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New USDA Report Breaks Down Major Uses of Land in the U.S.

December 28, 2011 — The United States has a total land area of nearly 2.3 billion acres, according to a new report issued by USDA. In 2007, the major land uses were forestland at 671 million acres (30%); grassland pasture and rangeland at 614 million (27%); cropland at 408 million (18%); special uses (primarily parks and wildlife areas) at 313 million acres (14%); miscellaneous uses (like tundra or swamps) at 197 million acres (9%); and urban land at 61 million acres (3%).

This report, entitled “Major Uses of Land in the United States, 2007” presents findings from the most recent (2007) inventory of U.S. major land uses, drawing on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, public land management and conservation agencies, and other sources. The data are synthesized by State to estimate the use of several broad classes and subclasses of agricultural and nonagricultural land over time. National and regional trends in land use are compared with earlier major land-use estimates.

The full report is available here.

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