60% of land in the U.S. is privately owned. In total, 77 million people own 1.3 billion acres of land. Here are the top ten individuals who own the most private land in the United States.
1) Emmerson Family
SIZE: 2,400,000 acres
STATES: California, Oregon and Washington
Archie Aldis “Red” Emmerson started (SIP) Sierra Pacific Industries with his father in 1949. SIP is the largest private lumber production in the US. In addition to managing timberland, the company also produces millwork, windows, and renewable energy. Emmerson’s net worth is estimated at 5.2 billion USD.
2) John Malone
SIZE: 2,200,000 acres
STATES: Florida, New Mexico, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, Colorado, and Wyoming
John Malone owns 2,200,000 acres of land. His fortune was made in the media space. The majority of his wealth was generated while he served as a Chief Executive Officer of Tele-Communications Inc., a cable and media giant for twenty-four years. His combined assets amount to $9.2 Billion in net worth. He owns a combination of farmland, ranch land, and timberland throughout Florida, New Mexico, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, Colorado, and Wyoming.
3) The Reed Family
SIZE: 2,100,000 acres
STATES: California, Oregon, Washington
The Reed Family owns 2,100,000 acres of land, primarily in California, Washington, and Oregon. The family currently controls Simpson Investment Company, established 1890. Mark Edward Reed married into the family that controlled the Simpson Logging in Washington state in 1901. In 2014, the Reed family acquired 600,000 acres of Oregon timberland, making them one of the largest private landowners today. Their estimated net worth is 1.7 billion USD.
4) Ted Turner
SIZE: 2,000,000 acres
STATES: Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota
Ted Turner is the founder of television channels TNT, TBS, and CNN. He invests in ranches where he manages over 45,000 bison. Turner’s ranches operate as working businesses, relying on bison, hunting and fishing, and ecotourism as principal enterprises. His net worth is estimated at 2.5 billion USD.
5) Stan Kroenke
SIZE: 1,627,500 acres
STATES: Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota
Kroenke is the owner of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which is the holding company of Arsenal F.C. of the Premier League Arsenal W.F.C. of the WSL, the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, and much more. He is also the owner of the famous Waggoner Ranch consisting of 525,000 contiguous acres, the largest ranch in the nation under one fence. His properties include farmland and ranches with hundreds of horses and thousands of cattle.
6) The Irving Family
SIZE: 1,267,792 acres
STATES: Maine
The Irving Family owns 1,267,792 acres of land specifically in the state of Maine, which makes them the largest landowner in this state. They also own an additional 2 million acres of land outside of the United States. This land is primarily in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada. They are one of the richest families in Canada. The Irvings plant around 20 million trees annually, and overall they have planted over 1 billion trees in the US and Canada. They are involved in the newspaper business and the oil business.
7) The Buck Family
SIZE: 1,236,000 acres
STATES: Maine, New York and Connecticut
The Buck Family owns 1,236,000 acres of mostly timberland. Peter Buck is the co-founder of Subway with a net worth of 1.6 billion USD. Buck and his family primarily own land in Maine, New York, and Connecticut. The purchase of 311,000 acres of timberland in Maine in 2020 placed the family on the list of top 10 landowners in the US.
8) Brad Kelley
SIZE: 1,139,984 acres
STATES: Texas, Florida and New Mexico
Kelley owns 1,139,984 acres of land. He made his fortune through the tobacco industry, more specifically, discount cigarettes. He built Commonwealth Brands, a maker of USA Gold and Malibu cigarettes. His current net worth is $2.7 billion and it is estimated that approximately 10,000 elk roam his ranch properties.
9) Singleton Family
SIZE: 1,110,000 acres
STATES: California, New Mexico
The Singleton Family owns 1,110,000 acres of land in the U.S. They wanted to preserve the ranching heritage specifically around New Mexico. The Singleton Ranches are still managed today by the family where they raise and breed cows and horses. Their ranches are considered the largest cattle operations in the world.
10) King Ranch Heirs
SIZE: 911,215 acres
STATES: Texas, California, and Florida
The King Ranch Heirs own 911,215 acres of land. Henry King was a steamboat captain and he founded the ranch in 1853 together with Gideon K. Lewis. King Ranch brings historical importance to Texas. The property offers ranching, hunting, farming, and oil operations. King Ranch Heirs now own ranches in Texas, California, and Florida.
