Best Time to See Raccoons in the US
April, May and June is the best time to see raccoons in the United States. This is a national picture built from 165,345 verified iNaturalist observations across 49 states, showing when and where raccoons are most active.
By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself.
165,345 verified observations of raccoons in the US, recorded across 12 months of the year on iNaturalist.
When raccoons are recorded in the US
Peak month
April
19,855 records (12% of the year)
| Month | Observations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 10,955 | 6.6% |
| February | 11,964 | 7.2% |
| March | 15,045 | 9.1% |
| Aprilpeak | 19,855 | 12% |
| Maypeak | 19,672 | 11.9% |
| Junepeak | 16,995 | 10.3% |
| July | 13,212 | 8% |
| August | 11,313 | 6.8% |
| September | 13,148 | 8% |
| October | 13,027 | 7.9% |
| November | 10,779 | 6.5% |
| December | 9,380 | 5.7% |
Raccoons you are most likely to see
| Species | Verified observations |
|---|---|
| Common Raccoon | 140,765 |
Across the country, raccoons sightings peak in April, when 19,855 of the 165,345 annual observations are logged, about 12% of the national total. Nationwide activity stays high through April, May and June.
The best states to see raccoons by recorded sightings are Texas (26,239), Canada (24,580), California (20,216), Florida (11,690) and New York (5,689). Each state page below breaks the year down month by month for that state.
The raccoons you are most likely to encounter nationwide are Common Raccoon, the most-recorded species across all states combined.
Best states to see raccoons
- raccoons in Texas26,239 sightings, peak April
- raccoons in Canada24,580 sightings, peak May
- raccoons in California20,216 sightings, peak October
- raccoons in Florida11,690 sightings, peak March
- raccoons in New York5,689 sightings, peak May
- raccoons in Ohio5,101 sightings, peak May
- raccoons in North Carolina4,687 sightings, peak April
- raccoons in Virginia4,599 sightings, peak April
- raccoons in Illinois4,078 sightings, peak April
- raccoons in Pennsylvania4,032 sightings, peak June
- raccoons in Maryland4,008 sightings, peak April
- raccoons in Washington3,811 sightings, peak June
- raccoons in Massachusetts3,808 sightings, peak April
- raccoons in Michigan2,959 sightings, peak May
- raccoons in Oregon2,697 sightings, peak June
Most-recorded raccoons species nationwide
- Common Raccoon140,765 records
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to see raccoons in the US?+
April is the single best month nationwide, with the broader peak running through April, May and June, based on 165,345 verified observations across 49 states.
Which states are best for seeing raccoons?+
By recorded sightings, the top states are Texas, Canada and California. Texas leads with 26,239 verified observations.
How many raccoons sightings are recorded in the US each year?+
About 165,345 verified raccoons observations are logged on iNaturalist across 49 states with enough data to chart a seasonal pattern.
What kinds of raccoons live in the US?+
The most-recorded species nationwide are Common Raccoon, based on all-time iNaturalist counts.
Full raccoons guides by state