How a Missourian Became America’s Largest Landowner: Inside His 2.7 Million-Acre Empire

For the Second Time in History, A Missourian is the Largest Landowner in the U.S.

In 2026, Stan Kroenke officially became the largest private landowner in the United States. That’s pretty amazing a man from the small town of Mora. After graduation from Cole Camp High School, Kroenke went to Mizzou where he earned a degree in business and economics. After graduation, he launched his business career. Along the way, he also met Anne Walton, who is an heiress to the Walmart fortune.

Kroenke reached the top spot following a massive acquisition in late 2025 that pushed his total holdings to approximately 2.7 million acres. That is an area more than twice the size of Delaware and larger than Yellowstone National Park.

Why He is the Largest Landowner

Kroenke’s ascent to the Number 1 position on the Land Report 100 was secured by his purchase of nearly 1 million acres of New Mexico ranchland in late 2025 (the Singleton Ranches) from the heirs of Teledyne founder Henry Singleton. This deal was the largest single U.S. land transaction in over a decade.

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Where He Got His Money

Kroenke is a billionaire with a net worth estimated between $16 billion and $26 billion, depending on the valuation of his vast sports and real estate empire. His wealth comes from several key sources:

• Marriage: In 1974, he married Ann Walton, an heiress to the Walmart fortune (daughter of co-founder Bud Walton), though his primary business ventures in real estate and sports were developed independently through his firms.
• Real Estate Development: He founded The Kroenke Group in 1983 and THF Realty in 1991. He made his first fortune developing shopping centers, many of which were anchored by Walmart stores.
• Sports Empire: He is the chairman of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), which owns a stable of major professional teams, including:
  • Los Angeles Rams (NFL)
  • Denver Nuggets (NBA)
  • Colorado Avalanche (NHL)
  • Arsenal FC (Premier League)
  • Colorado Rapids (MLS)

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Where His Properties Are

Kroenke’s land portfolio consists primarily of working cattle ranches across the American West and Canada. His most notable holdings include:

Property	Location	Approximate Size
Singleton Ranches	New Mexico	937,000 acres
W.T. Waggoner Ranch	Texas	535,000 acres
Q Creek Ranch	Wyoming	560,000 acres
Winecup Gamble Ranch	Nevada	247,000 acres
Broken O Ranch	Montana	124,000 acres
Douglas Lake Ranch	British Columbia, Canada	(Extensive acreage)

In addition to these ranches, he owns roughly 60 million square feet of commercial real estate and major venues like SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.

Missouri’s Other Largest Landowner

Here is a little known piece of Missouri and United States history. By 1900, John S. Bilby of Quitman, Missouri was a titan of American agriculture, often cited as owning the largest “enclosed” body of land in the United States.

Bilby’s empire spanned roughly 200,000 acres across Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois. Unlike many speculators, Bilby was a pioneer of large-scale cattle ranching and farming, utilizing then-modern techniques to manage his vast “Bilby Ranch.” His success turned him into a legend of the Midwest, proving that industrial-scale farming could rival the wealth of coastal industrialists.

America’s Largest Landowners as of 2026

As of the latest 2026 Land Report 100, the landscape of American land ownership has seen its biggest shake-up in years. While the U.S. Government remains the largest overall owner (owning roughly 650 million acres), the list of private individuals and families is now topped by Stan Kroenke.

Key Takeaways from the 2026 Rankings:

• Kroenke’s Surge: Stan Kroenke jumped from #4 to #1 following his December 2025 purchase of nearly 1 million acres in New Mexico (the Singleton Ranches).
• The “Million-Acre Club”: There are now 8 private entities in the U.S. that own more than one million acres of land.
• Comparison: To put these numbers in perspective, the state of Delaware is approximately 1.2 million acres. This means the top seven names on this list each own more land than the entire state of Delaware.

Rank	Landowner	Total Acreage	Primary Industry
1	Stan Kroenke	2,700,000	Sports & Real Estate
2	The Emmerson Family	2,440,000	Timber (Sierra Pacific Industries)
3	John Malone	2,200,000	Media & Telecommunications
4	Ted Turner	2,000,000	Media & Conservation
5	The Reed Family	1,615,000	Timber (Green Diamond Resource)
6	The Buck Family	1,320,000	Subway Co-founder (Agriculture)
7	The Irving Family	1,267,000	Timber & Forestry
8	The Singleton Family	1,110,000	Ranches & Investments
9	King Ranch Heirs	911,000	Agriculture & Ranching
10	The Pingree Heirs	830,000	Timber (Seven Islands Land Co.)