Deer Population by State: How Many Deer Are in the U.S.?

How many deer live in the United States? They seem to be everywhere, but how populous are they? Let’s find out.

Classic Forest Creature

Deer are popular among hunters and wildlife watchers. They are classic forest creatures who feature in wilderness stories and artwork. Deer live in almost every country of the world.

Where do deer live?

Deer prefer forested areas where they can find vegetation to eat. However, they have adapted well to many environments. They live in every state of the country, and their numbers are stable.

What do deer eat?

They are mostly herbivores who eat browse, which is a collective term for all types of roots, twigs, bark, grass, leaves, and other vegetation. As any gardener knows, deer also eat fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Deer enjoy eating mushrooms, nuts, berries, pumpkins, spinach, and apples. When resources are scarce, they will eat insects and small animals.

What Is Their Population in the United States?

There are an estimated 35 to 36 million deer in the U.S.

Once hunted almost to extinction, they have made a successful recovery. In some states, deer are so plentiful that regular hunting is needed to keep a balanced ecosystem. Deer are a favorite big game animal. Most states have yearly hunting seasons that help keep deer populations in check.

Deer are plentiful, and people who enjoy watching wildlife will find many opportunities to see them roaming free in forests and parks all over the country.

For these numbers, we have included all deer species. That includes white-tail deer, mule deer, black-tail deer, and a handful of rare deer species.

Alabama: 1.75 million

Alabama’s deer are all white-tails.

Alaska: 340,000

All of Alaska’s deer are black-tail deer.

Arkansas: 1.1 Million

White-tail deer are the official animal of Arkansas

Arizona: 160,000

Arizona has white-tails and mule deer.

California: 460,000

These are black-tail and mule deer.

Colorado: 427,500

These numbers are for mule deer and white-tail deer

Connecticut: 101,000

The state has white-tail deer only.

Delaware: 45,000

Delaware only has white-tail deer.

Florida: 550,000 to 700,000

Florida has a healthy deer population that includes a large number of white-tails and fewer than 1,000 rare Key deer.

Georgia: 1.27 million

Georgia only has white-tail deer.

Hawaii: 112,000

Hawaii has about 1,000 black-tail deer and 110,000 Axis deer. Both species were introduced to Hawaii, but they have not damaged Hawaii’s native ecosystems.

Idaho: 750,000

Idaho has about 520,000 white-tails, and the rest are mule deer.

Illinois: 660,000

Illinois only has white tails.

Indiana: 680,000

Indiana only has white-tail deer.

Iowa: 445,000

Iowa’s deer are all white-tails.

Kansas: 700,000

Kansas has about 50,000 mule deer, and the rest are white-tails.

Kentucky: 1 million

All of these are white-tail deer.

Louisiana: 500,000

Louisiana only has white-tail deer.

Maine: 290,000 to 300,000

Maine only has white-tail deer.

Maryland: 217,000

Maryland’s deer population includes 207,000 white-tail deer and about 10,000 Sika deer. Sika deer are native to Japan, but a small herd of them was introduced to the wild from a private farm. They have adapted well and currently coexist peacefully with the state’s native ecosystems.

Massachusetts: 95,000

They are all white-tail deer.

Michigan: 2 million

Michigan’s many deer are all white-tails.

Minnesota: 1 million

Minnesota only has white-tail deer.

Mississippi: 1.75 million

Mississippi’s many deer are white-tails.

Missouri: 1.4 million

Only white-tail deer live here.

Montana: 507,000

Montana has about 300,000 mule deer and about 213,000 white-tail deer. The two species live in different parts of the state.

Nebraska: 430,000

Nebraska’s deer population includes 300,000 white-tail deer and 130,000 mule deer.

Nevada: 85,000 to 90,000

Nevada only has mule deer.

New Hampshire: 100,000

They are all white-tail deer.

New Jersey: 125,000

New Jersey’s deer are all white-tails.

New Mexico: 90,000 to 115,000

New Mexico is home to mule deer, Coue deer, and Texas white-tails.

New York: 1.2 million

They are all white-tail deer.

North Carolina: 1 million

There are only white-tail deer in North Carolina.

North Dakota: 150,000

The state is home to 20,000 mule deer and 130,000 white-tail deer.

Ohio: 700,000 to 750,000

Ohio only has white-tail deer.

Oklahoma: 750,000

Oklahoma has about 2,00 to 3,000 mule deer, and the rest are white-tail deer. As in other states, deer tend to live in different regions.

Oregon: 400,000 to 420,000

Oregon has two species of white-tail deer. It also has about 320,000 black-tail deer, and the rest are mule deer.

Pennsylvania: 1.5 million

All of Pennsylvania’s deer are white-tails.

Rhode Island: 18,000

Rhode Island only has white-tail deer.

South Carolina: 730,000

South Carolina’s deer are all white-tails.

South Dakota: 500,000

South Dakota has more than 80,000 mule deer and 420,000 white-tail deer.

Tennessee: 900,000

Tennessee’s deer are all white-tails.

Texas: 5.5 million

Texas is home to around 225,000 mule deer and millions of white-tail deer.

Utah: 315,000

Only about 1,000 of these deer are white-tail deer. The rest are mule deer.

Vermont: 133,000

They’re all white-tails deer.

Virginia: 1 million

Virginia has a healthy population of white-tail deer.

Washington: 305,000

Washington has the most variety of deer. It has around 100,000 white-tail deer, 100,000 mule deer, 100,000 black-tail deer, and more than 5,000 Columbian white-tail deer. The Columbian white-tail is a rare species named after the Columbia River. These deer live on a series of islands along the river.

West Virginia: 550,000

They are all white-tail deer.

Wisconsin: 1.6 million

Wisconsin only has white-tail deer.

Wyoming: 400,000

Wyoming is home to 70,000 white-tail deer and about 330,000 mule deer. Hunting for mule deer is more popular in Wyoming than hunting for white-tail deer.

Bonus: Why Do Deer Sleep in My Yard?

As animals are forced out of their habitats by human development, you may have noticed that deer sightings are becoming more frequent. If you live in an area with some wooded areas in between houses you may be surprised to learn that deer don’t roam very far and can be content to live in 100 yards of area if it is safe from predators and has plenty of food and water. Often, a residential area fits the bill just perfectly.

Deer tend to sleep during the day – so you may be surprised to look out your window to find a deer (or several) resting under a thicket of shrubs in your own backyard. Creatures of habit like deer may decide to call your home theirs and remain for the rest of their life! If you have a garden they will help themselves to it – as well as any flowers and shrubs you may have planted. If there are multiple deer they could destroy all of it and become unwanted pests.

If you have plenty of space and choose to coexist with these lovely animals that is fine – but be aware that deer carry ticks that transmit Lyme Disease. This confusing disease remains with infected people for life and causes a range of symptoms that make it difficult to diagnose. Lyme Disease causes aching muscles, joint pains, constant fatigue, fever, and headaches. Because of exploding deer populations and more deer encroaching on urban spaces – as many as one million people per year are diagnosed.

There are ways to deter deer from taking residence in your yard – and if you have children or dogs it would be a good idea to keep them out. You can grow plants they don’t like or use commercial deer repellant. If your yard is wooded and you don’t use it much you could just relax and enjoy providing them a safe haven.