Who Are the Largest Commercial Real Estate Developers in the United States?

alliewhite7
3 days ago
7 min read

When people think of commercial real estate developers, they often imagine companies building high-rises or large-scale housing communities. But the reality is much broader. Biscred’s database includes more than 19,000 CRE developers across the United States, covering everything from industrial and life sciences to infrastructure, hospitality, and even telecommunications.

Not every developer is focused on ground-up construction. Some specialize in rehabilitation, others in redevelopment or niche asset classes like data centers and railroads. This variety reflects the full spectrum of what commercial real estate development really looks like today.

The Biscred database houses information for more than 550,000 businesses and more than 5 million professionals in the CRE industry, including 19,433 developers and 395,252 employees who work for them. ¹

To help you navigate this landscape, we’ve used Biscred’s verified data and CRE-specific filters to spotlight the largest developers by property count, company size, and contact reach. Whether you're researching market leaders or planning your next outreach campaign, this list is a smart place to start.

Biscred sources its data through a blend of machine learning, AI, and human research, ensuring high accuracy by combining automation with manual validation. This approach allows us to maintain top-tier data quality and detailed CRE-specific taxonomy.

5 Largest CRE Developers by Property Count

Biscred determines property count by reviewing visible properties listed on a company's portfolio or property page, focusing strictly on commercial real estate assets, not units, square footage, or single-family homes. Researchers validate or update this number with a reliable source link and use either current holdings (for owners/operators) or historical project counts (for developers and service providers), depending on the company type. The count helps gauge firm size and supports future asset-level data tracking.

These are the largest CRE developers based on property count in the Biscred database:

1. American Tower

This communications infrastructure developer operates in 22 countries, including the United States, and specializes in communications — specifically telecommunications properties and facilities — which is a unique asset class in commercial real estate.

226,000 properties
HQ city: Boston
Company size: 5,001-10,000 people
Noteworthy: This is a Fortune 500 company that started in 1995 as a subsidiary of American Radio.
Website: www.americantower.com
Contacts in Biscred: 952

2. John M. Corcoran and Company

This multifamily property development company was founded in 1951 and, like many developers, operates in several CRE industries, including home appraisal, brokerage, real estate investment, property management, and operations.

16,000 estimated properties
HQ city: Braintree, MA
Noteworthy: They specialize in multifamily and affordable housing properties in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.
Website: www.jmcandco.com
Contacts in Biscred: 128

3. Realty Income

Realty Income is a REIT/operator/developer that is based in San Diego, specializing in the asset classes of retail, industrial, hospitality, and life sciences.

15,600 estimated properties
HQ city: San Diego
Noteworthy: According to their About page, Realty Income has a presence in all 50 states, the United Kingdom and several countries in Europe.
Website: www.realtyincome.com
Contacts in Biscred: 229

4. Prologis

Prologis is one of the largest CRE developers in the country, with properties in the industrial, data center, and life science asset classes. According to its About page, 3% of the world’s GDP flows through its distribution centers. They support more than 1 million jobs worldwide.

5,895 estimated properties
HQ city: San Francisco
Noteworthy: The company is building one of the largest fleet charging hub networks in the U.S., which, on completion, will stretch from Seattle to Maine.
Website: www.prologis.com
Contacts in Biscred: 817

5. Contour Companies

This company has rehabilitated more than 5,000 properties, including 3,000 residential units in Alabama, Ohio, Georgia, South Carolina and Michigan.

5,000 estimated properties
HQ city: Bloomfield Hills, MI
Noteworthy: Contour Companies specializes in acquisition and rehabilitation in both commercial and residential real estate, offering multiple services (architectural, construction, property management, development and more).
contourcompanies.com
Contacts in Biscred: 5

Other Large Developers by Property Count

Arc Design Resources (4,250 properties, HQ in Loves Park, IL)
Vision Communities (4,000 properties, HQ in Columbus, OH)
Warmington Properties (3,844 properties, HQ in Costa Mesa, CA)
Link Logistics Real Estate (3,428 properties, HQ in New York, NY)
Public Storage (3,400 properties, HQ in Glendale, CA)

Largest CRE Developers by Company Size

There are 22 CRE developers listed in the Biscred database that have 10,000 or more employees. They are, in alphabetical order:

Acciona
AECOM Capital
Bahria Town
Balfour Beatty
Bear Atlantic Group
BNSF Railway
Ennismore
Erickson Senior Living Management
Flynn Restaurant Group
Housing Partnership Network
Lanier Parking Solutions
LAZ Parking Realty Investors
Leigh Valley Industrial Park
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
McClellan Park
Nordblom Company
Royal Palm Companies
Skanska USA
SMI USA

Largest CRE Developers by Contact Count

One of the goals of the Biscred team is to create a database that allows CRE companies to find and connect with decision makers and decision influencers at other CRE companies. These are the largest CRE developers in the Biscred database, based on the number of contacts listed.

1. Greystar Worldwide

HQ: Charleston, SC
Contact count: 11,161
Industries: Private equity, operator, developer, property management, and residential
Asset experience: Multifamily, senior living, student housing, industrial, mixed use, affordable housing, and life sciences
Units under management: 1 million+
Sponsored projects: 480
Equity under management: $50 billion²

2. AECOM Capital

HQ: Dallas, TX
Contact count: 9,448
Industries: GC, professional services, design, auxiliary services, construction, architect, private equity, and developer
Asset experience: Multifamily, mixed use, office, hospitality, entertainment facilities, and 15 additional asset classes
Estimated revenue: $16 billion ³
Total assets: $12 billion ⁴

3. Caesars Entertainment

HQ: Las Vegas
Contact count: 6,213
Industries: Real estate investment firm, operator, developer
Asset experience: Hospitality, entertainment facilities, retail
Number of properties: 54
Total assets: $32 billion ⁵

4. BNSF Railway

HQ: Fort Worth, TX
Contact count: 5,063
Number of employees: 36,500 ⁶
Industries: Real estate investment firm, operator, developer
Asset experience: Infrastructure, railroad
Length of network: 32,500 miles across 28 states
Estimated annual revenue: $5.7 billion ⁷
Total assets: $95 billion ⁸

5. D.R. Horton

HQ: Arlington, TX
Contact count: 3,748
Industries: Developer, real estate investment firm, operator, home builder
Estimated revenue: $36.8 billion ⁹
Total assets: $36.1 billion ¹⁰

6. Lennar

HQ: Miami, FL
Contact count: 3,098
Industries: Operator, developer, real estate investment firm, home builder
Asset experience: Multifamily, single family, senior living
Estimated annual revenue: $33.9 billion ¹¹

7. Toll Brothers

HQ: Fort Washington, PA
Contact count: 3,006
Industries: Real estate investment firm, operator, developer, home builder
Asset experience: Multifamily, senior living, single family
Number of operating communities: 471 ¹²
Estimated annual revenue: $24 billion ¹²

8. CoreCivic

HQ: Brentwood, TN
Contact count: 2,974
Number of employees: 11,000+ ¹³
Industries: Real estate investment firm, operator, developer
Asset experience: Government
Number of facilities: 43 ¹³
Estimated annual revenue: $2 billion in 2024 ¹⁴

9. Public Storage

HQ: Glendale, CA
Contact count: 2,374
Industries: Operator, developer, REIT
Asset experience: Self storage
Property count: 3,400
Estimated annual revenue: $1 billion+

10. Gilbane

HQ: Providence, RI
Contact count: 2,262
Number of employees: 3,000+ ¹⁵
Industries: Developer, GC, home builder
Asset experience: Affordable housing, mixed use, student housing, and 13 additional asset classes
Total development value: $11.8 billion
Units built/underway: 25,000

Top Asset Experience Among Largest CRE Developers

Of the 19,433 development companies listed in the Biscred database, 379 of them have estimated annual revenue over $100 million. What are the top asset classes where these top-earning developers fall?

Multifamily: 208 companies
Hospitality: 162
Retail: 147
Office: 140
Mixed use: 123
Industrial: 105
Senior living: 72
Healthcare: 64
Affordable housing: 59
Entertainment facilities: 53

Where Are the Top CRE Developers Located?

When it comes to commercial real estate development, location doesn’t just matter for the properties, it matters for the companies themselves. Many of the nation’s largest developers are concentrated in states with thriving urban hubs, tax incentives, or proximity to high-demand asset types. Here’s a look at where the top CRE developers call home base.

California: 44 companies
Texas: 39
New York: 36
Florida: 25
Georgia: 22
Illinois: 17
Pennsylvania: 16
Colorado: 14
Virginia: 14
Maryland: 11

How to Access Contact Information for the Top CRE Developers

If you're in sales, marketing, investment, or operations in CRE, having access to decision makers at top development firms can dramatically accelerate your outreach. Biscred makes it simple. With verified contact data, including emails, phone numbers, and LinkedIn profiles, you can identify and connect with the right people faster. Our platform allows you to filter by industry, asset experience, company size, job seniority, and more, making your prospecting efforts more efficient and effective. Ready to reach the people behind the properties? Learn more about how Biscred works.