10/11/2026
America’s cattle herd, state by state.
USDA counted 86.2 million cattle and calves on January 1, 2026. Texas still towers over everyone else. Nebraska is the only other state above 6 million. The Plains and the Corn Belt carry most of the rest.
Texas 12,100,000
Nebraska 6,150,000
Kansas 5,850,000
California 5,050,000
Oklahoma 4,650,000
Missouri 3,850,000
South Dakota 3,550,000
Iowa 3,450,000
Wisconsin 3,250,000
Colorado 2,550,000
Idaho 2,500,000
Montana 2,140,000
Minnesota 2,100,000
Kentucky 1,820,000
North Dakota 1,730,000
Florida 1,580,000
Arkansas 1,560,000
Tennessee 1,560,000
Pennsylvania 1,400,000
New York 1,390,000
Virginia 1,320,000
Ohio 1,230,000
Oregon 1,210,000
Alabama 1,200,000
New Mexico 1,190,000
Wyoming 1,160,000
Washington 1,120,000
Michigan 1,120,000
Illinois 980,000
Georgia 970,000
Arizona 870,000
Indiana 820,000
Mississippi 800,000
Utah 760,000
North Carolina 690,000
Louisiana 680,000
Nevada 420,000
West Virginia 365,000
South Carolina 280,000
Vermont 220,000
Maryland 155,000
Hawaii 135,000
Maine 71,000
Connecticut 44,000
Massachusetts 30,000
New Hampshire 28,000
New Jersey 24,000
Alaska 19,000
Delaware 10,500
Rhode Island 3,800
Those five biggest states hold about 39 percent of the national herd. Rhode Island could fit its entire inventory in a couple of large feedyards.
Source: USDA NASS, January 1, 2026. Where does your state rank?
