Private land plays a significant role in conservation. According to the World Resource Institute, property rights (people's legal right to own, use, and sell land, resources, and other goods) provide an incentive for landowners to use natural resources sustainably. Property rights can:
- Prevent ecosystem degradation
- Encourage the provision of ecosystem services
- Promote investment in conservation and efficient resource use
Largest Landowner By State
The McDonald Family owns about 100,000 acres in Alabama. Alabama Power owns over 61,000 acres.
Doyon Limited is the largest private landowner in Alaska and North America. Doyon Limited has a land entitlement of 12.5 million acres. In Alaska, Doyon's land stretches from the Alaska-Canada border almost to the Norton Sound in the west.
Babbitt Ranches is the largest landowner in Arizona, with 750,000 acres and 270,000 acres owned by the family business.
With 711,000 acres, the Weyerhaeuser Company owns the largest amount of land in Arkansas.
California
Sierra Pacific Industries is the largest private landowner in California. Sierra Pacific owns approximately 2 million acres in California, 300,000 in Washington, and 175,000 in Oregon.
The largest landowner in Colorado is John Malone, with 270,000 acres, He is the second largest landowner in the United States with 2.2 million acres of property.
District of Columbia
The largest landowner in the District of Columbia is the Federal Government (owning 12,000 acres), followed by the Catholic Church.
The Mormon Church is the largest landowner in Florida, with a total of 678,000 acres purchased.
Plum Creek, a company that merged with the Weyerhaeuser Company, is Georgia's largest private landowner, with a total of 750,000 acres in timberland.
Behind the state of Hawaii and the U.S. Government, Kamehameha Schools is the single largest landowner in Hawaii, with 362,000 acres on the island of Hawaii, Oahu, and Maui.
The Holding Family is the largest landowner in Idaho, with over 400,000 acres. The family's land includes the Sun Valley Ski Resort in Sun Valley, Idaho.
The Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saints, also called the Mormon Church, is the largest landowner in the state of Illinois with 38,000 acres.
Tom Farms, owned by Kip Tom, is the largest private landowner in Indiana. Tom Farms owns 20,000 acres in Indiana and Argentina.
Philip Anschutz owns the largest corporate farms in the state at 250,000 acres. It’s called Baughman Farms.
Brad Kelley is the largest landowner in Kentucky and is also the eighth-largest private landowner in the United States, with a total of 1.13 million acres. Brad Kelley is the owner of Calumet Farm, which had three starters in the 2017 Kentucky Derby and Lonely Planet.
Roy O. Martin III is the largest private landowner in Louisiana, with 550,000 acres.
J.D. Irving is the largest landowner in Maine and is the only industrial landowner with roughly 1.25 million acres. John Malone, the second-largest landowner in the U.S., owns 980,000 acres throughout the state as well.
W.D. Cowls, Inc. is the largest private landowner in Massachusetts. Cowls, Inc. has successfully purchased and conserved over 5,500 acres of forest.
Plum Creek, a lumber company that recently merged with Weyerhaeuser Company, is the largest private landowner in Michigan after purchasing 650,000 acres in 2005.
The Molpus Woodlands Group is the largest landowner in Minnesota, with 286,000 acres.
The largest landowner in Mississippi is Gaylon Lawrence, Jr., which owns more than 180,000 acres of land.
Pioneer Forest is the largest private landowner in Missouri, with 146,000 acres.
Plum Creek Timber Inc, which recently merged with Weyerhaeuser Company, owns 765,000 acres.
Ted Turner, who is also the owner of CNN, is the largest private landowner in Nebraska, with over 500,000 acres. He is the fourth-largest private landowner in the United States, with roughly 2 million acres.
Paul Fireman is the largest landowner in Nevada, owning the Winecup Gamble Ranch that encompasses roughly 247,000 acres.
John Malone owns the most land in New Hampshire, 23,000 acres, and is also the second-largest private landowner in the United States.
Henry Singleton, a corporate executive from Beverly Hills, CA, owns over 1.2 million acres across New Mexico.
The largest private landowner in New York is Molpus Woodland Group, which owns 112,000 acres.
The Weyerhaeuser Company owns the most land in North Carolina, with 570,000 acres owned within the state.
Escanaba Timber, LLC. is the largest private landowner in Ohio with about 150,000 acres of land.
The Drummond family is the largest landowner in Oklahoma and the 23rd-largest landowner in the United States. The Drummonds own 433,000 acres. However, it should be noted that they were excluded from the 2021 Land Report, which could indicate a change in ownership.
Oregon
The largest private landowner in Oregon is the Reed family, owners of the Green Diamond Resource Company, which owns 600,000 acres in Oregon.
The largest private landowners in Pennsylvania are the Collins Family, who inherited 118,000 acres of land from Truman Collins, the largest landholder in the state before his passing in 1914.
Plum Creek, which has merged with Weyerhaeuser Company, is the largest private landowner in South Carolina, with 352,400 acres, or about 1.7% of the state.
Ted Turner owns the most land in South Dakota, with a Bad River Ranch and Standing Butte Ranch spanning over 186,000 acres.
Brad Kelley and the Wilks brothers are believed to be the largest private landowners in Tennessee. However, the information is undisclosed.
The largest private landowner in Texas is King Ranch, Inc., with 825,000 acres.
The federal government owns over 33 million acres of the state making it the second most federally owned state in the nation.
The largest private landowner in Vermont is Plum Creed Timber Company, which recently merged with the Weyerhaeuser Company. They own almost 100,000 acres across the state.
Eldon Farms is the largest private landowner in Virginia, with 7,100 acres.
Washington
Weyerhaeuser Company, a timberland company, which has merged with Plum Creek Lumber, is the largest private landowner in Washington. Weyerhaeuser owns 12.4 million acres of land, with 900,000 in Washington.
The largest landowner in West Virginia is the North Carolina-based Heartwood Forest Land Fund, which owns just over 500,000 acres. Heartwood Forest Land Fund is one of several Timberland Investment Management Organizations (TIMOs) among the top ten landowners in West Virginia.
The largest private landowner in Wisconsin is Plum Creek Timber Co., which recently merged with Weyerhaeuser Company, owning more than 500,000 acres.
Stan Kroenke’s landholdings in the state of Wyoming include Q Creek Ranch and W.T Waggoner Ranch to a sum of 550,000 acres. Kroenke is the fifth-largest landowner in the United States, with a total of 1.6 million acres.
FAQs
Out of all of the states, Nevada has the highest percentage of federally owned land. The federal government owns more than 80% of the state's 70,264,320 acres of land. The majority of the federal land is owned by the National Park Service.
Who owns the most land in one state? ›
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.
Does the Catholic Church own the most land? ›
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 became the largest landowner in the US when he purchased 4 million acres of Florida land? ›
Hamilton Disston (August 23, 1844 – April 30, 1896) was an industrialist and real-estate developer who purchased 4 million acres (16,000 km²) of Florida land in 1881, an area larger than the state of Connecticut, and reportedly the most land ever purchased by a single person in world history.
Who is the largest private farm landowner in the United States? ›
The Microsoft co-founder is considered the largest private owner of farmland in the country with some 269,000 acres across dozens of states, according to last year's edition of the Land Report 100, an annual survey of the nation's largest landowners.
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.
What is the land that no one owns US? ›
Unclaimed by any country, the Bir Tawil stands alone as terra nullius. On the border of Egypt and Sudan lies one of history's most peculiar regions. Bigger than London and New York, this patch of desert has presented a problem for international lawmakers for over sixty years.
Where is 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%).
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.
What is the salary of the pope? ›
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.
How much land does McDonald's own? The company owns about 45% of the land and 70% of the buildings at their 36,000+ locations (the rest is leased). It's a brilliant strategy. Being able to collect on rents helps insulate them from the ups and downs of the business of flippin' burgers.
Who owns the most real estate? ›
TOP TEN LARGEST PRIVATE LANDOWNERS
- Emmerson family 2.411 million acres.
- John Malone 2.2 million acres.
- Ted Turner 2 million acres.
- Reed family 1.661 million acres.
- Stan Kroenke 1.627 million acres.
- Irving family 1.267 million acres.
- Buck family 1.236 million acres.
- Singleton family 1.1 million acres.
Summary of the 11 Largest Landowners in Florida
| Rank | Landowner | Acreage Owned |
|---|
| 1 | The St. Joe Company | 576,000 acres |
| 2 | Foley Timber and Land Company | 562,000 acres |
| 3 | Plum Creek Timber | 415,000 acres |
| 4 | Rayonier Company | 400,000 acres |
7 more rowsApr 6, 2023
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.
Who has the best farmland in the United States? ›
The best states for farmland in the US include Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas, Iowa, Kentucky, Wyoming, and California. Consider factors like profitability, cost of operation, infrastructure, and availability when selecting a location.
Who is the biggest farmer in the United States? ›
How much farmland does Jeff Bezos own in the US? ›
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is not only one of the richest men in the world, with a net worth of $190 billion at the time of this writing, but also he is one of the biggest private landowners in the United States. Bezos owns 420,000 acres. Much of his land is in West Texas.
What is the largest single cattle ranch in the US? ›
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.
How many acres is Yellowstone ranch? ›
When Yellowstone is not filming on the 2,500-acre ranch, the owners rent out some of the cabins on the property to visitors. Guests can spend their time fishing, horseback riding, and hiking through the area's beautiful mountains.
Is there any free land left in US? ›
The Homestead Act of 1862 is no longer in effect, but free land is still available out there in the great wide open (often literally in the great wide open). In fact, the town of Beatrice, Nebraska has even enacted a Homestead Act of 2010.
There is plenty of publically-held land owned by the federal government or states. However, there is no land in the US that does not have a designated owner.
How much land in America is untouched? ›
Only three percent of land remains untouched, study says.
What state has the most BLM land? ›
Alaska had the most federal land (222.7 million acres) while Nevada had the greatest percentage of federal land within a state (80.1 percent). In contrast, Rhode Island and Connecticut had the fewest acres of federal land: 4,513 acres and 9,110 acres, respectively.
What state has the most public hunting land? ›
Best States Based on Public Land Availability
States in the West lead the country in the amount of public land available, with states including Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho making more than 50% of the state available to the public to hunt.
Who owns the second most land in the United States? ›
John Malone, the second-largest landowner in the U.S., owns 980,000 acres throughout the state as well.
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? ›
Among the billionaires undeterred by the economy last year was Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison who, after just missing 2021's most expensive home sales list, topped the list in 2022 with the purchase of Netscape cofounder Jim Clark's 16-acre compound in Manalapan, Florida for $173 million.
How many Americans own 2 homes? ›
There are more than 110 million residences in the United States, including both households and vacant homes, which means that 2.39% of all residences in the United States are used solely as second homes. Are you thinking of buying a second home?
What car does the pope have? ›
For trips within the Vatican City, he uses a small Ford Focus from the Vatican motor pool. He also drives himself around the city in a 1984 Renault 4 presented to him by Italian Father Renzo Zocca. A Kia Soul was used as the Popemobile in August 2014 when he visited South Korea.
What is higher than a pope? ›
Pope, bishop, cardinal, priest.
Pope Alexander VI - Wikipedia.
Which country owns the most land? ›
The largest country in the world is Russia with a total area of 17,098,242 Km² (6,601,665 mi²) and a land area of 16,376,870 Km² (6,323,142 mi²), equivalent to 11% of the total world's landmass of 148,940,000 Km² (57,510,000 square miles).
Who owns the most McDonald's in the world? ›
This success has led investors to cumulatively own about 732.42 million outstanding shares, which gives it an estimated market cap of $196.23 billion. The largest shareholder of McDonald's is The Vanguard Group Inc, which has an 8.81% stake in the company valued at $16,994,291,524, at the time of writing.
Which country buys the most McDonald's? ›
Given that McDonald's was started in the United States, it should come as no surprise that the United States still has the most McDonald's of any country in the world.
Who is the richest landlord in the world? ›
Roman Catholic Church: 70 million hectares
The largest landowner in the world is not a major oil magnate or a real estate investor. No, it's the Roman Catholic Church. According to lovemoney.com, the church owns more than 70 million hectares.
Who owns most of California? ›
California is the third largest state in the country in terms of land area, with a total of more than 104 million acres. It's also among the states where the U.S. government owns the highest percentage of land.
Who is the richest person in real estate business? ›
Donald Bren, chair of Southern California-based Irvine Company, is the wealthiest American real estate titan, just cracking the top 100 (#97) with a $17.4 billion fortune, an increase of $1.2 billion from last year.
Who owns the largest ranch in Florida? ›
The Lykes Bros. cattle ranch is 337,000 acres in South-Central Florida, making it the largest cattle ranch in Florida.
How much of Florida does Mormon Church own? ›
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.
Who owns land under water in Florida? ›
The title to lands under navigable waters, within the boundaries of the state, which have not been alienated, including beaches below mean high water lines, is held by the state, by virtue of its sovereignty, in trust for all the people. Sale of such lands may be authorized by law, but only when in the public interest.
Conclusion: The Catholic Church owns the most land, far more than McDonald's and billionaire Bill Gates.
Who is the richest man in the land? ›
As of May 1, 2023, the richest man in the world is Bernard Arnault, the CEO and chairman of LVMH of France; he's worth nearly $237 billion. He moved into the number one spot after Elon Musk's fortune fell in late 2022 as shares of electric carmaker Tesla fell.
Who is the richest billionaire family in the United States? ›
The top 10 richest families in 2022 by estimated wealth are: The Walton family with $224.5 billion. The Mars family with $160 billion. The Koch family with $128.8 billion.
Who owns the most expensive ranch? ›
However, the most expensive ranch ever sold in the U.S. is a title that remains with the W.T. Waggoner Ranch. The sprawling 510,000-acre estate in Texas was purchased in 2016 by billionaire real estate and sports mogul Stan Kroenke for a whopping $725 million.
Who owns the biggest ranch in Wyoming? ›
Stan Kroenke — 560,000 Acres
Billionaire Stan Kroenke owns 560,000 acres of land in Wyoming. This is the largest ranch in the Rocky Mountains and sits near Medicine Bow.
Who owns Yellowstone ranch? ›
Yellowstone Dutton Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States located in the Paradise Valley in Park County, Montana, east of Bozeman and west of Livingston. The ranch is owned by John Dutton.
What state has the highest percentage of privately owned land? ›
In total, about 77 million owners hold 1.3 billion acres (0.53 billion ha) of private land.
...
The percentages of private lands in each U.S. state'
| Rank | State | % that is Private Land |
|---|
| 1 | RI | 98.5 |
| 2 | KS | 98.1 |
| 3 | IA | 97.2 |
| 4 | NE | 97.2 |
6 more rowsApr 22, 2021
Texas: 261,232 square miles. California: 155,959 square miles. Montana: 145,552 square miles. New Mexico: 121,298 square miles.
Which state has highest average size of land holding? ›
The average size of landholdings in Nagaland is the highest.
Is most of Texas private land? ›
Protecting Land
Over 95% of the land in Texas is privately owned. This creates a unique challenge for Texans, as conservation becomes the responsibility of private landowners.
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%).
Where is the most public land in the US? ›
1. Alaska. 333.3 million acres, almost 92%, are government-owned in “the Last Frontier State.” The U.S. purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire in 1867. It's the largest state in the United States in terms of land area and the least densely populated.
How did Texas get so much land? ›
After Texas gained independence, the first Congress of the Republic met at Columbia and, in December 1836, passed an act defining the boundaries of the Republic. With this act, Texas claimed 216,000,000 acres (about 350,000 square miles) of unappropriated land-much of which was actually part of Mexico.
Who has more taxes California or Texas? ›
But sales tax rates are generally lower in Texas than in California. According to the Sales Tax Handbook, combined state and local sales taxes in California range from 7.25% to 10.75%. In Texas, the range is from 6.25% to 8.25% Neither state levies sales taxes on groceries.
How rich is Texas vs California? ›
Overall, in the calendar year 2022, the United States' Nominal GDP at Current Prices totaled at $25.463 Trillion, as compared to $23.315 Trillion in 2021. The three U.S. states with the highest GDPs were California ($3.6 Trillion), Texas ($2.356 Trillion), and New York ($2.053 Trillion).
What is the biggest use of land in the US? ›
About 52 percent of the 2012 U.S. land base (including Alaska and Hawaii) is used for agricultural purposes, including cropping, grazing (on pasture, range, and in forests), and farmsteads/farm roads. Land-use change occurs for a variety of reasons.
What state has the best agricultural land? ›
The best states for farmland in the US include Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas, Iowa, Kentucky, Wyoming, and California. Consider factors like profitability, cost of operation, infrastructure, and availability when selecting a location.
Which state has the least amount of land? ›
The 5 Smallest States by Land Area
- Rhode Island—1,045 square miles (2,707 square kilometers) ...
- Delaware—1,954 square miles (5,061 square kilometers) ...
- Connecticut—5,567 square miles (12,548 square kilometers) ...
- Hawaii—6,423 square miles (16,635 square kilometers)
Land. It's the root of the Texas myth, the backdrop for our history and culture, the source of our prosperity. These people own more of it than anyone else.
...
Public Lands: Selling Uncle Sam Short.
| Owners | Acres |
|---|
| State of Texas | 6,400,000 |
| U.S.A. | 3,293,000 |
| University of Texas System | 2,100,000 |
Mar 11, 2022
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.
Despite the growth, however, the amount of land held by foreign investors only represents around 3% of the state's overall 153 million acres of private agricultural land.
