02/04/2026
U.S. CATTLE REPORT ๐๐บ๐ธ Top 10 States With the Most Beef Cows (2026) ๐บ๐ธ๐
Texas leads the country in beef cow numbers, accounting for nearly 15% of all beef cows in the United States with more than 4.0 million head. Oklahoma and Missouri follow as the second- and third-largest beef cow states, reinforcing the dominance of the Southern Plains and Midwest in U.S. cow-calf production. In total, seven states now have more than one million beef cows, including Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, and Kansas. When combined, the top 10 beef cow states account for roughly 15.8 million head, representing about 57% of the entire U.S. beef cow herd, highlighting how heavily concentrated beef production remains across the central and Plains regions of the country.
๐๐บ๐ธ Top 10 States With the Most Beef Cows (2026) ๐บ๐ธ๐
๐ Total U.S. Beef Cow Inventory: 27.6 million head
๐ฅ Texas โ 4,045,000 head (14.65%) ๐ค ๐ฅ
๐ฅ Oklahoma โ 1,966,000 head (7.12%) ๐พ๐
๐ฅ Missouri โ 1,806,000 head (6.54%) ๐
4๏ธโฃ Nebraska โ 1,560,000 head (5.65%) ๐ฝ๐
5๏ธโฃ South Dakota โ 1,450,000 head (5.25%) โ๏ธ๐
6๏ธโฃ Montana โ 1,232,000 head (4.46%) ๐๏ธ
7๏ธโฃ Kansas โ 1,145,000 head (4.15%) ๐ป
8๏ธโฃ North Dakota โ 891,000 head (3.23%) ๐ฌ๏ธ
9๏ธโฃ Florida โ 872,000 head (3.16%) ๐ด๐
๐ Kentucky โ 862,000 head (3.12%) ๐ณ
U.S. CATTLE REPORT ๐๐บ๐ธ https://www.nationalbeefwire.com/u-s-cattle-report ๐๐บ๐ธ
๐ก Salebarns interested in broadcasting or promoting their sales with DVAuction and/or Feeder Flash โ contact Rob Cook at ๐ง [email protected] to get started!
U.S. Department of Agriculture Texas Farm Bureau Montana Hereford Association Texas Department of Agriculture Missouri Department of Agriculture Joplin Regional Stockyards OKC West Livestock Market LLC Missouri Cattlemen's Association