Animal Population

Bison Population by State 2026

Alabama: 311Alaska: 1,489Arizona: 112Arkansas: 273California: 595Colorado: 9,555Connecticut: 91Florida: 205Georgia: 234Idaho: 5,361Illinois: 952Indiana: 2,032Iowa: 1,337Kansas: 8,672Kentucky: 4,865Maine: 247Maryland: 159Michigan: 2,789Minnesota: 3,109Mississippi: 52Missouri: 1,979Montana: 20,466Nebraska: 32,206Nevada: 54New Hampshire: 93New Mexico: 4,412New York: 3,230North Carolina: 274North Dakota: 12,487Ohio: 1,451Oklahoma: 7,137Oregon: 1,489Pennsylvania: 1,686South Carolina: 374South Dakota: 33,995Tennessee: 536Texas: 8,187Utah: 805Vermont: 219Virginia: 1,366Washington: 1,037West Virginia: 521Wisconsin: 6,754Wyoming: 8,715

Bison Population

State
Bison Population 2022↓
South Dakota Flag
South Dakota33,995
Nebraska Flag
Nebraska32,206
Montana Flag
Montana20,466
North Dakota Flag
North Dakota12,487
Colorado Flag
Colorado9,555
Wyoming Flag
Wyoming8,715
Kansas Flag
Kansas8,672
Texas Flag
Texas8,187
Oklahoma Flag
Oklahoma7,137
Wisconsin Flag
Wisconsin6,754
Idaho Flag
Idaho5,361
Kentucky Flag
Kentucky4,865
New Mexico Flag
New Mexico4,412
New York Flag
New York3,230
Minnesota Flag
Minnesota3,109
Michigan Flag
Michigan2,789
Indiana Flag
Indiana2,032
Missouri Flag
Missouri1,979
Pennsylvania Flag
Pennsylvania1,686
Alaska Flag
Alaska1,489
Oregon Flag
Oregon1,489
Ohio Flag
Ohio1,451
Virginia Flag
Virginia1,366
Iowa Flag
Iowa1,337
Washington Flag
Washington1,037
Illinois Flag
Illinois952
Utah Flag
Utah805
California Flag
California595
Tennessee Flag
Tennessee536
West Virginia Flag
West Virginia521
South Carolina Flag
South Carolina374
Alabama Flag
Alabama311
North Carolina Flag
North Carolina274
Arkansas Flag
Arkansas273
Maine Flag
Maine247
Georgia Flag
Georgia234
Vermont Flag
Vermont219
Florida Flag
Florida205
Maryland Flag
Maryland159
Arizona Flag
Arizona112
New Hampshire Flag
New Hampshire93
Connecticut Flag
Connecticut91
Nevada Flag
Nevada54
Mississippi Flag
Mississippi52
United States Flag
United States191,913
  • Posted rates are for bison kept in commercial herds per the USDA’s 2017 and 2022 Census of Agriculture.
  • It is estimated that between 30 million and 60 million bison lived in North America during the mid-1800s. However, they were heavily hunted during the late 1800s, and by 1889 fewer than 600 remained. Careful conservation and breeding efforts enabled the species to avoid extinction. Today, population estimates range from approximately 200,000 to 500,000 bison, with roughly 30,000 living in the wild and the rest in commercial herds.
  • In 2017, the National Bison Association set a goal of expanding the bison population to 1 million by 2027.

Sources

  1. Statistics by State - United States Department of Agriculture
  2. Plains bison - US Fish and Wildlife Service
  3. 15 Facts about Our National Mammal: The American Bison - US Department of the Interior
  4. American Bison - Wiki
  5. Interior Department Announces Significant Action to Restore Bison Populations as Part of New Restoration and Resilience Framework - US Department of the Interior
  6. Major bison restoration campaign launches today - National Bison Association