Where Do Gophers Actually Live in the US?
Gophers live in 25 US states and are confirmed absent from 12 more, based on 126,503 verified iNaturalist and GBIF records. This page covers every state at once instead of one near-identical page per state.
By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself.
The states with the strongest confirmed populations are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado and Florida, and 19 more. These are real, verified iNaturalist and GBIF occurrence records, not modeled range estimates.
Gophers have zero confirmed wild sightings in Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island, or 2 other states, despite tens of thousands of nationwide observation records for the species. That is a real, checked absence, not a missing page.
Confirmed states (25)
- gophers in Alabama
- gophers in Arizona
- gophers in Arkansas
- gophers in California
- gophers in Colorado
- gophers in Florida
- gophers in Georgia
- gophers in Idaho
- gophers in Illinois
- gophers in Indiana
- gophers in Iowa
- gophers in Kansas
- gophers in Louisiana
- gophers in Minnesota
- gophers in Nevada
- gophers in New Mexico
- gophers in North Dakota
- gophers in Oklahoma
- gophers in Oregon
- gophers in South Dakota
- gophers in Texas
- gophers in Utah
- gophers in Washington
- gophers in Wisconsin
- gophers in Wyoming
Not found (12)
- Connecticut
- Hawaii
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Vermont
Frequently asked questions
What states do gophers live in?+
Gophers have confirmed wild populations in 25 US states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Where are gophers not found in the US?+
Gophers have no confirmed wild sightings in Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Vermont.
Full gophers guides by state