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National Resources Inventory
2001 Annual NRI

Introduction | Land Use | Soil Erosion | Urbanization and Development

Land Use

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The National Resources Inventory (NRI) is a statistical survey of natural resource conditions and trends on nonfederal land in the United States - nonfederal lands include privately owned lands, tribal and trust lands, and lands controlled by State and local governments. The NRI provides nationally consistent statistical data on how these lands are used and on changes in land use patterns for the period 1982 – 2001. To assess conservation issues on nonfederal rural lands, this land use information must be analyzed in conjunction with the other NRI data elements. Land uses of particular interest are those that are used in the production of agricultural and timber products that are the foundation of our Nation's agricultural economy.


Key Findings

  • The contiguous 48 states cover nearly 1.9 billion acres.
  • The majority of this area (74 percent) is in nonfederal, rural land uses - nearly 1.4 billion acres, which is composed of rangeland, forest land, cropland, pastureland, other rural land, and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land.
  • A subset of these lands is defined as prime farmland - those lands with the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, fiber, and oilseeds and that is also available for these uses. In 2001, there were about 330 million acres of prime farmland in the contiguous United States.

Prime Farmland Table

  • The Nation’s cropland acreage declined from 420 million acres in 1982 to 370 million acres in 2001, a decrease of about 12 percent. The net decline between 1997 and 2001 was nearly 7 million acres, or 2 percent.
  • The percentage of total cropland that is noncultivated has continued to increase since 1987. Noncultivated cropland accounted for 15 percent (55 million acres) of cropland acreage in 2001, up from 11 percent (43 million acres) in 1987.
  • Between 1982 and 2001, nonfederal acreage devoted to grazing uses - rangeland, pastureland, and grazed forest land - declined from 611 million acres in 1982 to 577 million acres in 2001, a decrease of almost 6 percent. Between 1997 and 2001, the net decline in grazing land acreage was less than 1 percent.

Cropland and Forest Land Gains and Losses Tables

  • Between 1997 and 2001, about 23 million acres of cropland were converted to other uses, while nearly 17 million acres were converted to cropland uses. Most of these shifts occurred between cropland and pastureland and CRP land.
  • Some 7 million acres of forest land were converted to other uses between 1997 and 2001, while about the same amount (7 million acres) was converted to forest land from other uses. Most of these shifts occurred between forest land and developed land and pastureland.

Importance to the Nation

Land use is surprisingly dynamic, with annual shifts in and out of different uses. Examining net change in land use reveals general trends, but masks the real extent of land use change over time. In agriculture there are frequent shifts in the use of land among cropland, pastureland, rangeland, and forest land. Each time land changes use it may affect erosion potential, contiguity of habitat, or hydrologic features of the landscape.

Cropland, pastureland, rangeland, and forest land comprise the majority of the Nation’s land resources and thus:

  • The condition of these lands influence directly or indirectly the environment enjoyed by the Nation.
  • Meeting the Nation’s objectives for natural resources and environmental quality will depend on how these lands are used and conserved.

More Information

For more information about the NRI, visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/NRI/

See the 2001 NRI Glossary for definitions of key terms.

To obtain State and local 1997 NRI data, contact your NRI coordinator. Links to State NRI websites and contact information can be found at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/NRI/1997/obtain_data.html

Send comments and questions to nri@nhq.nrcs.usda.gov

About the Data

Estimates presented here are based upon the latest information from the National Resources Inventory (NRI). The NRI is a longitudinal sample survey based upon scientific statistical principles and procedures. It is conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), in cooperation with Iowa State University’s Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology.

The results are the first available from the new Annual NRI. Previously, NRI data were collected at 800,000 sample sites every 5 years. Now the data are collected every year, but for slightly less than 25 percent of these same sample sites. The 2001 data are suitable only for analysis at a national scale because of this reduced sample size. As additional data are collected each year, results will become available for regional, state, and sub-state analysis. Current estimates cover the contiguous 48 states. Future estimates will also cover Hawaii, Alaska, the Caribbean, and selected Pacific Basin islands.

The findings on land use come from the NRI data category “Land Cover/Use,” which comprises mutually exclusive categories such as cropland, rangeland, forest land, other rural land, developed land, and water areas. The NRI uses this classification to account for each and every acre of nonfederal land within the Nation. Every parcel of land is described by one and only one of these categories.

The NRI approach to conducting inventories facilitates examining trends in rural and developed land uses over time because –

  • the same sample sites have been studied since 1982,
  • the same data have been collected since 1982 [definitions and protocols have remained the same],
  • the inventory accounts for 100 percent of the surface area,
  • quality assurance and statistical procedures are designed/developed to ensure that trend data are scientifically legitimate and unambiguous, and
  • it is easy to track lands as they go from one land-use category to another.

Irrespective of the scale of analysis, margins of error must be considered. Margins of error are presented for all NRI estimates.

Total Surface Area by Land Use and Year

in Millions of Acres, with Margins of Error
Year Cropland CRP Land Pastureland Rangeland Forest Land Other Rural Land Developed Land Water Areas Federal Land
1982 420.4
± 2.0		 0 * 131.4
± 1.3		 414.5
± 4.3		 402.6
± 2.3		 48.3
± 1.3		 72.8
± 0.7		 48.6 399.1
1987 406.2
± 2.0		 13.8 127.2
± 1.2		 409.3
± 4.3		 404.4
± 2.3		 48.6
± 1.3		 79.0
± 0.8		 49.8 399.4
1992 381.6
± 2.0		 34.0 125.4
± 1.2		 405.9
± 4.3		 403.6
± 2.3		 49.8
± 1.3		 86.5
± 0.8		 49.4 401.5
1997 376.4
± 2.0		 32.7 119.5
± 1.2		 404.9
± 4.3		 404.7
± 2.3		 50.3
± 1.3		 97.6
± 0.9		 49.9 401.7
2001 369.6
± 2.3		 31.8 116.9
± 1.7		 404.7
± 4.4		 404.9
± 2.5		 51.4
± 1.5		 106.3
± 1.1		 50.3 401.8

* CRP was not implemented until 1985.

Total surface area of the contiguous United States is 1,937.7 million acres

Prime Farmland by Land Use and Year

in Millions of Acres, with Margins of Error
Year Cropland Pastureland Forest Land

All Other

Land Uses

 Total
1982 231.5
± 3.4		 37.7
± 1.4		 46.9
± 1.7		 26.0
± 1.3		 342.1
± 4.0
1987 226.8
± 3.4		 37.1
± 1.4		 47.2
± 1.7		 28.7
± 1.3		 339.8
± 4.0
1992 217.0
± 3.3		 37.2
± 1.4		 47.6
± 1.7		 34.7
± 1.3		 336.5
± 4.0
1997 213.5
± 3.3		 35.4
± 1.4		 48.8
± 1.7		 34.9
± 1.3		 332.6
± 4.0
2001 209.4
± 3.3		 35.1
± 1.4		 50.0
± 1.7		 35.1
± 1.3		 329.6
± 4.0

Cultivated and Noncultivated Cropland by Year

in Millions of Acres, with Margins of Error
Year Cultivated Cropland Noncultivated Cropland Total Cropland
1982 376.0
± 1.9		 44.4
± 0.8		 420.4
± 2.0
1987 362.8
± 1.9		 43.4
± 0.8		 406.2
± 2.0
1992 334.2
± 1.9		 47.4
± 0.8		 381.6
± 2.0
1997 326.4
± 1.8		 50.0
± 0.9		 376.4
± 2.0
2001 315.0
± 1.8		 54.6
± 1.0		 369.6
± 2.3

Nonfederal Grazing Land by Year

in Millions of Acres, with Margins of Error
Year Pastureland Rangeland Grazed Forest Land Total Grazing Land
1982 131.4
± 1.3		 414.5
± 4.3		 65.1
± 1.7		 611.0
± 4.6
1987 127.2
± 1.2		 409.3
± 4.3		 62.7
± 1.7		 599.2
± 4.6
1992 125.4
± 1.2		 405.9
± 4.3		 61.4
± 1.7		 592.7
± 4.6
1997 119.5
± 1.2		 404.9
± 4.3		 58.2
± 1.8		 582.6
± 4.6
2001 116.9
± 1.7		 404.7
± 4.4		 55.7
± 1.9		 577.3
± 4.8

Gains and Losses in Cropland Between 1997 and 2001

in Millions of Acres, with Margins of Error
Cover/Use Gains
Pastureland 8.3
± 0.6
CRP Land 5.8
± 0.5
All Other Land Uses 2.5
± 0.5
Total 16.6
± 0.8
Cover/Use Losses
Pastureland 10.1
± 0.7
CRP Land 7.5
± 1.0
Developed Land 1.8
± 0.2
All Other Land Uses 3.9
± 0.4
Total 23.3
± 0.9

Gains and Losses in Forest Land Between 1997 and 2001

in Millions of Acres, with Margins of Error
Cover/Use Gains
Pastureland 3.9
± 0.4
Cropland 1.2
± 0.2
All Other Land Uses 2.3
± 0.4
Total 7.4
± 0.6
Cover/Use Losses
Developed Land 4.1
± 0.3
Pastureland 1.2
± 0.2
All Other Land Uses 1.9
± 0.2
Total 7.2
± 0.5



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