Data / Rankings / Cattle and calves on 1 January / US states

US states by cattle and calves on 1 January

Texas had the highest cattle and calves on 1 January of 50 states in 2018, at 12,500,000 head. Rhode Island had the lowest, at 5,000 head. The median was 1,285,000 head and the figure for the United States was 94,298,000 head. Source: the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

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Highest12,500,000Texas
Lowest5,000Rhode Island
Median1,285,00050 states
United States94,298,000History

Map of states, 2018

Alabama: 1,340,000 headAlaska: 15,000 headArizona: 1,020,000 headArkansas: 1,760,000 headCalifornia: 5,200,000 headColorado: 2,850,000 headConnecticut: 50,000 headDelaware: 17,000 headFlorida: 1,630,000 headGeorgia: 1,060,000 headHawaii: 144,000 headIdaho: 2,420,000 headIllinois: 1,150,000 headIndiana: 860,000 headIowa: 4,000,000 headKansas: 6,300,000 headKentucky: 2,160,000 headLouisiana: 820,000 headMaine: 81,000 headMaryland: 193,000 headMassachusetts: 38,000 headMichigan: 1,160,000 headMinnesota: 2,350,000 headMississippi: 930,000 headMissouri: 4,350,000 headMontana: 2,550,000 headNebraska: 6,800,000 headNevada: 465,000 headNew Hampshire: 36,000 headNew Jersey: 29,000 headNew Mexico: 1,510,000 headNew York: 1,480,000 headNorth Carolina: 800,000 headNorth Dakota: 1,860,000 headOhio: 1,300,000 headOklahoma: 5,100,000 headOregon: 1,270,000 headPennsylvania: 1,620,000 headRhode Island: 5,000 headSouth Carolina: 340,000 headSouth Dakota: 4,000,000 headTennessee: 1,830,000 headTexas: 12,500,000 headUtah: 790,000 headVermont: 260,000 headVirginia: 1,480,000 headWashington: 1,160,000 headWest Virginia: 395,000 headWisconsin: 3,500,000 headWyoming: 1,320,000 head
  • Under 200K
  • 200K to 800K
  • 800K to 1.3M
  • 1.3M to 1.7M
  • 1.7M to 3.4M
  • 3.4M and over
  • No data
head, 2018. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: USDA NASS, Quick Stats, CATTLE, INCL CALVES - INVENTORY, first of January, survey, nation and states. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2018

Texas: 12,500,000 headTexas12,500,000Nebraska: 6,800,000 headNebraska6,800,000Kansas: 6,300,000 headKansas6,300,000California: 5,200,000 headCalifornia5,200,000Oklahoma: 5,100,000 headOklahoma5,100,000Missouri: 4,350,000 headMissouri4,350,000Iowa: 4,000,000 headIowa4,000,000South Dakota: 4,000,000 headSouth Dakota4,000,000Wisconsin: 3,500,000 headWisconsin3,500,000Colorado: 2,850,000 headColorado2,850,000Montana: 2,550,000 headMontana2,550,000Idaho: 2,420,000 headIdaho2,420,000Minnesota: 2,350,000 headMinnesota2,350,000Kentucky: 2,160,000 headKentucky2,160,000North Dakota: 1,860,000 headNorth Dakota1,860,000Tennessee: 1,830,000 headTennessee1,830,000Arkansas: 1,760,000 headArkansas1,760,000Florida: 1,630,000 headFlorida1,630,000Pennsylvania: 1,620,000 headPennsylvania1,620,000New Mexico: 1,510,000 headNew Mexico1,510,000New York: 1,480,000 headNew York1,480,000Virginia: 1,480,000 headVirginia1,480,000Alabama: 1,340,000 headAlabama1,340,000Wyoming: 1,320,000 headWyoming1,320,000Ohio: 1,300,000 headOhio1,300,000Oregon: 1,270,000 headOregon1,270,000Michigan: 1,160,000 headMichigan1,160,000Washington: 1,160,000 headWashington1,160,000Illinois: 1,150,000 headIllinois1,150,000Georgia: 1,060,000 headGeorgia1,060,000Arizona: 1,020,000 headArizona1,020,000Mississippi: 930,000 headMississippi930,000Indiana: 860,000 headIndiana860,000Louisiana: 820,000 headLouisiana820,000North Carolina: 800,000 headNorth Carolina800,000Utah: 790,000 headUtah790,000Nevada: 465,000 headNevada465,000West Virginia: 395,000 headWest Virginia395,000South Carolina: 340,000 headSouth Carolina340,000Vermont: 260,000 headVermont260,000Maryland: 193,000 headMaryland193,000Hawaii: 144,000 headHawaii144,000Maine: 81,000 headMaine81,000Connecticut: 50,000 headConnecticut50,000Massachusetts: 38,000 headMassachusetts38,000New Hampshire: 36,000 headNew Hampshire36,000New Jersey: 29,000 headNew Jersey29,000Delaware: 17,000 headDelaware17,000Alaska: 15,000 headAlaska15,000Rhode Island: 5,000 headRhode Island5,000Texas: 12,500,000 headTexas12,500,000Nebraska: 6,800,000 headNebraska6,800,000Kansas: 6,300,000 headKansas6,300,000California: 5,200,000 headCalifornia5,200,000Oklahoma: 5,100,000 headOklahoma5,100,000Missouri: 4,350,000 headMissouri4,350,000Iowa: 4,000,000 headIowa4,000,000South Dakota: 4,000,000 headSouth Dakota4,000,000Wisconsin: 3,500,000 headWisconsin3,500,000Colorado: 2,850,000 headColorado2,850,000Montana: 2,550,000 headMontana2,550,000Idaho: 2,420,000 headIdaho2,420,000Minnesota: 2,350,000 headMinnesota2,350,000Kentucky: 2,160,000 headKentucky2,160,000North Dakota: 1,860,000 headNorth Dakota1,860,000Tennessee: 1,830,000 headTennessee1,830,000Arkansas: 1,760,000 headArkansas1,760,000Florida: 1,630,000 headFlorida1,630,000Pennsylvania: 1,620,000 headPennsylvania1,620,000New Mexico: 1,510,000 headNew Mexico1,510,000New York: 1,480,000 headNew York1,480,000Virginia: 1,480,000 headVirginia1,480,000Alabama: 1,340,000 headAlabama1,340,000Wyoming: 1,320,000 headWyoming1,320,000Ohio: 1,300,000 headOhio1,300,000Oregon: 1,270,000 headOregon1,270,000Michigan: 1,160,000 headMichigan1,160,000Washington: 1,160,000 headWashington1,160,000Illinois: 1,150,000 headIllinois1,150,000Georgia: 1,060,000 headGeorgia1,060,000Arizona: 1,020,000 headArizona1,020,000Mississippi: 930,000 headMississippi930,000Indiana: 860,000 headIndiana860,000Louisiana: 820,000 headLouisiana820,000North Carolina: 800,000 headNorth Carolina800,000Utah: 790,000 headUtah790,000Nevada: 465,000 headNevada465,000West Virginia: 395,000 headWest Virginia395,000South Carolina: 340,000 headSouth Carolina340,000Vermont: 260,000 headVermont260,000Maryland: 193,000 headMaryland193,000Hawaii: 144,000 headHawaii144,000Maine: 81,000 headMaine81,000Connecticut: 50,000 headConnecticut50,000Massachusetts: 38,000 headMassachusetts38,000New Hampshire: 36,000 headNew Hampshire36,000New Jersey: 29,000 headNew Jersey29,000Delaware: 17,000 headDelaware17,000Alaska: 15,000 headAlaska15,000Rhode Island: 5,000 headRhode Island5,000
head. Source: USDA NASS, Quick Stats, CATTLE, INCL CALVES - INVENTORY, first of January, survey, nation and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankStates2018
head		Change on 2017
1Texas12,500,000+1.6%
2Nebraska6,800,000+5.4%
3Kansas6,300,000-1.6%
4California5,200,000+1%
5Oklahoma5,100,000+2%
6Missouri4,350,000+1.2%
7Iowa4,000,000+2.6%
7South Dakota4,000,000+3.9%
9Wisconsin3,500,000-1.4%
10Colorado2,850,0000%
11Montana2,550,000-3.8%
12Idaho2,420,000+2.1%
13Minnesota2,350,000-2.5%
14Kentucky2,160,000-0.5%
15North Dakota1,860,000+2.2%
16Tennessee1,830,0000%
17Arkansas1,760,000+0.6%
18Florida1,630,000-4.1%
19Pennsylvania1,620,0000%
20New Mexico1,510,000+7.1%
21New York1,480,000-1.3%
21Virginia1,480,000-2.6%
23Alabama1,340,000+3.1%
24Wyoming1,320,000-0.8%
25Ohio1,300,0000%
26Oregon1,270,000-3.8%
27Michigan1,160,000-1.7%
27Washington1,160,000+0.9%
29Illinois1,150,000-5%
30Georgia1,060,000-3.6%
31Arizona1,020,000+3%
32Mississippi930,000+4.5%
33Indiana860,000-2.3%
34Louisiana820,000+5.1%
35North Carolina800,000-3.6%
36Utah790,000-3.7%
37Nevada465,000+4.5%
38West Virginia395,000-2.5%
39South Carolina340,0000%
40Vermont260,0000%
41Maryland193,000+3.8%
42Hawaii144,000+1.4%
43Maine81,000-3.6%
44Connecticut50,000+4.2%
45Massachusetts38,0000%
46New Hampshire36,000+2.9%
47New Jersey29,000+3.6%
48Delaware17,000+6.3%
49Alaska15,000+15.4%
50Rhode Island5,000+8.7%

Other periods

About this ranking

All cattle and calves on farms and ranches on 1 January, beef and dairy, in head, as estimated by USDA NASS in its January Cattle report. The value for a year is the count on 1 January of that year.

USDA NASS survey estimates for the nation and the states; the District of Columbia is not covered, and states that NASS groups as "other states" to avoid disclosing single operations have no value for that year. NASS revises recent years when it publishes later reports, and values it withholds are left out. For country totals in head comparable across countries, see cattle_stocks (FAOSTAT).

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats. Quick Stats, CATTLE, INCL CALVES - INVENTORY, first of January, survey, nation and states. https://www.nass.usda.gov/datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. (2026). Quick Stats, CATTLE, INCL CALVES - INVENTORY, first of January, survey, nation and states (US states by cattle and calves on 1 January, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://www.nass.usda.gov/datasets/

MLA 9

Quick Stats, CATTLE, INCL CALVES - INVENTORY, first of January, survey, nation and states, US states by cattle and calves on 1 January, 2018. U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, 30 Jan. 2026, https://www.nass.usda.gov/datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/cattle-inventory/us-states?period=2018. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2026. Quick Stats, CATTLE, INCL CALVES - INVENTORY, first of January, survey, nation and states. US states by cattle and calves on 1 January, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://www.nass.usda.gov/datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/cattle-inventory/us-states?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (2026) Quick Stats, CATTLE, INCL CALVES - INVENTORY, first of January, survey, nation and states, US states by cattle and calves on 1 January, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/cattle-inventory/us-states?period=2018 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_us_states_by_cattle_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service}},
  title = {{Quick Stats, CATTLE, INCL CALVES - INVENTORY, first of January, survey, nation and states: US states by cattle and calves on 1 January, 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.nass.usda.gov/datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-18},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/cattle-inventory/us-states?period=2018. Publisher attribution: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats. Quick Stats, CATTLE, INCL CALVES - INVENTORY, first of January, survey, nation and states. https://www.nass.usda.gov/datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-18.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service
TI  - Quick Stats, CATTLE, INCL CALVES - INVENTORY, first of January, survey, nation and states: US states by cattle and calves on 1 January, 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/30
PB  - U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.nass.usda.gov/datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/cattle-inventory/us-states?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/cattle-inventory/us-states?period=2018.
N1  - Publisher attribution: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats. Quick Stats, CATTLE, INCL CALVES - INVENTORY, first of January, survey, nation and states. https://www.nass.usda.gov/datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest cattle and calves on 1 January?

Texas, with 12,500,000 head in 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Which state has the lowest cattle and calves on 1 January?

Rhode Island, with 5,000 head in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats, CATTLE, INCL CALVES - INVENTORY, first of January, survey, nation and states. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

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