Land-use patterns vary widely across regions

Land-use varies widely across the United States—reflecting differences in soil, climate, topography, and general economic activity. Cropland is largely concentrated in the central regions of the contiguous United States, making up the majority of land in the Northern Plains and Corn Belt (51 percent and 54 percent, respectively). Shares of cropland in the Southern Plains (19 percent), Lake States (32 percent), and Delta States (20 percent) regions are also above the national average. Grassland pasture and range are concentrated in the Mountain and Southern Plains regions, where they account for about 60 percent and 58 percent, respectively. Forest-use land is most prevalent in the Northeast, Appalachia, Southeast, and Delta States—which have most of their land (between 57 and 60 percent) in forest uses. However, in terms of total acreage, most forest-use land is located in Alaska (92 million acres) and the Mountain region (97 million acres). Special-use land, most of which is devoted to rural parks and wilderness areas, is largely concentrated in Alaska and the Mountain and Pacific regions, where there are larger amounts of public lands. The Northeast (12 percent) and Southeast (10 percent) regions have the highest relative areas devoted to urban uses. This chart appears in the USDA, Economic Research Service report Major Uses of Land in the United States, 2017, released in September 2024.

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