Politics

See How Much of Each State The Federal Government Controls

Aaron Webber

Published: May 31, 2024 12:30 pm

Federal land can be a contentious issue, depending on who you are, where you live, and what your favorite news channel says about the topic that day. But what exactly are federal lands and how much does the government own in your state? Surprisingly, the more you look into it, the more complicated this question becomes. We’re here to show you how much land the federal government owns in your state, along with some insights into what that land includes.

Why Are We Talking About This?

Sensationalist news media and sleazy politicians love to rile up their viewers. They will use any information to drive gullible and misinformed people to political action or violence. This includes statistics and background about the federal land in their state. One of the most useful counters to misinformation is facts, which is why we put together this list.

Background on Federal Land in The United States

Altogether, the federal government owns only 27.4% of all land in the United States, which is about 640 million acres. Most of this land is concentrated in the 11 Western states and Alaska. This is because the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was formed in 1946 by Harry S. Truman with the purpose “to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.”

The BLM is the largest federal owner of land, by a large margin with around 95% of all land, followed by the Fish and Wildlife Service, then the National Park Service, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Defense coming in fifth place. Combined, these five agencies manage around 96% of all federal land. The rest is a combination of postal service buildings, NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and more.

Land reserved for Native American peoples is also technically federal land, but depending on how you classify it, these reservations are often not included in federal land statistics.

The data for this list was taken from the World Population Review and is accurate as of 2024.

#50 Connecticut

• Federal land: 0.28%

Connecticut has one national historic trail, two National Park Services, one national historic site, and a national scenic trail.

#49 Iowa

• Federal land: 0.34%

The National Park Service manages two national parks in Iowa, along with one national monument, two national historic trails, and one national historic site.

#48 New York

• Federal land: 0.34%

New York has six national monuments, one national forest, 22 National Park Service units, one national recreation area, two historic national trails, and 11 national historic sites.

#47 Kansas

• Federal land: 0.52%

Kansas has one national forest, five national historic trails, four national historic sites, and five National Park Service units.

#46 Rhode Island

• Federal land: 0.76%

Rhode Island has one national historic site, one national historic trail, and one national park. This might seem like much less than in previous states, but remember that Rhode Island is extremely small, so the percentage of land owned by the federal government will be higher even though the total land will be less.

#45 Maine

• Federal land: 1.06%

Maine has one national recreation trail, 14 national natural landmarks, one national forest, 43 national historic landmarks, and three National Park Service units.

#44 Nebraska

• Federal land: 1.12%

Nebraska has three national monuments, two federal wilderness areas, three national forests, five national historic trails, and five National Park Service units.

#43 Illinois

• Federal land: 1.15%

Illinois has two national forests, one National Park Service unit, eight federal wilderness areas, three national historic trails, and one national historic site. The U.S. Department of Defense owns just over 21,000 acres.

#42 Ohio

• Federal land: 1.17%

Ohio has one national monument, one national forest, a whopping eight National Park Service units, one wilderness area, and four national historic sites. The Department of Defense owns over 29,000 acres.

#41 Massachusetts

• Federal land: 1.23%

Massachusetts has one federal wilderness area, one national recreation area, 15 National Park Service units, and four national historic sites. The Department of Defense owns over 26,000 acres, which is 0.8% of all land.

#40 Oklahoma

• Federal land: 1.59%

Oklahoma has three national forests, three National Park Service units, three wilderness areas, two national historic sites, one national recreation area, and two national historic trails. The Department of Defense owns 0.5% of the land in Oklahoma.

#39 Indiana

• Federal land: 1.66%

Indiana has just one national forest, one wilderness area, and three National Park Service units. The Department of Defense owns 0.7% of the land in Indiana.

#38 Texas

• Federal land: 1.78%

Texas has only one national monument, three national forests, 13 National Park Service units, six wilderness areas, one national historic site, two national recreation areas, and just one national historic trail. The Department of Defense owns 1.0% of the land in Texas, with the third-large military site in the country, Fort Bliss, at over 1.3 million acres.

#37 Pennsylvania

• Federal land: 2.14%

Pennsylvania has one national monument, two federal wilderness areas, one national forest, one national recreation area, 18 National Park Service units, seven historic sites, and two historic trails. The Department of Defense owns just 0.2% of the land in Pennsylvania.

#36 Delaware

• Federal land: 2.36%

Delaware has a modest amount of federal land with just one national monument, one national park, and two historic trails. The armed forces own just 0.3% of the land in the state.

#35 Alabama

• Federal land: 2.58%

Alabama has one national monument, one national forest, seven National Park Service units, three wilderness areas, one national military park (our first on this list), one national heritage area, one national preserve, two national historic sites, two national historic trails, and 15 recreation trails. The armed forces own just 0.5% of the land in Alabama.

#34 Maryland

• Federal land: 3.13%

Maryland has two national monuments, 17 National Park Service units, three historic trails, and four national historic sites. The Department of Defense owns around 1.9% of the land in Maryland, this puts it in tenth place for the percentage of land owned by the military.

#33 Missouri

• Federal land: 3.7%

Missouri is home to one national monument, six National Park Service units, one national forest, two national historic sights, eight wilderness areas, and six historic trails. The Department of Defense owns just 0.2% of the land in Missouri.

#32 New Jersey

• Federal land: 3.73%

The tiny New Jersey has one national monument, nine National Park Service units, two wilderness areas, one historic trail, and three national recreation areas. The Department of Defense owns 1.5% of the land in New Jersey.

#31 North Dakota

• Federal land:  3.91%

You would think that as a Western state, North Dakota would have more federal land, but it only has three National Park Service units, three wilderness areas, one national forest, two national historic sites, and just one historic trail. The armed forces own just 0.1% of the land in North Dakota.

#30 Georgia

• Federal land: 3.95%

The beautiful state of Georgia has three national monuments, 11 national Park Service units, one national forest, one national recreation area, 14 federal wilderness areas, one national historic trail, and three historic areas. The Department of Defense owns 1.6% of the land in Georgia.

#29 Kentucky

• Federal land: 4.29%

Kentucky has two national forests, four National Park Service units, and just one historic trail. The Department of Defense owns 0.7% of the land in Kentucky.

#28 South Carolina

• Federal land: 4.37%

South Carolina has one national monument, six National Park Service units, two national forests, two historic sites, seven federal wilderness areas, and one national historic trail. The armed forces own and operate just 0.6% of the land in South Carolina.

#27 Louisiana

• Federal land: 4.59%

Louisiana boasts five National Park Service units, one national forest, one national monument, and three federal wilderness areas. The Department of Defense owns 1.0% of the land in Louisiana.

#26 Tennessee

• Federal land: 4.76%

There are two national forests in Tennessee, along with 11 wilderness areas, 12 whole National Park Service Units, one national recreation area, two historic trails, and one historic site. The DoD owns 0.6% of the state.

#25 Mississippi

• Federal land: 5.12%

There are eight National Park Service units in Mississippi, and three wilderness areas, and one national forest. The armed forces own 0.6% of the state.

#24 Wisconsin

• Federal land: 5.12%

Wisconsin has one national forest, two National Park Service units, and seven national wilderness areas. The Department of Defense owns 0.5% of the land in Wisconsin.

#23 South Dakota

• Federal land: 5.41%

South Dakota doesn’t differ much from its northern sisters. It has one national monument, six National Park Service units, two federal wilderness areas, one historic trail, and one federal historic site. The armed forces do not own or operate any land in South Dakota (probably because we don’t expect Canada to invade any time soon).

#22 Minnesota

• Federal land: 6.82%

Minnesota has two national monuments, five National Park Service units, two national forests, one national recreation area, and three federal wilderness areas. The Department of Defense also does not own or operate any land in Minnesota.

#21 West Virginia

• Federal land: 7.36%

There is one national forest in West Virginia, along with six National Park Service units, nine federal wilderness areas, and one recreation area. There are no Department of Defense lands or bases in this state, either.

#20 North Carolina

• Federal land: 7.74%

North Carolina has one national forest, 12 federal wilderness areas, 10 National Park Service units, two national historic trails, and two historic sites. The Department of Defense owns 1.3% of the land in North Carolina.

#19 Vermont

• Federal land: 7.83%

Vermont doesn’t have much, but because it is so small, the percentage of land is much higher. This includes one national forest, two National Park Service units, and eight federal wilderness areas. The Department of Defense owns just 0.2% of the land in Vermont.

#18 Arkansas

• Federal land: 9.38%

There are two national forests in Arkansas, along with seven National Park Service units, 12 wilderness areas, one historic trail, and four historic sites. The Department of Defense owns 0.3% of the land in Arkansas.

#17 Virginia

• Federal land: 9.86%

Virginia is home to three national monuments, 22 National Park Service units, one national forest, one historic site, 24 federal wilderness areas, and four historic trails. The Department of Defense owns 1.2% of the land in Virginia, with much of the land for buildings close to Washington D.C.

#16 Michigan

• Federal land: 9.96%

Michigan has three national forests and five National Park Service units. The Department of Defense doesn’t own or operate any land in the state. The federal lands, while few in number, are pretty big and cover a large amount of area, accounting for its high percentage.

#15 Florida

• Federal land: 13.25%

There are two national monuments in Florida, along with 11 National Park Service units, 17 federal wilderness areas, and one national forest. The Department of Defense owns 2.0% of the land in Florida, this puts Florida at #9 for the most land owned by the DoD.

#14 New Hampshire

• Federal land: 13.85%

New Hampshire has one national forest, two National Park Service units, one historic site, and five federal wilderness areas. The Department of Defense owns just 0.1% of the land in the state.

#13 Hawaii

• Federal land: 19.99%

There is one national monument in Hawaii, along with seven National Park Service units, one historic site, two federal wilderness areas, and one historic trail. The Department of Defense owns the largest percentage of Hawaii out of all other states, with 5.6% of the land owned by national armed forces.

#12 Washington

• Federal land: 28.52%

With Washington, we begin to jump into the serious amounts of federal land because we’ve entered the Western United States. Washington has six national forests, 13 National Park Service units, 31 federal wilderness areas, three historic sites, one recreation area, and one federal historic trail. The Department of Defense owns 2.2% of the land in Washington, putting it in eighth place for land owned by the military.

#11 Montana

• Federal land: 28.95%

Montana is one of three states that share Yellowstone National Park, but it also has one national monument eight National Park Service units, 10 national forests, one national recreation area, 15 federal wilderness areas, six historic trails, and two historic sites. However, almost none of this land is owned by the DoD, with just 0.1% of the land being owned by armed forces.

#10 New Mexico

• Federal land: 34.7%

There are 10 national monuments in New Mexico, 13 national Park Service units, 25 federal wilderness areas, two federal conservation areas, and three historic trails. The Department of Defense owns 5.0% of the land in New Mexico, including the largest military site in the country, White Sands Missile Range at over 3.5 million acres. This also puts New Mexico in the third spot for the amount of land owned by the DoD.

#9 Colorado

• Federal land: 35.9%

Colorado has six national monuments, 13 National Park Service units, 13 national forests, two federal recreation areas, an impressive 43 national wilderness areas, two historic sites, three federal conservation areas, and four historic trails. The armed forces only own about 0.7% of the land.

#8 Arizona

• Federal land: 38.61%

The home of some of the most famous national treasures, Arizona has one national heritage area, 22 National Park Service units, nine national landmarks, one world heritage site, 44 national historic landmarks, nine national monuments, four federal wilderness areas, one national forest, and 10 historic parks. The Department of Defense owns 4.2% of the land in Arizona, including three of the top ten largest military sites in the country. The fourth largest site is Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range with 1.1 million acres, the fifth largest is Yukon Command TS with 864,769 acres, and the ninth largest military site is Barry Goldwater Range with 692,800 acres. Arizona is in fourth place for the most amount of land owned by the DoD.

#7 California

• Federal land: 45.77%

California boasts seven national monuments, 26 National Park Service units, 18 national forests, four recreation areas, 149 protected wilderness areas, four national historic trails, four historic sites, and one federal conservation area. The Department of Defense owns 3.7% of California, including the 10th-largest military site, NAWS China Lake with 651,739 acres. California is in sixth place for the highest percentage of land owned by the DoD.

#6 Wyoming

• Federal land: 48.14%

Wyoming has two national monuments, seven National Park Service units, five national forests, one recreation area, 15 protected wilderness areas, four historic trails, and one historic site. The Department of Defense owns just 0.1% of the land in Wyoming.

#5 Oregon

• Federal land: 52.95%

Oregon is the first state on our list in which the federal government owns more than half of the land in the state. Here, the government has two national monuments, six National Park Service units, 13 national forests, one historic site, 47 protected wilderness areas, and two historic trails. The Department of Defense owns just 0.2% of the land in Oregon.

#4 Alaska

• Federal land: 61.24%

Alaska has two national monuments, 23 National Park Service units, 48 protected wilderness areas, and just one federal conservation area. The Department of Defense owns 0.6% of the land in Alaska, including two of the top ten largest military sites. These are Yukon Command TS in sixth place with 864,769 acres, and Fort Wainwright in eighth place with 697,475 acres.

#3 Idaho

• Federal land: 61.63

There are six National Park Service units in Idaho, along with nine national forests, two national monuments, 12 protected wilderness areas, three historic trails, one historic site, and one federally protected conservation area. The military owns only 0.3% of the land in Idaho.

#2 Utah

• Federal land: 64.9%

Utah has seven national monuments, five National Park Service units, seven national forests, one recreation area, 33 protected wilderness areas, one historic site, two federal conservation areas, four historic trails, and 18 recreation trails. The Department of Defense owns 3.6% of the land in Utah, including the seventh-largest military site in the country, Dugway Proving Ground with 852,568 acres. This puts Utah at the seventh spot for the percentage of land owned by the military.

#1 Nevada

• Federal land: 84.94

Our top spot goes to Nevada, with 372 national historic sites, three National Park Service units, one national forest, three national historic trails, and one federal recreation area. The Department of Defense owns 5.0% of the state of Nevada, putting it in the second-place spot for the percentage of land owned by the military. This land includes the second-largest military site, Nellis Air Force Base with over three million acres.