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Idaho cattle inventory

2.50 million

Cattle and calves in Idaho on January 1, 2026 (estimate)

+0.4% since 2025 (2.49 million); +4.6% since 2016 (2.39 million); +33.3% since 1976 (1.88 million)

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Cattle Inventory, January 1. Data period 2026. Status: estimate. Published .

All cattle and calves in Idaho as of January 1 each year.

Change and comparison

From 1867 (80,000) to 2026 (2.50 million), the figure grew 31-fold.

Over the most recent 5 years, 2021 (2.50 million) to 2026 (2.50 million), the figure was unchanged.

The series high is 2,550,000 in 2022 and the low is 80,000 in 1867.

Among 50 states, Idaho ranked 11th highest in 2026. Texas was highest at 12,100,000 and Rhode Island lowest at 3,800.

Idaho is highest among its neighboring states at 2,500,000; Montana is next at 2,140,000.

Historical data

Idaho cattle inventory, 1867 to 2026Idaho cattle inventory, 1867 to 2026. Idaho: 80,000 in 1867, 2,500,000 in 2026.01M2M3M19002000IdahoCountIdaho cattle inventory, 1867 to 2026Idaho cattle inventory, 1867 to 2026. Idaho: 80,000 in 1867, 2,500,000 in 2026.01M2M3M190019502000IdahoCountIdaho cattle inventory, 1867 to 2026Idaho cattle inventory, 1867 to 2026. Idaho: 80,000 in 1867, 2,500,000 in 2026.01M2M3M190019502000IdahoCount

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Cattle Inventory, January 1. Published .

Data table (160 rows)
PeriodIdaho (count)
186780,000
186880,000
186990,000
187095,000
1871120,000
1872140,000
1873160,000
1874215,000
1875240,000
1876260,000
1877270,000
1878280,000
1879300,000
1880320,000
1881315,000
1882320,000
1883325,000
1884325,000
1885325,000
1886320,000
1887330,000
1888330,000
1889360,000
1890360,000
1891360,000
1892360,000
1893370,000
1894380,000
1895350,000
1896330,000
1897360,000
1898400,000
1899440,000
1900475,000
1901460,000
1902450,000
1903445,000
1904440,000
1905460,000
1906470,000
1907480,000
1908421,000
1909446,000
1910435,000
1911439,000
1912452,000
1913453,000
1914475,000
1915495,000
1916530,000
1917636,000
1918700,000
1919735,000
1920715,000
1921675,000
1922685,000
1923685,000
1924705,000
1925650,000
1926624,000
1927605,000
1928588,000
1929588,000
1930606,000
1931648,000
1932684,000
1933731,000
1934800,000
1935784,000
1936745,000
1937753,000
1938708,000
1939708,000
1940748,000
1941800,000
1942856,000
1943916,000
1944980,000
1945990,000
1946921,000
1947903,000
1948930,000
1949939,000
1950939,000
19511,005,000
19521,126,000
19531,205,000
19541,268,000
19551,362,000
19561,389,000
19571,347,000
19581,334,000
19591,401,000
19601,415,000
19611,401,000
19621,429,000
19631,515,000
19641,621,000
19651,621,000
19661,605,000
19671,557,000
19681,619,000
19691,700,000
19701,780,000
19711,815,000
19721,888,000
19731,888,000
19742,026,000
19752,150,000
19761,875,000
19771,900,000
19781,870,000
19791,900,000
19801,860,000
19811,990,000
19821,850,000
19831,950,000
19841,890,000
19851,780,000
19861,750,000
19871,550,000
19881,600,000
19891,650,000
19901,660,000
19911,700,000
19921,720,000
19931,680,000
19941,740,000
19951,820,000
19961,820,000
19971,820,000
19981,860,000
19991,900,000
20001,950,000
20011,960,000
20021,990,000
20032,000,000
20042,000,000
20052,060,000
20062,110,000
20072,180,000
20082,210,000
20092,150,000
20102,180,000
20112,220,000
20122,220,000
20132,390,000
20142,240,000
20152,280,000
20162,390,000
20172,370,000
20182,420,000
20192,490,000
20202,470,000
20212,500,000
20222,550,000
20232,500,000
20242,550,000
20252,490,000
20262,500,000

Compared with other states

Count

  1. United States86,155,300
  2. Texas12,100,000
  3. Nebraska6,150,000
  4. Idaho2,500,000
  5. Montana2,140,000
  6. Oregon1,210,000
  7. Wyoming1,160,000
  8. Washington1,120,000
  9. Utah760,000
  10. Nevada420,000
  11. Alaska19,000
  12. Delaware10,500
  13. Rhode Island3,800

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Cattle Inventory, January 1. Data period 2026. Published .

An excerpt; the full table is below.

State2026
United States86,155,300
1. Texas12,100,000
2. Nebraska6,150,000
3. Kansas5,850,000
4. California5,050,000
5. Oklahoma4,650,000
6. Missouri3,850,000
7. South Dakota3,550,000
8. Iowa3,450,000
9. Wisconsin3,250,000
Data table (51 rows)
State2026
United States86,155,300
1. Texas12,100,000
2. Nebraska6,150,000
3. Kansas5,850,000
4. California5,050,000
5. Oklahoma4,650,000
6. Missouri3,850,000
7. South Dakota3,550,000
8. Iowa3,450,000
9. Wisconsin3,250,000
10. Colorado2,550,000
11. Idaho2,500,000
12. Montana2,140,000
13. Minnesota2,100,000
14. Kentucky1,820,000
15. North Dakota1,730,000
16. Florida1,580,000
17. Arkansas1,560,000
18. Tennessee1,560,000
19. Pennsylvania1,400,000
20. New York1,390,000
21. Virginia1,320,000
22. Ohio1,230,000
23. Oregon1,210,000
24. Alabama1,200,000
25. New Mexico1,190,000
26. Wyoming1,160,000
27. Michigan1,120,000
28. Washington1,120,000
29. Illinois980,000
30. Georgia970,000
31. Arizona870,000
32. Indiana820,000
33. Mississippi800,000
34. Utah760,000
35. North Carolina690,000
36. Louisiana680,000
37. Nevada420,000
38. West Virginia365,000
39. South Carolina280,000
40. Vermont220,000
41. Maryland155,000
42. Hawaii135,000
43. Maine71,000
44. Connecticut44,000
45. Massachusetts30,000
46. New Hampshire28,000
47. New Jersey24,000
48. Alaska19,000
49. Delaware10,500
50. Rhode Island3,800

Source

Organization
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
Dataset
Cattle Inventory, January 1
Geography
50 states and the United States; the District of Columbia has no rows in Quick Stats for this series
Time coverage
1867-2026
Update frequency
Annual
Published
Original file
https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/
Methodology
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Surveys/Guide_to_NASS_Surveys/Cattle_Inventory/
License
Public domain. U.S. federal government work.
Our copy
Cattle Inventory, January 1

Caveats

  • A separate July 1 mid-year count for 1973-1981 is excluded, so each year has one observation per geography.
  • This is a sample survey estimate, not a full enumeration, and is revised in later NASS releases.
  • The District of Columbia is not included: NASS has never surveyed DC cattle inventory.
  • A pre-1960s 'Other States' aggregate row grouping small-production states is excluded, since it is not a single geography.
  • Understand Idaho pulls this series through USDA's Quick Stats programmatic API, which requires a registration key. The interactive tool linked above needs no key and returns the same figures.

Cite

Cite this page as Understand Idaho, “Idaho cattle inventory”, https://understandidaho.com/land/cattle/, retrieved on the date you read it, and the publisher named above for the figures themselves. The dataset behind it is described in the data catalog.

This page was last updated .