How Many Lighthouses Are There in the US, and Who Owns Them?

How many lighthouses are there in the US?

There is no single official count, because it depends on what you call a lighthouse. The US Lighthouse Society says about 1,500 were built and never more than about 850 operated at once, at the peak around 1910. Published counts of the ones still standing differ by source.

Definitions decide the number: whether range lights, pierhead lights and skeleton towers count, and whether a tower that lost its light still counts. When you see a figure, ask which definition it uses.

Which states have the most lighthouses?

Michigan has the most lighthouses of any state. The US Lighthouse Society counts about 124 there, and about 130 depending on definitions, and said Michigan had about 140 at peak construction. Maine followed with about 80 at peak.

See the state pages for Michigan, Maine and Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay.

Who owns US lighthouses?

Owners fall into these groups: federal agencies, state governments, local governments, nonprofits, private owners and the Coast Guard for the light itself. No public dataset counts them all. What is documented is how many changed hands, and by which route.

Documented changes of lighthouse ownership, with the count and the source
Change of ownership	Count	Source
Conveyed out of federal ownership since 2000	More than 150	GSA, 2023
Of those, transferred at no cost to public bodies and nonprofits	About 81	GSA, 2023
Of those, sold at public auction	About 70	GSA, 2023
Maine Lights Program transfers, 1998	About 28	Wikipedia, Maine lighthouse list
Sold in this directory’s records, 2005 to 2026	15 sales and bids	This directory

Who owns a lighthouse that has been sold?

The buyer owns the tower and land, but the Coast Guard keeps the aid to navigation. The aid remains the property of the United States and is operated and maintained by the Coast Guard, which keeps an easement to enter the property. Buyers of federal lighthouses can be individuals, companies, nonprofits or governments.

Ownership changes again after the first sale. Middle Ground went from two families to a new buyer in 2026, and Boon Island was resold to a Boston buyer after its 2014 auction. Follow each lighthouse on its own page in the directory for its sale history.