The 100 Largest Landowners in America
Aggregate every owner name across more than 85 million county assessor records and the familiar names appear — the federal government, state land boards, timber and railroad companies — beside ranching families most national lists never see. This table ranks the top 100 by parcel count: how many separate properties an owner holds, which is a better measure of how prolific a landowner is than acreage alone — a single ranch and a thousand-lot subdivision holder can own comparable acreage while being very different kinds of owner. Acreage breaks ties and is shown alongside — the county's own figure where it published one, the mapped boundary of the owner's parcels where it did not; counties whose recorded figures fail a physical sanity check are treated as not publishing one, so one broken roll cannot mint a fictional land baron.
| # | Owner (as recorded) | Parcels | Acres | States | Counties | Assessed value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States of America | 88,712 | 21,170,328 † | 39 | 1,019 | $11,259,941,877 |
| 2 | DETROIT LAND BANK AUTHORITY | 73,152 | 6,810 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 3 | STATE OF MINNESOTA | 29,376 | 2,287,628 † | 1 | 75 | — |
| 4 | Usa | 23,675 | 10,878,582 † | 26 | 206 | $374,282,644 |
| 5 | MINNESOTA TAX EXEMPT PARCELS | 22,464 | 890,566 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 6 | LRA | 18,144 | 1,962 † | 1 | 2 | — |
| 7 | Fort Bend County | 16,600 | 17,379 † | 1 | 1 | $298,455,340 |
| 8 | U S A | 15,722 | 12,113,101 † | 22 | 174 | $355,037,297 |
| 9 | ST OF MN C278 L35 | 14,420 | 911,975 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 10 | Weyerhaeuser Company | 14,049 | 2,511,364 † | 12 | 157 | $1,112,877,655 |
| 11 | STATE OF OHIO | 13,774 | 202,739 † | 1 | 42 | $90,757,820 |
| 12 | OUTER RIM INVESTMENTS INC | 13,552 | 12,882 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 13 | State of Texas | 13,476 | 632,582 † | 1 | 171 | $830,836,448 |
| 14 | GENESEE COUNTY LAND BANK AUTHORITY | 13,433 | 2,284 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 15 | HCIA | 13,040 | 6,151 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 16 | CITY OF PITTSBURGH | 12,678 | 5,508 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 17 | D R HORTON INC | 12,460 | 12,640 † | 8 | 65 | $147,541,414 |
| 18 | State of Indiana | 11,931 | 86,218 † | 1 | 67 | — |
| 19 | OF TAXPAYER | 10,753 | 2,260 † | 1 | 2 | — |
| 20 | STATE OF MICHIGAN | 9,392 | 1,447,041 † | 1 | 65 | — |
| 21 | COUNTY OF SUFFOLK | 9,041 | 89,099 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 22 | PULTE HOME COMPANY LLC | 8,644 | 5,781 † | 7 | 39 | $147,180,962 |
| 23 | TAX FORFEITED | 8,300 | 343,123 † | 1 | 3 | — |
| 24 | GREAT SOUTHWESTERN LAND CO INC | 7,777 | 2,503 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 25 | State Of Oklahoma | 7,505 | 171,769 † | 1 | 64 | $30,896,912 |
| 26 | - | 7,270 | 3,231 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 27 | MINNESOTA DNR CATF TAX EXEMPT | 7,222 | 283,012 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 28 | A | 6,934 | 32,871 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 29 | TAX FORFEIT | 6,893 | 310,356 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 30 | CITY of CLEVELAND LAND REUTILI | 6,818 | 791 † | 1 | 2 | — |
| 31 | Bureau of Land Management | 6,688 | 14,369,809 † | 9 | 33 | $96,000 |
| 32 | DR HORTON INC | 6,364 | 3,390 † | 4 | 29 | $327,561,492 |
| 33 | State of New York | 6,262 | 914,895 † | 1 | 34 | — |
| 34 | BLANK PARCEL | 6,225 | 318,864 † | 1 | 1 | $331,000 |
| 35 | City of Detroit P&DD Care of DBA | 6,194 | 916 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 36 | AMREP SOUTHWEST INC | 6,187 | 4,900 † | 1 | 2 | — |
| 37 | STATE OF ARIZONA | 6,133 | 530,392 † | 1 | 9 | $65,773,410 |
| 38 | California State Of | 5,806 | 368,177 † | 1 | 16 | — |
| 39 | COSTILLA COUNTY | 5,768 | 15,197 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 40 | CITY OF TULSA | 5,697 | 31,716 † | 1 | 6 | — |
| 41 | CEMETERY | 5,320 | 9,444 † | 11 | 514 | $18,433,078 |
| 42 | USDA FOREST SERVICE | 5,292 | 365,839 † | 5 | 12 | — |
| 43 | NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST., | 5,020 | 2,568 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 44 | STATE OF ILLINOIS | 4,958 | 54,512 † | 1 | 61 | — |
| 45 | MERITAGE HOMES OF ARIZONA INC | 4,942 | 1,226 † | 1 | 2 | $46,123,628 |
| 46 | PHOENIX CITY OF | 4,815 | 57,122 † | 1 | 2 | — |
| 47 | PHILADELPHIA HOUSING AUTH | 4,775 | 260 † | 1 | 1 | $530,652,000 |
| 48 | City Of Rochester | 4,745 | 11,033 † | 2 | 3 | — |
| 49 | WYANDOTTE COUNTY LANDBANK | 4,710 | 1,016 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 50 | ASSESSOR INFORMATION WITHHELD | 4,663 | 4,055 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 51 | B | 4,635 | 43,896 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 52 | CONFIDENTIAL | 4,613 | 20,340 † | 2 | 61 | $880,793,179 |
| 53 | MINNESOTA CON CON TAX EXEMPT | 4,608 | 182,775 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 54 | VALLEY IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION | 4,531 | 5,664 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 55 | STATE OF CALIFORNIA | 4,505 | 238,516 † | 1 | 23 | — |
| 56 | State | 4,496 | 890,028 † | 6 | 37 | $14,769,918 |
| 57 | U S Government | 4,470 | 1,367,063 † | 13 | 95 | $2,459,484,577 |
| 58 | CONTINENTAL HOMES OF TEXAS LP | 4,402 | 3,133 † | 1 | 11 | $169,483,442 |
| 59 | MERIWETHER MINNESOTA LAND & TIMBER | 4,333 | 197,275 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 60 | Unknown Owner | 4,294 | 11,194 † | 4 | 61 | $1,645,963 |
| 61 | Contact Town for Owner Information | 4,282 | 5,044 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 62 | DALLAS CITY OF | 4,272 | 117,678 † | 1 | 5 | $6,104,884,580 |
| 63 | HORIZON GROWTH PROPERTIES LLC | 4,256 | 3,910 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 64 | CITY OF SAN ANTONIO | 4,234 | 32,120 † | 1 | 5 | $1,175,404,929 |
| 65 | BOX ELDER COUNTY | 4,217 | 2,873 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 66 | CITY OF AUSTIN | 4,204 | 47,862 † | 2 | 6 | $1,108,623 |
| 67 | STATE OF MN SCHOOL TRUST LANDS | 4,081 | 155,598 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 68 | CIBOLA LAND CORPORATION | 3,949 | 8,111 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 69 | YAMASA CO LTD | 3,826 | 897 † | 6 | 29 | $187,420,930 |
| 70 | CUYAHOGA COUNTY LAND REUTILIZA | 3,772 | 433 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 71 | Lennar Homes Of Texas Land & Construction Ltd | 3,745 | 3,787 † | 1 | 17 | $136,796,260 |
| 72 | CEIBA LAND COMPANY LLC | 3,738 | 461 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 73 | P N II INC | 3,668 | 1,545 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 74 | BROOKHAVEN TOWN OF | 3,652 | 88,567 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 75 | U.S.A. | 3,574 | 921,631 † | 11 | 45 | $11,038,463 |
| 76 | State of Iowa | 3,566 | 71,683 † | 1 | 51 | — |
| 77 | HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE POA ATTN: KEVIN SEXTON | 3,541 | 1,029 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 78 | L A CITY | 3,523 | 14,010 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 79 | CITY OF PHILA | 3,471 | 1,251 † | 1 | 1 | $1,861,721,000 |
| 80 | CITY OF EL PASO | 3,465 | 33,764 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 81 | BLM | 3,457 | 3,128,293 † | 4 | 13 | — |
| 82 | REFERENCE | 3,447 | 7,493 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 83 | GREYSTONE NEVADA L L C | 3,373 | 13,137 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 84 | U S A KNF | 3,354 | 1,664,759 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 85 | C | 3,330 | 5,878 † | 1 | 2 | — |
| 86 | NORTHSIDE REGENERATION LLC | 3,220 | 388 † | 1 | 2 | — |
| 87 | STATE OF MISSISSIPPI | 3,187 | 65,739 † | 1 | 58 | $23,427,865 |
| 88 | FT CLARK SPRINGS ASSN | 3,150 | 467 † | 1 | 1 | $5,714,214 |
| 89 | LOT | 3,088 | 20,189 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 90 | RICHMOND AMERICAN HOMES OF ARIZONA INC | 3,045 | 609 † | 1 | 2 | $1,825,041 |
| 91 | DEPT OF NATURAL RESOURCES | 3,028 | 415,439 † | 6 | 71 | $286,200 |
| 92 | PORTLAND CITY OF | 3,027 | 10,871 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 93 | Confidential Owner | 3,016 | 7,890 † | 2 | 11 | $92,520,044 |
| 94 | U.S. | 2,993 | 1,377,198 † | 2 | 2 | — |
| 95 | DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION | 2,969 | 9,519 † | 5 | 114 | $57,642,378 |
| 96 | LAND BANK OF KANSAS CITY MISSOURI | 2,949 | 616 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 97 | Stephens Properties Lp | 2,862 | 2,313 † | 2 | 6 | — |
| 98 | FULTON HOMES CORPORATION | 2,842 | 1,080 † | 1 | 2 | $9,568,679 |
| 99 | BIRMINGHAM CITY OF | 2,840 | 4,942 † | 1 | 1 | — |
| 100 | CITY & COUNTY OF DENVER | 2,832 | 30,527 † | 1 | 1 | $1,807,887,400 |
How This List Is Built
Names are taken exactly as counties record them, merged only across capitalisation and spacing — so “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “USA” appear separately, as counties filed them, and an entity that titles land through many subsidiaries appears as many entries. That makes this a ranking of recorded owner names, which is what the public record supports; lists that merge entities rely on private research this page does not claim to have. Acreage excludes counties whose recorded figures exceed physical possibility (see the methodology), and placeholder strings counties use where they will not name a party are excluded entirely, along with records that name no party at all — a blank owner field is not an owner.