal Land, Inc. is a member of GT Capital Holdings and a proud partner of the Metrobank Group.

What state has the highest percentage of protected land? ›

N.M. Alaska is the state with the highest percent of its area protected. Over a third of U.S. protected lands are federally protected wilderness areas, a network of over 170,000 square miles larger than California.

What state has the highest percentage of privately owned land? ›

The percentages of private lands in each U.S. state'
RankState% that is Private Land
1RI98.5
2KS98.1
3IA97.2
4NE97.2
6 more rows
Apr 22, 2021

What percentage of Texas land is federally owned? ›

Federal land is managed for many purposes, such as the conservation and development of natural resources, grazing and recreation. The federal government owns 1.77 percent of Texas's total land, 2,977,950 acres out of 168,217,600 total acres.

Does the government own 85% of Nevada? ›

Now consider the state of Nevada. It is a public land state. According to the Legislative Counsel Bureau, 85.9 percent of Nevada is owned and controlled by various federal entities.

What state has the least protected land? ›

The state that ranked last was Kansas, with just 0.06% of the state's 52,660,000 acres made up of 26 state parks (32,000 acres) and 0 national parks.

What state has the most forest service land? ›

Alaska has the most national forest land, with 21.9 million acres (8.9 million ha), followed by California (20.8 million acres, 8.4 million ha) and Idaho (20.4 million acres, 8.3 million ha).

What state has the most wild life? ›

California has more native species than any other state in the U.S. and has the greatest number of endemic species that don't occur anywhere else. Animals in America you can't miss.

What is the best state to own land in? ›

Top 10 States to Buy Land in the USA in 2023
  • Oregon.
  • Arizona.
  • Florida.
  • Utah.
  • Texas.
  • Nevada.
  • Idaho.
  • Arkansas.
Apr 28, 2023

Who is the largest landowner in the world? ›

The largest landowner in the world currently is King Charles III of England. How much land does the Royal Family own? He and the British Royal Family own more than 6,600,000,000 acres of land around the world. They technically own many territories around the globe, amounting to 1/6 of the surface of the planet.

How many acres does Jeff Bezos own? ›

The Largest Private Landowners in the United States
Person/FamilyAcres Owned
21Don Horton507,410
22Simplot Family443,091
23Fisher Family440,000
24Jeff Bezos420,000
21 more rows

Is there any BLM land in Texas? ›

Some fifteen miles northwest of Amarillo, Texas, the BLM administers 11,883 acres of surface estate on the Cross Bar. The Cross Bar is the only BLM-administered surface estate in Texas.

How much of California land is state owned? ›

According to the Congressional Research Service, the state of California has a total acreage of 100.2 million acres. Of that total, 47.70 percent, or 47.8 million acres, belongs to the federal government.

How much of Montana is federal land? ›

Public lands managed by the federal government constitute about 30% of Montana's landmass. The U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service are the federal agencies that manage these lands.

How much of Alaska is federal land? ›

Federal Land The federal government is still the largest landowner in Alaska with 60% of the total area (222 million acres). This acreage includes national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, military reservations and the North Slope National Petroleum Reserve.

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