Where Do Alligators Actually Live in the US?
Alligators live in 10 US states and are confirmed absent from 25 more, based on 82,904 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, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi, and 4 more. These are real, verified iNaturalist and GBIF occurrence records, not modeled range estimates.
Alligators have zero confirmed wild sightings in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Maine, or 15 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 (12) have only a handful of unverified or vagrant records, too few to confirm alligators as an established population there.
Confirmed states (10)
Not found (25)
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Washington
- Wyoming
Unconfirmed (12)
Only a handful of unverified or vagrant records exist for alligators in California, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, too few to confirm an established population.
Gear to see them
Frequently asked questions
What states do alligators live in?+
Alligators have confirmed wild populations in 10 US states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas.
Where are alligators not found in the US?+
Alligators have no confirmed wild sightings in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Full alligators guides by state