Cattle
US inventory, production and prices received by farmers
94.2M head
inventory, Jul 1, 2026
94.2M head
inventory, Jul 1, 2026
The US had 94.2 million head of cattle on Jul 1, 2026, up 0.2% from a year earlier. Texas has the most, 14.0% of the US total. Farmers received $231.00 per hundredweight in Aug 2026.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · data 2000 to 2025
Inventory
94.2M head
+0.2% vs a year earlier · Jul 1, 2026
Production
45.3B lb
+0.0% vs 2024 · 2025
Value of production
$99.8B
+20.3% vs 2024 · 2025
Price received
$231.00/cwt
-2.1% vs a year earlier · Aug 2026
Over the years
United States, 2000 to 2025
Inventory
Head on US farms on Jan 1, Jul 1 of each year
Production
pounds (live weight), by year
Value of production
US dollars, by year
Prices received by farmers
Average price farmers received each month, dollars per hundredweight
Monthly price received
Jan 2000 to Aug 2026
Aug 2026
$231.00/cwt
-2.1% vs a year earlier
2025/26 marketing year
$219.00/cwt
+18.4% vs the year before
The average price of all sales by farmers, not a futures or cash market price.
By state
Inventory of cattle in each state, Jan 1, 2026, head
Inventory by state
Click a state for its Local Economy page
States with the most cattle
And the share of the US total
| State | Inventory (head) | Share of US | Change vs year before |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 12,100,000 | 14.0% | 0.0% |
| Nebraska | 6,150,000 | 7.1% | +1.6% |
| Kansas | 5,850,000 | 6.8% | -1.7% |
| California | 5,050,000 | 5.9% | 0.0% |
| Oklahoma | 4,650,000 | 5.4% | +1.1% |
| Missouri | 3,850,000 | 4.5% | -2.5% |
| South Dakota | 3,550,000 | 4.1% | +1.4% |
| Iowa | 3,450,000 | 4.0% | -1.4% |
| Wisconsin | 3,250,000 | 3.8% | 0.0% |
| Colorado | 2,550,000 | 3.0% | 0.0% |
| Idaho | 2,500,000 | 2.9% | +0.4% |
| Montana | 2,140,000 | 2.5% | -0.9% |
| Minnesota | 2,100,000 | 2.4% | +0.5% |
| Kentucky | 1,820,000 | 2.1% | -1.1% |
| North Dakota | 1,730,000 | 2.0% | +3.0% |
The 15 states with the most. Download the CSV for all 50.
Futures and positioning
Futures related to cattle on the Commodities page
Live cattle futures LE=F
Feeder cattle futures GF=F
Questions and answers
How many cattle are in the US?
94.2 million head of cattle were on US farms on Jul 1, 2026, up 0.2% from a year earlier.
Which state has the most cattle?
Texas, with 12.1 million head in Jan 1, 2026 (14.0% of the US), followed by Nebraska and Kansas.
What price do farmers get for cattle?
$231.00 per hundredweight on average in Aug 2026, down 2.1% from a year earlier. For the 2025/26 marketing year the average was $219.00 per hundredweight.
Official government statistics since 2000, updated weekly. Inventories are counted on fixed days (cattle on January 1 and July 1, hogs every quarter). Empty values were not published; they are not zero.