FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Nick Thiriot, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, nick.thiriot@utah.edu, 801-842-9150

July 2, 2025 (Salt Lake City) – Utah’s federal, state, tribal, and private land ownership impacts economic development, public finance, recreation, culture, and conservation in important ways. A new report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute shows that the state contains the second-highest percentage of federal land among all 50 states (64.4%). Just over one-fifth (21.1%) of land in Utah is privately owned, with the rest owned by the state (10.0%) or governed by tribal nations (4.5%).

“Utah’s land ownership patterns are inextricably linked to federal public lands policy,” said Eric Albers, senior natural resources analyst at the Gardner Institute and lead author of the report. “This report offers historical context on federal land policy and provides an inventory of state and county-level ownership, illustrating how past policies shape the current ownership landscape.”

The report includes the following key findings:

Federal land ownership – Utah is one of five states with greater than 50% federal land ownership and is second to Nevada, which contains 80.1% federal land. In Utah, 18 of 29 counties have more than 50% federal land ownership.

Private land ownership – Private ownership varies significantly by county, ranging from 3.7% in Wayne County to 93.2% in Morgan County.

State land ownership – Davis County is the only county with a majority of land owned by the state. The state owns 64.3% of Davis County’s land, driven by Great Salt Lake’s sovereign lands.

Department of Defense – The Department manages over one-third of Tooele County. The combination of the Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah Test and Training Range, and Tooele Army Depot results in 33.8% Department of Defense management in Tooele.

Tribal governed lands – Tribal government lands exist throughout the state and comprise over 10% of the land in San Juan, Duchesne, and Uintah counties. San Juan County has the highest percentage, comprising one-quarter of the total land area.

The full report is now available online.

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