State rankings · NASS annual estimates, 2026

Which state has the most sheep?

Texas ranks No. 1 for sheep, with 14% of the 5 million sheep on US farms on January 1, 2026.

No. 2 California (10%), No. 3 Colorado (8%), No. 4 Wyoming (6%). Texas has been No. 1 in every year shown, back to 2012. All 50 states that reported sheep are listed below.

Sheep by state, ranked

Ranked by NASS's 2026 estimate. The 2022 Census columns cover every state.

Sheep by state: NASS annual estimates, 2026 and 2022 Census of Agriculture, top 15
State	2026, sheep	Share	vs 2025	2022 Census, head on farms	Farms, 2022
1Texas	700,000	14%	+4%	612,917	12,344
2California	505,000	10%	-<1%	532,849	3,096
3Colorado	410,000	8%	+1%	362,574	1,480
4Wyoming	280,000	6%	-5%	306,174	637
5Utah	275,000	6%	-2%	286,437	1,717
6*Idaho	220,000	4%	-6%	230,681	1,208
7*South Dakota	210,000	4%	+2%	231,246	1,233
8*Montana	180,000	4%	-2%	197,784	1,118
9*Iowa	161,000	3%	+1%	156,013	2,482
10*Oregon	146,000	3%	-1%	152,512	2,709
11*Ohio	138,000	3%	-5%	145,381	4,133
12*Minnesota	109,000	2%	-3%	109,592	2,137
13*Missouri	103,000	2%	-<1%	120,895	2,837
14*Pennsylvania	97,000	2%	-1%	102,055	3,067
15*Michigan	85,000	2%	+1%	84,596	2,362

Units: sheep. “–” means the state isn't in NASS's annual survey for this item; see the 2022 Census column on wider screens, or the state's page. * Rank among states with published figures; a withheld state could rank higher.

Show all 50 states

Sheep by state: NASS annual estimates, 2026 and 2022 Census of Agriculture, ranked 16 to 50
State	2026, sheep	Share	vs 2025	2022 Census, head on farms	Farms, 2022
16*Arizona	83,000	2%	-9%	147,195	7,047
16*New York	83,000	2%	+1%	72,574	1,627
18*Kansas	81,000	2%	+3%	94,511	1,281
19*Virginia	77,000	2%	-3%	82,208	2,311
20*Indiana	76,000	2%	+3%	79,185	2,456
21*Wisconsin	75,000	2%	-6%	71,801	2,506
22*Kentucky	74,000	1%	+1%	72,199	2,744
22*Nebraska	74,000	1%	no change	58,026	953
24*New Mexico	71,000	1%	-4%	92,005	2,949
24*Oklahoma	71,000	1%	-1%	76,524	1,976
26*Nevada	65,000	1%	-4%	71,699	281
27*North Dakota	58,000	1%	-3%	59,910	482
28*Illinois	55,000	1%	-5%	50,943	1,612
29*Washington	46,000	under 1%	-2%	44,421	1,722
30*Tennessee	45,000	under 1%	-6%	54,827	2,083
31*West Virginia	37,000	under 1%	+3%	32,754	1,041
32*North Carolina	32,000	under 1%	no change	36,578	1,536
–Alabama	–			33,317	1,008
–Arkansas	–			32,485	1,140
–Georgia	–			26,839	999
–Florida	–			24,329	1,358
–Hawaii	–			21,510	457
–Maryland	–			18,912	813
–Mississippi	–			18,884	676
–Vermont	–			17,888	676
–Louisiana	–			14,200	794
–New Jersey	–			14,085	841
–South Carolina	–			12,559	694
–Massachusetts	–			12,280	631
–Maine	–			11,510	530
–New Hampshire	–			8,754	506
–Connecticut	–			4,083	332
–Delaware	–			1,288	74
–Rhode Island	–			1,196	99
–Alaska	–			1,143	58

Which state has been No. 1 for sheep each year?

The top state in NASS's annual estimates, most recent year first. A year is skipped if a state whose figure is withheld could have been larger.

Top state for sheep by year
Year	Top state	Share	Amount
2026	Texas	14%	700,000 sheep
2025	Texas	13%	670,000 sheep
2024	Texas	13%	640,000 sheep
2023	Texas	13%	680,000 sheep
2022	Texas	14%	700,000 sheep
2021	Texas	14%	730,000 sheep
2020	Texas	14%	735,000 sheep
2019	Texas	14%	750,000 sheep
2018	Texas	14%	750,000 sheep
2017	Texas	13%	710,000 sheep
2016	Texas	14%	725,000 sheep
2015	Texas	14%	720,000 sheep
2014	Texas	14%	730,000 sheep
2013	Texas	13%	680,000 sheep
2012	Texas	12%	670,000 sheep

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About this data

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Annual estimates (final 2026 figures) and the 2022 Census of Agriculture. Withheld figures are suppressed by NASS to protect individual farms. Data processed 2026-11-06. Methodology.