In this article, we discuss 25 biggest land owners in the US. If you want to skip our detailed discussion of land ownership in the US, head over to 5 Biggest Land Owners in the US.
In May 2023, Gallup, an American analytics and advisory company, published a poll which observed that 34% of Americans classify real estate as the preferred long-term investment idea, while just 18% of the respondents said that stocks or mutual funds are the way to go. Although stocks are better as a short-term investment strategy and offer higher liquidity, putting money into real estate provides steady returns and tax benefits. While wealthier investors opt for raw land investing or buying residential and commercial properties to rent out or renovate and flip, others with limited resources go for buying REIT stocks. This offers chances for diversification and liquidity, and investors don’t have to worry about funding or managing properties themselves. Peter Earle, an economist at the American Institute for Economic Research, told US News:
“Stocks have returned, on average, about 8% to 12% per year while real estate has generated returns of 2% to 4% per year.”
However, stock market conditions vary significantly and this can lead to declining portfolio values. Real estate investors might be on the receiving end of lower returns, but this is offset by rental and leasing income from land investments. US News cited Shaun M. Jones, president of Jones Fiduciary Wealth Management, who said:
“It is much easier to find cash flow in real estate than in the stock or bond market.”
According to The Business Research Company, the global market for land planning and development experienced a compound annual growth rate of 9.9%, increasing from $168.48 billion in 2022 to $185.22 billion in 2023. It is projected that the market will continue to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 9.6% and reach a value of $266.9 billion by 2027.
National Land Realty, a fast growing American real estate company that specializes in agriculture, ranch, timber, leisure, and commercial development properties, disclosed its second annual land real estate agent and broker survey on February 24, 2022. The survey results indicated that the rural land real estate industry experienced a significant rise in sales during 2021. Over 70% of agents observed a noticeable rise in land prices, particularly for recreational land, farmland, country homes, and timberland, ranging from slight to staggering increases.
As per the survey, brokers witnessed significant increases in various types of land prices in 2021. The highest percentage of respondents, 48.72%, reported a rise in recreational land prices. Farmland followed closely with 24.36% of respondents, marking an increase of over 6% compared to 2020. Country homes and timberland tied for third place, both cited by 10.26% of brokers as experiencing the most growth. Ranchland accounted for 5.13% of respondents, while commercial land had the lowest percentage at 1.28%.
In lieu of the survey results, Jason Walter, CEO of National Land Realty, said:
“Both investors and urban professionals ran for rural land in a big way in 2021, albeit for different reasons, which made for a very good year for land sales, with record-breaking volume throughout the year. And with all of the traumatic events of last year, people continue to look to not only invest in land outside of cities, but they also want to live on the land they buy, to be able to breathe the fresh Covid-free air and reconnect with the great outdoors without being locked down. This significant move away from urban areas is now all the more possible through the popularity of remote or hybrid working arrangements.”
Jason Burbage, President of National Land Realty, further added:
“2021 was a very strong year for land and 2022 is starting out the same way. More than 90% of our brokers are optimistic that land real estate will do quite well over the next 12 to 18 months. And more than 70% of them expect land values to continue to appreciate in 2022 as much as 5% to more than 10% YoY.”
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Horizon Kinetics, an investment adviser managed by Murray Stahl, released its 1st Quarter Commentary, where it discussed the latest banking crisis in the United States, land ownership as a business model, and diverse asset classes including gold and cryptocurrencies. In this report, Horizon Kinetics stressed that land is a lifetime asset which becomes more valuable with time, given the growing population and the food/agriculture insecurity around the world. Land is also an excellent hedge against inflation. The firm mentioned 21 of the biggest private land owners in the United States, which were originally listed by the Winter 2022 edition of the Land Report. The 1st Quarter Commentary by Horizon Kinetics also explored some of the best land and timber companies, which own millions of acres in the United States for farming, forestry, ranching, cattle breeding, residential, and commercial purposes. These include Texas Pacific Land Corporation (NYSE:TPL), Rayonier Inc. (NYSE:RYN), and PotlatchDeltic Corporation (NASDAQ:PCH).
Our Methodology
We picked 21 of the biggest land owners in the US from Horizon Kinetics’ 1st Quarter Commentary, while using multiple other sources to complete our list. The following land owners hold private expanses of land across the United States and we did not include companies who hold vast land holdings in our selection. Majority of the land acreage figures were taken from the Land Report Winter 2022 edition, as cited by the Horizon Kinetics commentary.
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Biggest Land Owners in the US
25. Zane and Tanya Kiehne
Land Owned: 400,000 acres
Zane and Tanya Kiehne, through their company Z&T Holdings, own mountainous properties amounting to approximately 400,000 acres in Southwest Texas and Eastern New Mexico. They are relatively new to being huge land owners, and their most prominent holdings include Hueco Ranch near El Paso and UU Bar Ranch near Cimarron.
While private land owners hold massive acres across the US, vast land is also owned, managed, and commercialized by companies like Texas Pacific Land Corporation (NYSE:TPL), Rayonier Inc. (NYSE:RYN), and PotlatchDeltic Corporation (NASDAQ:PCH).
24. Stefan Soloviev
Land Owned: 408,000 acres
Stefan Soloviev is the chairman of the Soloviev Group and he is one of the biggest land owners in America. Soloviev owns and manages farms and ranches in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, and New York. His total land portfolio equals 408,000 acres.
23. Jeff Bezos
Land Owned: 420,000 acres
Jeff Bezons, the Amazon founder and one of the richest men in the world, is also the owner of expansive lands across the US. The billionaire owns 420,000 acres in West Texas, Hawaii, Washington, New York, and California. These properties include ranchland, private properties, apartments, and industrial property.
22. Fisher Family
Land Owned: 440,000 acres
Doris Lee Feigenbaum Fisher, an affluent female entrepreneur from the United States, along with her deceased spouse, Donald Fisher, established The Gap retail chain in 1969. Starting in the 1970s, the family discreetly acquired extensive parcels of land in California. Presently, Doris and her children oversee a substantial sustainable forestry enterprise. The family owns 440,000 acres, making them one of the biggest land owners in the US.
21. Simplot Family
Land Owned: 443,091 acres
John Richard Simplot, a leader in the potato industry, established his own vegetable company in 1929, which later became known as The J. R. Simplot Company. He achieved great success by supplying frozen French fries to McDonald’s during the 1970s. Following his passing in 2008, Simplot’s descendants, including his children and grandchildren, currently possess over a dozen ranches spread across Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington and they also own around 40 farms primarily situated in Idaho and Washington. As one of the largest landowners in the United States, the Simplot Family currently owns an impressive 443,091 acres of land.
20. Donald R. Horton
Land Owned: 508,000 acres
In 1978, Donald R. Horton established the homebuilding company D.R. Horton and subsequently made it a publicly traded entity in 1992. The company’s initial focus was constructing residential neighborhoods in the Dallas and Fort Worth region, which served as a springboard for their nationwide expansion. Alongside growing his business, Horton has actively procured extensive tracts of land in the southwestern United States. As a result, this construction magnate has become one of the largest landowners in the US.
19. Westervelt Heirs
Land Owned: 518,000 acres
For nearly 140 years, the Westervelt Company, a family-owned business, has been operating successfully. Originally founded in 1884 by Herbert Westervelt under the name Prairie States Paper Corporation, the company has evolved into a prominent organization specializing in land resources in the United States. Now, the Westervelt heirs own an impressive land portfolio of over half a million acres of forests, and their company has positioned itself as a leader in sustainable forestry, the production of responsibly sourced timber products, ecological mitigation services, hunting and recreation, as well as natural resource conservation. The company is divided into four divisions, including Westervelt Lumber, Westervelt Forest Resources, Westervelt Ecological Services, and Westervelt New Zealand. Westervelt heirs are one of the biggest land owners in the US.
18. Martin Family
Land Owned: 550,000 acres
The late Roy O. Martin Jr. greatly expanded the timber company established by his father, and now the Martin family continues his legacy. With a collective ownership of 550,000 acres, primarily located in the Deep South of America, the Martins own and operate Martin Sustainable Resources L.L.C. This family-owned business spans multiple generations of descendants from Roy Sr. The company’s assets encompass a diverse range of holdings, with a primary focus on land, timber, and mineral resources. A significant emphasis is placed on sustainable forests and the manufacturing of forest-based products. Additionally, through Martin Timberlands L.L.C, the family has become one of the largest private landowners in the southern region of the United States.
17. Stimson Family
Land Owned: 551,000 acres
Over 160 years ago, the Stimson family embarked on their journey when a young T.D. Stimson felled his first tree. Since then, T.D. and six subsequent generations of the family have worked diligently to establish one of the United States’ most long standing integrated wood products companies. Presently, the Stimson Lumber Company operates across the states of Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. They have a workforce exceeding 650 individuals and oversee the operations of 7 mills in Oregon and Idaho. Additionally, the family is proud owners of 551,000 acres of forest land in the western region of the United States, which they sustainably manage. The Stimson family ranks 20th on our list of the 25 biggest land owners in the US.
16. Thomas Peterffy
Land Owned: 581,000 acres
Thomas Peterffy is a Hungarian-born American billionaire and entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder and CEO of Interactive Brokers, a leading online brokerage firm. In 2015, he acquired Foley Timber & Land Company for an amount exceeding $700 million. This purchase granted him ownership of a substantial 561,000-acre land tract located in the vicinity of Florida’s northwest coast. With this acquisition, his total land ownership amounts to 581,000 acres, solidifying his position as one of the largest landowners in the United States.
15. O’Connor Heirs
Land Owned: 587,000 acres
Born in 1819 and passing away on October 16, 1887, Thomas O’Connor, also known as ‘The Texas Cattle King,’ was an Irish rancher and landowner hailing from County Wexford, Ireland. Upon his death, his estate gained recognition as the largest individual ownership of land and cattle in Texas. The O’Connor heirs are among the largest private landowners in the United States, with a substantial ownership of 587,000 acres situated in the Texas Coastal Plain.
14. Ford Family
Land Owned: 600,000 acres
Kenneth Ford, the founding member of the Ford family, began his journey with a modest sawmill venture in Roseburg, Oregon in 1936. After more than 85 years, his descendants now possess an impressive 600,000 acres of forested land in Western Oregon and Northern California. The Ford Family remains one of the largest land owners in the United States.
13. Lykes Heirs
Land Owned: 615,000 acres
Howell Tyson Lykes, a former doctor turned rancher, relocated his family to Tampa and in 1904 founded Lykes Brothers alongside his seven children. The Lykes family has established itself as one of the prominent landowners in the United States, possessing 615,000 acres of land across the states of Florida and Texas. This vast expanse is dedicated to various agricultural activities such as citrus farming, sugar cane cultivation, and cattle ranching.
12. Wilks Brothers
Land Owned: 675,000 acres
Dan Howard Wilks and Farris Cullen Wilks, commonly referred to as the Wilks Brothers, are American entrepreneurs operating in the petroleum industry. Raised as the sons of a bricklayer, the brothers embarked on their entrepreneurial journey by establishing Wilks Masonry in 1995. They later ventured into the hydraulic fracking sector and founded Frac Tech in 2002, a company that played a significant role in their path to becoming billionaires. With a substantial portion of their wealth, the brothers have made substantial investments in land ownership. The Wilks Brothers own 675,000 acres of land in the US, which makes them one of the biggest landowners in the country.
11. Briscoe Family
Land Owned: 686,000 acres
The influential Briscoe family of Texas began their journey in land accumulation within the Lone Star State when Dolph Briscoe Sr. entered the cattle business in the early 20th century. His son, Dolph Briscoe Jr., who served as the governor of Texas from 1972 to 1978, further expanded the family’s ranching operations through Briscoe Ranch, Inc. Presently, the family business runs its operations across 686,000 acres of land, with a cattle population exceeding 15,000.
10. Pingree Heirs
Land Owned: 830,000 acres
David Pingree, a merchant from Georgetown, Massachusetts, accumulated significant wealth and went on to establish the Seven Islands Land Company in 1964. The Pingree family’s land holdings can be traced back to as early as 1820. Throughout his lifetime, David Pingree displayed a keen interest in acquiring lands in eastern regions, particularly in New Hampshire and Mount Washington. Presently, the Pingree family’s control is focused on approximately 830,000 acres of land in Maine, managed by descendants ranging from the fifth to seventh generations through the Seven Island Lands Company. The company primarily specializes in the production of birch, oak, and maple, primarily utilized in the manufacturing of flooring materials. Pingree Heirs are one of the biggest land owners in the US.
9. King Ranch Heirs
Land Owned: 911,000 acres
Located in between Corpus Christi and Brownsville, King Ranch is the biggest ranch in the United States. King Ranch was established in 1853 by Captain Richard King and Gideon K Lewis. Their heirs still own and manage the ranch, generating income through ranching, farming, and hunting, and oil and gas operations. With a total acreage of 911,000 acres, King Ranch is one of the biggest land owners in the US.
While King Ranch focuses primarily on maintaining the largest ranching operation in the US, companies like Texas Pacific Land Corporation (NYSE:TPL), Rayonier Inc. (NYSE:RYN), and PotlatchDeltic Corporation (NASDAQ:PCH) have multi-purpose properties in their massive land portfolios.
8. Singleton Family
Land Owned: 1.1 million acres
Dr. Henry Singleton purchased San Cristobal Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1986, thus laying the foundation of the Singleton Ranches. In addition to breeding high-quality cattle, Henry Singleton expanded his holdings over the years by acquiring land in New Mexico and California, until the family owned over 1,000,000 acres in the country. Today, Dr. Singleton’s children continue his legacy, and the Singleton Family ranks among the top five operations in the United States in terms of both total acreage and cattle numbers.
7. Brad Kelley
Land Owned: 1.140 million acres
Brad Kelley is a Kentucky-based businessman who built his fortune by selling discounted cigarettes. He founded Commonwealth Brands, the manufacturer of USA Gold and Malibu cigarettes, and sold the company for $1 billion in 2001. Using the proceeds from that sale, Kelley amassed a massive land portfolio that now spans over 1.14 million acres. His business interests include the esteemed Calumet stud farm in Kentucky, which had three horses competing in the prestigious 2017 Kentucky Derby. Kelley has a net worth of $2.5 billion and is one of the largest land owners in the US.
6. Peter Buck
Land Owned: 1.236 million acres
Dr. Peter Buck, a co-founder of the Subway food chain and also a nuclear physicist, was a billionaire in his own right when he passed away in November 2021. He was also one of the biggest American land owners as of 2019, when his holdings exceeded the 1 million acre mark. Dr. Buck is survived by his sons Christopher and William, who might have assumed control of his estate.
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Disclosure: None. 25 Biggest Land Owners in the US is originally published on Insider Monkey.