Land use over the long-term in United States
United States: Land use over the long-term was 257.67 million hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
257.67 million hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
3rd
of 202 countries
All-time high
265.00 million hectares
in 1962
All-time low
0 hectares
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Land use over the long-term in United States, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
United States recorded 257.67 million hectares for land use over the long-term in 2025.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use over the long-term in United States peaked at 265.00 million hectares in 1962 and was at its lowest, 0 hectares, in 1000.
That places United States 3rd out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1100s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1200s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1300s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1400s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1500s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1600s | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 0 hectares | 1 |
| 1700s | 3.66 million hectares | 3.66 million hectares | 3.66 million hectares | 1 |
| 1710s | 4.26 million hectares | 4.26 million hectares | 4.26 million hectares | 1 |
| 1720s | 4.92 million hectares | 4.92 million hectares | 4.92 million hectares | 1 |
| 1730s | 5.65 million hectares | 5.65 million hectares | 5.65 million hectares | 1 |
| 1740s | 6.70 million hectares | 6.70 million hectares | 6.70 million hectares | 1 |
| 1750s | 7.65 million hectares | 7.65 million hectares | 7.65 million hectares | 1 |
| 1760s | 9.84 million hectares | 9.84 million hectares | 9.84 million hectares | 1 |
| 1770s | 11.21 million hectares | 11.21 million hectares | 11.21 million hectares | 1 |
| 1780s | 12.90 million hectares | 12.90 million hectares | 12.90 million hectares | 1 |
| 1790s | 15.14 million hectares | 15.14 million hectares | 15.14 million hectares | 1 |
| 1800s | 18.44 million hectares | 18.44 million hectares | 18.44 million hectares | 1 |
| 1810s | 20.55 million hectares | 20.55 million hectares | 20.55 million hectares | 1 |
| 1820s | 22.94 million hectares | 22.94 million hectares | 22.94 million hectares | 1 |
| 1830s | 25.66 million hectares | 25.66 million hectares | 25.66 million hectares | 1 |
| 1840s | 28.88 million hectares | 28.88 million hectares | 28.88 million hectares | 1 |
| 1850s | 32.98 million hectares | 32.98 million hectares | 32.98 million hectares | 1 |
| 1860s | 44.46 million hectares | 44.46 million hectares | 44.46 million hectares | 1 |
| 1870s | 39.90 million hectares | 39.90 million hectares | 39.90 million hectares | 1 |
| 1880s | 74.31 million hectares | 74.31 million hectares | 74.31 million hectares | 1 |
| 1890s | 83.11 million hectares | 83.11 million hectares | 83.11 million hectares | 1 |
| 1900s | 145.20 million hectares | 145.20 million hectares | 145.20 million hectares | 1 |
| 1910s | 152.80 million hectares | 152.80 million hectares | 152.80 million hectares | 1 |
| 1920s | 162.00 million hectares | 162.00 million hectares | 162.00 million hectares | 1 |
| 1930s | 185.60 million hectares | 185.60 million hectares | 185.60 million hectares | 1 |
| 1940s | 224.40 million hectares | 224.40 million hectares | 224.40 million hectares | 1 |
| 1950s | 255.65 million hectares | 248.00 million hectares | 263.30 million hectares | 10 |
| 1960s | 258.42 million hectares | 250.56 million hectares | 265.00 million hectares | 10 |
| 1970s | 242.79 million hectares | 237.54 million hectares | 248.83 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 240.06 million hectares | 237.54 million hectares | 241.60 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 236.95 million hectares | 234.79 million hectares | 239.25 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 240.51 million hectares | 236.33 million hectares | 248.38 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 255.81 million hectares | 248.38 million hectares | 257.67 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 257.67 million hectares | 257.67 million hectares | 257.67 million hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 1 China 392.61 million hectares compare
- 2 Australia 318.70 million hectares compare
- 4 Brazil 210.81 million hectares compare
- 5 Kazakhstan 183.11 million hectares compare
- 6 Saudi Arabia 134.05 million hectares compare
More environment data for United States
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 5,913 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 17.39 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 257.35 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 9.47 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 418.87 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 1.54 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 843.36 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 2 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 3.59 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 149.52 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use over the long-term in United States?
- Land use over the long-term in United States was 257.67 million hectares in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use over the long-term recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 265.00 million hectares in 1962.
- What is the lowest land use over the long-term recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 hectares in 1000.
- How does United States rank for land use over the long-term?
- United States ranks 3rd out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is land use over the long-term rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total grazingland area for each separate country over time.