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| Land Report 100 | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the inaugural April 2007 issue of The Land Report, which featured the first Land Report 100 | |
| Awarded for | Largest private landowners in the United States |
| Date | Annually since 2007 |
| Presented by | The Land Report |
| Website | landreport |
The Land Report 100 is an annual list published by The Land Report that ranks the 100 largest private landowners in the United States by total deeded acreage. Created by Land Report editor Eric O'Keefe, it was first published in 2007. The list has been recognized as the benchmark for tracking private landownership in the U.S. and is widely cited by journalists when referencing private landownership in the U.S.[1][2]
History
The Land Report 100 debuted in April 2007 in the inaugural issue of The Land Report. At the time and through 2010, media pioneer Ted Turner ranked as the nation's leading landowner with 2 million acres. In 2011, Liberty Media chairman John Malone surpassed Turner with 2,200,000 acres after he purchased 1 million acres of timberland in Maine and New Hampshire from GMO Renewables.[3] For the next decade, Malone ranked atop the Land Report 100 until 2021 when Red Emmerson and his family acquired Seneca Jones Timber Company from the heirs of Aaron Jones (1921–2014). The 175,000-acre acquisition by Sierra Pacific Industries gave the Emmersons ownership of 2,330,000 acres.[4] In 2025, Stan Kroenke became the largest landowner in the U.S. with 2,700,000 acres. According to The Land Report, his purchase of 937,950 acres from the heirs of Henry Singleton ranks as the largest ranch sale in American history.[5]
Methodology
The list is compiled annually by the editors of The Land Report and includes individuals, families, partnerships, and nonprofit organizations. Publicly traded corporations such as Weyerhaeuser Company are not included. Federal and state landholdings such as those belonging to the United States Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management are not included. Acreage belonging to religious entities such as Farmland Reserve Inc., which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is not included.
References
- Herrick, Thaddeus (April 25, 2007). "'It's the Only Thing That Lasts'". Wall Street Journal.
- Ingraham, Christopher (November 24, 2021) [2017-12-21]. "American land barons: 100 wealthy families now own nearly as much land as that of New England". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
- "Malone's Millions". February 1, 2011.
- "Red Emmerson Becomes America's Largest Landowner". February 15, 2022.
- "Stan Kroenke Becomes America's Largest Landowner". January 13, 2026.