Land use						Ownership
Year	Cropland	Grassland and range	Forest-use land	Other land	Total		Private and other public	Federal
	million acres						percent
1900	319	1,044	366	175	1,904		52.7	47.3
1910	347	814	562	181	1,904		68.5	31.5
1920	402	750	567	185	1,904		73.8	26.2
1930	413	708	607	176	1,904		74.0	26.0
1945	451	660	602	193	1,905		73.7	26.3
1949	478	631	606	189	1,904		73.5	26.5
1954	465	632	615	191	1,904		73.5	26.5
1959	458	633	728	452	2,271		61.0	39.0
1964	444	640	732	450	2,266		60.4	39.6
1969	472	604	723	465	2,264		66.5	33.5
1974	465	598	718	483	2,264		66.5	33.5
1978	471	587	703	503	2,264		67.2	32.9
1982	469	597	655	544	2,265		67.9	32.2
1987	464	591	648	562	2,265		68.1	31.9
1992	460	591	648	564	2,263		71.3	28.7
1997	na	na	na	na	na		75.2	24.8

Sources:  Daugherty, A.B., Major Uses of Land in the United States: 1992, Agricultural Economic Report No. 723 (GPO, Washington, DC, 1995) and supporting database.

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Statistical Abstract of the United States (GPO, Washington, DC, annual).

U.S. General Services Administration, Inventory Report on Real Property Owned by the United States Throughout the World (GSA, Washington, DC, annual).

Notes:  Land-use and land-ownership estimates are not strictly comparable. Prior to 1959, data exclude Alaska and Hawaii. After 1959, changes in total land area result from refinements in measuring techniques. Historical estimates are based on imperfect data. Estimates differ slightly from previously published due to minor adjustments made by ERS and published in Major Land Uses (1945-1992) diskette in 1996. Cropland estimates for 1987 and 1992 differ slightly from data in Table 7.4 from the 1997 Census of Agriculture and may be revised in future publications based on census data. Grassland and range includes grassland pasture and rangeland; excludes cropland used only for pasture which is included in the cropland category and forest land grazed which is included in the forest land category. Special-use land includes rural transportation areas, areas used primarily for recreation and wildlife purposes, various public installations and facilities, farmsteads and farm roads, and urban areas. Other includes areas in miscellaneous uses not inventoried, marshes, open swamps, bare rock areas, desert, tundra, and other land generally having low value for agricultural purposes. Land ownership data based on total land area of 2.771 billion acres as estimated by the U.S. General Services Administration as of the end of the fiscal year. Total land ownership figures include U.S. trust territories. Federal includes original public-domain lands vested in the U.S. government by virtue of its sovereignty as well as lands acquired by the U.S. government by purchase, condemnation, and gift. Totals may not agree with sum of components due to independent rounding.

Last Updated on Saturday, January 1, 2000