Who Now Owns the Most Land in Maine?

Our Pine Tree State is pretty big, and when we say big, we’re not kidding! But who owns the most land in ‘Vacationland’?

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Maine is the largest state in New England by total area. According to Maine.gov, our state covers approximately 33,215 square miles—that's more than three times the size of Massachusetts, the next largest state in our region, which has about 10,554 square miles.

With all this land, who owns the biggest slice of the pie?

World Population Review recently released a report on the ‘Largest Landowners by State 2024,’ documenting and explaining each state’s largest landowner. Maine's result may surprise you.

Unlike some states where the largest landowners are famous actors, authors, singers, or politicians, Maine's largest landowner is a corporation.

According to World Population Review, J.D. Irving, a forestry, transportation, shipbuilding, and consumer products company, owns the most land in Maine. They are the only industrial landowner in the state with over a million acres—approximately 1.25 million acres in total.

So, now that we know who owns the most land in Maine, who comes in second?

That would be billionaire businessman John Malone, who is also the second-largest landowner in the U.S. He owns approximately 980,000 acres in Maine.

On a national level, about 60% of U.S. land is privately owned, with a few individuals and families controlling a significant portion.

Among the largest landowners in the country is the Emmerson family, who lead the list with 2.3 million acres across the Pacific Northwest.

What are your thoughts on Maine’s largest landowner being a corporation?

Is this surprising to you? We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to join the conversation by messaging us on the app.