Federal land ownership by state

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The following article outlines federal land data for all 50 states. An overview of federal land policy and how federal land is managed can be accessed here.

The federal government owns around 620 million acres of land (about 27 percent) of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. Around 92 percent of federally owned acres are in 12 Western states.[1][2]

Four federal agencies—the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) within the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture—oversee roughly 95 percent, or 608 to 610 million acres, of federal land.[1][2]

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Alaska had the most federal land (222.7 million acres) while Nevada had the greatest percentage of federal land within a state (80.1 percent).
  • Connecticut and Iowa tied for the lowest percentage of federal land at 0.3 percent each.
  • Federal land by state

    The table below summarizes the total acres and percentage of federal land in each state as of 2013 (the most recent year for which data is available).

    Alaska had the most federal land (222.7 million acres) while Nevada had the greatest percentage of federal land within a state (80.1 percent). In contrast, Rhode Island and Connecticut had the fewest acres of federal land: 4,513 acres and 9,110 acres, respectively. Connecticut and Iowa tied for the lowest percentage of federal land at 0.3 percent each.[1]


    Federal land ownership by state (as of 2018)
    State Federal land acreage Total state acreage Percentage of federal land
    Alabama 880,188 32,678,400 2.7%
    Alaska 222,666,580 365,481,600 60.9%
    Arizona 28,077,992 72,688,000 38.6%
    Arkansas 3,159,486 33,599,360 9.4%
    California 45,493,133 100,206,720 45.4%
    Colorado 24,100,247 66,485,760 36.2%
    Connecticut 9,110 3,135,360 0.3%
    Delaware 29,918 1,265,920 2.4%
    District of Columbia 9,649 39,040 24.7%
    Florida 4,491,200 34,721,280 12.9%
    Georgia 1,946,492 37,295,360 12.9%
    Hawaii 829,830 4,105,600 20.2%
    Idaho 32,789,648 52,933,120 61.9%
    Illinois 423,782 35,795,200 1.2%
    Indiana 384,726 23,158,400 1.7%
    Iowa 97,509 35,860,480 0.3%
    Kansas 253,919 52,510,720 0.5%
    Kentucky 1,100,160 25,512,320 4.3%
    Louisiana 1,353,291 28,867,840 4.7%
    Maine 301,481 19,847,680 1.5
    Maryland 205,362 6,319,360 3.2%
    Massachusetts 62,680 5,034,880 1.2%
    Michigan 3,637,599 36,492,160 10.0%
    Minnesota 3,503,977 51,205,760 6.8%
    Mississippi 1,552,634 30,222,720 5.1%
    Missouri 1,702,983 44,248,320 3.8%
    Montana 27,082,401 93,271,040 29.0%
    Nebraska 546,852 49,031,680 1.1%
    Nevada 56,262,610 70,264,320 80.1%
    New Hampshire 805,472 5,768,960 14.0%
    New Jersey 171,956 4,813,440 3.6%
    New Mexico 24,665,774 77,766,400 31.7%
    New York 230,992 30,680,960 0.8%
    North Carolina 2,434,801 31,402,880 7.8%
    North Dakota 1,733,641 44,452,480 3.9%
    Ohio 305,502 26,222,080 1.2%
    Oklahoma 683,289 44,087,680 1.5%
    Oregon 32,244,257 61,598,720 52.3%
    Pennsylvania 622,160 28,804,480 2.2%
    Rhode Island 4,513 677,120 0.7%
    South Carolina 875,316 19,374,080 4.5%
    South Dakota 2,640,005 48,881,920 5.4%
    Tennessee 1,281,362 26,727,680 4.8%
    Texas 3,231,198 168,217,600 1.9%
    Utah 33,267,621 52,696,960 63.1%
    Vermont 465,888 5,936,640 7.8%
    Virginia 2,373,616 25,496,320 9.3%
    Washington 12,192,855 42,693,760 28.6%
    West Virginia 1,134,138 15,410,560 7.4%
    Wisconsin 1,854,085 35,011,200 5.3%
    Wyoming 29,137,722 62,343,040 46.7%
    United States 615,311,596 2,271,343,360 27.1%
    Source: U.S. Congressional Research Service, "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data"

    See also

    Footnotes