Stan Kroenke Is America's Largest Private Landowner

Stan Kroenke, the billionaire owner of a significant portfolio of sports franchises including the Los Angeles Angels and Arsenal Football Club, has been identified as America's largest private landowner. This designation comes from the 2025 Land Report, which states Kroenke possesses 2.7 million acres of land. This vast expanse is equivalent to approximately 2 million football fields and exceeds the size of Yosemite National Park. Kroenke's acquisition of the Los Angeles Angels from Arte Moreno was announced on Tuesday, with the transaction slated for finalization in the first quarter of 2027. This move will grant Kroenke controlling interest in several major sports teams, including the LA Rams, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Arsenal, and the newly acquired Angels. Kroenke expressed his enthusiasm for the future with the Angels, calling them a "storied franchise anchored in a great market."

Kroenke's land holdings have seen a substantial increase, propelling him to the No. 1 position on the Land Report's list, up from No. 4 in 2025. A significant factor in this surge was his December purchase of 937,000 acres of ranchland from the Singleton family, who are associated with the industrial conglomerate Teledyne Technologies. This acquisition marked the largest land purchase in the United States in over a decade. Kroenke's initial success in real estate, which laid the foundation for his current empire, is linked to the growth of Walmart. His marriage to Ann Walton Kroenke, an heiress to the Walmart fortune, has been a notable aspect of his financial journey. He built his first fortune by developing shopping centers, frequently featuring Walmart as a primary tenant.

In the past year, Stan Kroenke has surpassed other prominent billionaires in land ownership. He has moved ahead of John Malone, known as "the Cable Cowboy" and ranked No. 2 on the Land Report's list, and media mogul Ted Turner, who is currently at No. 3. The Emmerson family, operators of the forest products company Sierra Pacific, also features on the list, highlighting the significant scale of private land ownership in the United States. Kroenke's extensive real estate holdings underscore his position as a major player not only in the sports industry but also in the agricultural and land management sectors.