State rankings

Largest Landowners by State

Alaska has the highest Federal Land Size (222.7M ac), followed by Nevada (56.3M ac) and California (45.5M ac). Rhode Island has the lowest (4,513 ac).

Facts & TriviaTech & Business51 states · 3 metricsUpdated Nov 29, 2025Original page
49 sources
51 of 51 states
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Federal Land Size

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
1.4M ac
Middle half 404.3K ac – 4.1M ac
Average
12.1M ac
51 states
Highest
222.7M ac
Alaska
Lowest
4,513 ac
Rhode Island

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

51 states · # = rank by Federal Land Size
#
1Alaska222.7M ac12.5M acDoyon
2Nevada56.3M ac350K acStan Kroenke
3California45.5M ac2M acThe Emmerson Family
4Utah33.3M ac201K acMormon Church
5Idaho32.8M ac200K acThe Wilks Brothers
6Oregon32.2M ac600K acEmmerson family
7Wyoming29.1M ac550K acStan Kroenke
8Arizona28.1M ac700K acBabbitt Ranches
9Montana27.1M ac358.8K acFarris & Dan Wilks
10New Mexico24.7M ac1.1M acSingleton family
11Colorado24.1M ac2M acJohn Malone
12Washington12.2M ac900K acWeyerhaeuser
13Florida4.5M ac626.6K acMormon Church
14Michigan3.6M ac580K acWeyerhaeuser
15Minnesota3.5M ac286K acMolpus Woodlands Group
16Texas3.2M ac873K acTexas Pacific Land Corporation
17Arkansas3.2M ac1.2M acWeyerhaeuser Company
18South Dakota2.6M ac187.3K acTed Turner
19North Carolina2.4M ac744K acWeyerhaeuser
20Virginia2.4M ac17.5K acBoy Scouts of America
21Georgia1.9M ac579K acWeyerhaeuser
22Wisconsin1.9M ac550K acWeyerhaeuser
23North Dakota1.7M ac269K acBill Gates
24Missouri1.7M ac153K acTed Turner
25Mississippi1.6M ac180K acGaylon Lawrence Jr.
26Louisiana1.4M ac582K acRoy O. Martin III
27Tennessee1.3M ac290K acWeyerhaeuser
28West Virginia1.1M ac132K acBoy Scouts of America
29Kentucky1.1M ac675K acBrad Kelley
30Alabama880.2K ac600K acWeyerhaeuser
31South Carolina875.3K ac528K acWeyerhaeuser
32Hawaii829.8K ac363.2K acKamehameha Schools
33New Hampshire805.5K ac23K acJohn Malone
34Oklahoma683.3K ac433K acDrummond family
35Pennsylvania622.2K ac311.4K acCollins Family
36Nebraska546.9K ac400K acTed Turner
37Vermont465.9K ac86K acWeyerhaeuser
38Illinois423.8K ac54K acMormon Church
39Indiana384.7K ac570K acMartin Faily
40Ohio305.5K ac150K acEscanaba Timber
41Maine301.5K ac1.3M acJ.D. Irving
42Kansas253.9K ac250K acPhilip Anschutz
43New York231K ac240K acMolpus Woodlands Group
44Maryland205.4K ac108.4K acU.S. Department of Defense
45New Jersey172K ac6,500 acW. Bryce Thompson
46Iowa97.5K ac47.3K acKent Kiburz
47Massachusetts62.7K ac5,500 acW.D. Cowls, Inc.
48Delaware29.9K ac19K acDelaware Wild Lands, Inc.
49District of Columbia9,649 ac173 acCatholic Church
50Connecticut9,110 ac—Various corporate timber and real estate holdings and private individuals.
51Rhode Island4,513 ac10K acAudubon Society

What correlates with Federal Land Size?

Pearson r against 2,095 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states, 4 near-identical series hidden. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Federal Land Size tend to score higher on these

  1. Hunting Acres Per Person To HuntBest States For Hunting
    r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 47
    Plot
  2. EarthquakesEarthquakes by State
    r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 35
    Plot
  3. Public Land - NPSPublic Land by State
    r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Owned by NPSPublic Land by State
    r = +0.94 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  5. Trees per CapitaMost Forested States in the U.S.
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. State Area Owned by State GovtPublic Land by State
    r = +0.92 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Federal Land Size tend to score lower on these

  1. Public Land Change 1990-2018Public Land by State
    r = −0.93 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. Circumcision Rates Among Newborn Males (MGMbill)Circumcision Rates by State
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 45
    Plot
  3. Total PrecipitationAverage Temperatures by State
    r = −0.71 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  4. Avg Indoor Allergy ScoreAllergy-Friendly States
    r = −0.70 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  5. Indoor Allergy Home Age ScoreAllergy-Friendly States
    r = −0.64 · strong · n = 49
    Plot
  6. Indoor Allergy Humidity ScoreAllergy-Friendly States
    r = −0.64 · strong · n = 49
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Federal Land Size?
Alaska has the highest Federal Land Size, at 222.7M ac, followed by Nevada (56.3M ac) and California (45.5M ac).
Which state has the lowest Federal Land Size?
Rhode Island has the lowest Federal Land Size, at 4,513 ac.
What is the median Federal Land Size across US states?
The median is 1.4M ac across the 51 US states with data.
Where does this largest landowners by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data - Congressional Research Service; These People Own the Most Land in America - 24/7 Wall St.; How Much Land in Each State Is Owned by the Government - 24/7 Wall St.; Lasting Legacies: Land Donors Put Their Trust in Audubon - Audubon Society of Rhode Island.