The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints isn’t just building temples. Behind the scenes, it has been building something much, much bigger.
Millions of acres. Billions of dollars in real estate. Ranches, farms, hotels, apartments and entire communities designed to house thousands of people.
According to a sweeping Bloomberg investigation published by EL PAÍS, property records analyzed using Reonomy data show the LDS Church owns at least 2.4 million acres across the United States with an assessed value topping $20 billion.
And even that may not reveal the full picture.
Bloomberg reports its analysis could not capture certain properties in nondisclosure states or investments made through outside funds and partnerships.
What has emerged is a sprawling real estate operation extending far beyond the church buildings most Americans recognize.
Through church-affiliated entities, the LDS Church has accumulated agricultural and commercial properties while increasingly turning its attention toward massive master-planned communities.
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Near Denver International Airport, Property Reserve, the church’s real estate arm, is developing “Tributary,” a 960-acre community expected to eventually house more than 12,000 people.
Then there’s Florida.
The church’s Deseret Ranch encompasses roughly 295,000 acres, which traverses three counties, according to Bloomberg. Portions of former ranchland are also being transformed through Sunbridge, a sprawling development envisioned to eventually include more than 36,000 homes alongside commercial properties.
Yet the land is only part of the financial picture.
Ensign Peak Advisors, the church’s nonprofit investment manager, reported more than $60 billion in publicly traded securities as of the end of June, Bloomberg reported, citing a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
That enormous financial footprint has also brought scrutiny.
In 2023, the LDS Church along with Ensign Peak agreed to pay $5 million to settle SEC charges involving disclosure failures and the use of shell companies.
What may appear from the outside to be a network of temples and congregations is backed by a vast collection of American land and investments assembled over generations. And now, as bulldozers turn portions of that land into communities of their own, Americans are getting a much clearer glimpse of just how extensive that empire has become.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
