Who Owns America

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS) collaborated on a report that explores the current state of corporate ownership of residential property in the United States. The Who Owns America ® report combines CGS’s data and analysis expertise with the Lincoln Institute’s thought leadership in policy strategies to investigate corporate and institutional investor activity and recommend steps communities can take to preserve and protect affordable housing.  

The report analyzes residential parcel ownership in nearly 500 counties—creating a baseline for understanding residential property ownership patterns across the United States. As part of this analysis, the report identifies 25 hotspots, a geographically diverse set of counties where property record data is most reliable and corporate activity is above baseline. It also provides a more detailed snapshot of three postindustrial cities—St. Louis, Baltimore, and Cleveland—allowing for more data-driven storytelling and further elaboration on land policy recommendations.