Spanning nearly 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the third largest country in the world by land area. Still, land is a commodity with a fundamentally fixed supply, and demand for it will likely only continue to grow. As such, real estate is often seen as both a safe and profitable investment.
The average value of an acre of farmland in the United States spiked by 82% between 2009 and 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Over roughly the same period, the median sale price of homes and residential properties in the U.S. surged by 124%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Perhaps not surprisingly, many of those who can afford to are buying up land across the United States. While the federal government is the largest landowner in the U.S., with a reported 640 million acres, there are also millions of acres that are privately owned by just a handful of individuals and families. In contrast to the federal government, which ostensibly acquires land for the public good, these private landowners are beholden to no interests but their own. (Here is a look at the foreign governments that own the most American land.)
Using data compiled by the individual retirement account firm Madison Trust Company in its report Who Owns the Most Land in the United States, 24/7 Wall St. identified the top private landowners in the United States. The 25 individuals and families on this list are ranked by the total acres of land they own. Leased land was not considered.
The individuals and families on this list own a combined 24.3 million acres, larger than the size of several states, including Indiana, Maine, and South Carolina. Much of the land owned by the people on this list is used for business enterprises, including agriculture, lumber production, and ranching.
The largest landowners in the U.S. include heirs to family fortunes and successful business entrepreneurs. Some of them rank among the wealthiest people in the world. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who owns a reported 420,000 acres in Texas, is worth $122 billion, making him the third richest person in the world. Thomas Peterfly, who owns 581,000 acres in Georgia and Florida, founded the electronic trading platform Interactive Brokers and is worth $27.1 billion, making him the 49th richest person in the world. (Here is a look at the richest American in every state.)
Click here to see which people own the most land in America.
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
25. Zane and Tanya Kiehne
> Acres owned: 400,000 (about five times the size of Dublin)
> Location(s): New Mexico, Texas
> Landowner background: Co-founded Ranchers Choice Land Sales Inc., a farm, ranch, and hunting property sales firm
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Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images News via Getty Images
24. Jeff Bezos
> Acres owned: 420,000 (about twice the size of New York City)
> Location(s): Texas
> Landowner background: Founder of Amazon, uses Texas real estate holdings to launch rockets for his spaceflight program
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
23. Fisher Family
> Acres owned: 440,000 (about ten times the size of Washington, D.C.)
> Location(s): California
> Landowner background: Owners of the Mendocino Redwood Company and Humboldt Redwood Company
Source: Courtesy of University of Idaho
22. Simplot Family
> Acres owned: 443,091 (about five times the size of Detroit)
> Location(s): Idaho
> Landowner background: Descendants of Jack Simplot whose company became the sole supplier of potatoes to McDonald’s
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
21. Don Horton
> Acres owned: 507,410 (about half the size of Rhode Island)
> Location(s): Nationwide
> Landowner background: One of the largest homebuilder in the US by production volume
Source: The Westervelt Company via Facebook
20. Westervelt Heirs
> Acres owned: 518,000 (about four and a half times the size of San Jose, California)
> Location(s): Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina
> Landowner background: Descendants of the founder of Prairie States Paper Company
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Source: Courtesy of Martin Sustainable Resources
19. Martin Family
> Acres owned: 550,000 (about 200 times the size of London Heathrow Airport)
> Location(s): Louisiana
> Landowner background: Descendants of the founder of RoyOMartin, a timber and wood product company
Source: Stimson Lumber Company via Facebook
18. Stimson Family
> Acres owned: 552,000 (about 150 times the size of Los Angeles International Airport)
> Location(s): Idaho, Oregon, Montana
> Landowner background: Sixth generation owners of the Stimson Lumber Company, one of America’s oldest logging operations
Source: Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images
17. Thomas Peterffy
> Acres owned: 581,000 (about six and a half times the size of Philadelphia)
> Location(s): Florida, Georgia
> Landowner background: Properties are used for agricultural, residential, commercial, and industrial development
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16. O’Connor Heirs
> Acres owned: 587,800 (about four times the size of Chicago)
> Location(s): Texas
> Landowner background: Own the O’Connor Ranch, one of the oldest ranches in Texas
Source: Courtesy of Roseburg Forest Products via Facebook
15. Ford Family
> Acres owned: 600,000 (about three times the size of New York City)
> Location(s): California, Oregon, South Carolina, Louisiana, Virginia
> Landowner background: Family owns Roseburg Forest Products, a lumber and finished wood product company
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Source: tfoxfoto / Getty Images
14. Lykes Heirs
> Acres owned: 615,000 (about twice the size of Phoenix)
> Location(s): Florida, Texas
> Landowner background: Own cattle ranches in Texas and citrus groves in Florida
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Source: Courtesy of FTS International
13. Wilks Brothers
> Acres owned: 675,000 (about six times the size of San Jose)
> Location(s): Texas, Idaho, Montana
> Landowner background: Sold shares of Frac Tech, an energy company, to purchase ranch land
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
12. Briscoe Family
> Acres owned: 686,000 (about three times the size of Dallas)
> Location(s): Texas
> Landowner background: Family of a former Texas governor who collectively own ranches raising thousands of cattle
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Source: mountinez / Getty Images
11. Pingree Heirs
> Acres owned: 830,000 (about four times the size of San Diego)
> Location(s): Maine, New Hampshire
> Landowner background: Owns parts of Mount Washington and the Seven Islands Land Company, which operates in timber production
Source: Courtesy of King Ranch via Facebook
10. King Family
> Acres owned: 911,215 (about three times the size of Los Angeles)
> Location(s): Texas
> Landowner background: Owners of King Ranch in Texas and other ranching and oil producing properties
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Source: stevecoleimages / Getty Images
9. Singleton Family
> Acres owned: 1,110,000 (about five times the size of Indianapolis)
> Location(s): California, New Mexico
> Landowner background: Owners of the Singleton Ranches, which are among the world’s largest cattle operations
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8. Brad Kelley
> Acres owned: 1,139,984 (about three times the size of Houston)
> Location(s): Texas, New Mexico
> Landowner background: Founded the Commonwealth Brands tobacco company
Source: TennesseePhotographer / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
7. Buck Family
> Acres owned: 1,236,000 (about twice the size of Cape Town)
> Location(s): Maine
> Landowner background: Family includes the co-founder of Subway restaurants
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Source: Courtesy of Irving Oil
6. Irving Family
> Acres owned: 1,267,792 (about half the size of the Island of Hawaii)
> Location(s): Maine
> Landowner background: Descendants of the founder of Canadian conglomerate J.D. Irving, Limited
Source: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images
5. Stan Kroenke
> Acres owned: 1,627,500 (about the size of Ottawa)
> Location(s): Texas, Montana
> Landowner background: Owner of multiple professional sports teams and Waggoner Ranch, the largest ranch in Texas
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Source: Ben Rose / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
4. Ted Turner
> Acres owned: 2,000,000 (about five times the size of London)
> Location(s): Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota
> Landowner background: CNN founder, owner of multiple ranches
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
3. Reed Family
> Acres owned: 2,100,000 (about three times the size of Yosemite National Park)
> Location(s): California, Oregon, Washington
> Landowner background: Owner of the Simpson Logging Company
Source: Photo by Drew Angerer / Getty Images
2. John Malone
> Acres owned: 2,200,000 (about twice the size of Rhode Island)
> Location(s): Maine, New Hampshire, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming
> Landowner background: Owner of the Malone Family Land Preservation Foundation
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Source: Sierra Pacific Industries via Facebook
1. Emmerson Family
> Acres owned: 2,330,000 (about half the size of Lake Ontario)
> Location(s): California, Oregon, Washington
> Landowner background: Owner of Sierra Pacific Industries, the largest private lumber company in the U.S.
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