Where Do Elk Actually Live in the US?
Elk live in 26 US states and are confirmed absent from 16 more, based on 35,724 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 Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho and Kansas, and 20 more. These are real, verified iNaturalist and GBIF occurrence records, not modeled range estimates.
Elk have zero confirmed wild sightings in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland and Massachusetts, or 6 other states, despite tens of thousands of nationwide observation records for the species. That is a real, checked absence, not a missing page.
A small number of states (7) have only a handful of unverified or vagrant records, too few to confirm elk as an established population there.
Confirmed states (26)
- elk in Arizona
- elk in Arkansas
- elk in California
- elk in Colorado
- elk in Idaho
- elk in Kansas
- elk in Kentucky
- elk in Michigan
- elk in Missouri
- elk in Montana
- elk in Nebraska
- elk in Nevada
- elk in New Mexico
- elk in North Carolina
- elk in North Dakota
- elk in Oklahoma
- elk in Oregon
- elk in Pennsylvania
- elk in South Dakota
- elk in Texas
- elk in Utah
- elk in Virginia
- elk in Washington
- elk in West Virginia
- elk in Wisconsin
- elk in Wyoming
Not found (16)
- Alabama
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Vermont
Unconfirmed (7)
Only a handful of unverified or vagrant records exist for elk in Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, too few to confirm an established population.
Frequently asked questions
What states do elk live in?+
Elk have confirmed wild populations in 26 US states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Where are elk not found in the US?+
Elk have no confirmed wild sightings in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Vermont.
Full elk guides by state