Who Is the Largest Landowner in the US
The federal government remains the single largest landowner in the United States, controlling roughly 640 million acres, or about 28% of the total land area, according to the latest public data from the Congressional Research Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The bulk of this land is managed by four agencies: the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service, with the Department of Defense also holding significant acreage for military training and installations.
Within the private sector, media and ranching magnate John Malone remains the largest individual landowner in the US, with holdings estimated at more than 2.2 million acres spread across states such as Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon through his company, Liberty Media. Malone's land portfolio, managed primarily via the Malone Family Land Preservation Foundation, focuses on ranching, timber, and conservation, and his holdings are frequently cited in analyses of private landownership concentration in the country.
Top Federal and Corporate Landowners by Acreage
The Bureau of Land Management alone administers about 245 million surface acres, mostly in western states, making it the largest single land manager in the US, while the U.S. Forest Service oversees roughly 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages more than 89 million acres of National Wildlife Refuges, and the National Park Service administers about 84 million acres across parks, monuments, and historic sites, according to the latest agency reports and the Public Lands Interpretive Association.
Among private and corporate entities, King Ranch in Texas, founded in the 19th century, remains one of the largest contiguous ranches in the country at over 825,000 acres, while other major private holdings include the Reed Family's timberlands in Washington and Oregon, totaling more than 2 million acres through their company, Sierra Pacific Industries. Large institutional investors and real estate investment trusts also hold significant acreage for agriculture, mining, and energy development, with detailed ownership data available through the SEC's EDGAR filings and land-grant university databases.
How US Land Ownership Is Measured and Tracked
Federal Land Inventories and Public Datasets
Federal land ownership is tracked through agency-specific inventories, the National Land Cover Database, and public reports from the Congressional Research Service, which regularly update figures on acreage held by the government and the agencies responsible for management. These datasets are used by researchers, policymakers, and investors to analyze land use trends, conservation priorities, and the balance between public and private ownership across states.
Private and Corporate Land Reporting
Private landowners and corporations report large holdings through SEC filings, annual sustainability reports, and databases maintained by organizations such as the Property and Environment Research Center and the American Farmland Trust. For example, detailed breakdowns of John Malone's acreage and other major private holdings are often cited in Forbes profiles and company disclosures, providing transparency on the scale and geographic distribution of large private land portfolios in the United States.