State rankings
Best Zoos by State
New York has the highest # of Animals (17,000), followed by Nebraska (17,000) and Missouri (16,000). West Virginia has the lowest (68).
Travel50 states · 2 metricsUpdated Apr 18, 2023Original page
37 sources
- Oregon Coast Aquarium
- Bronx Zoo
- Cape May County Park & Zoo
- Alaska Zoo
- ABQ BioPark Zoo
- Audubon Zoo
- Brandywine Zoo
- Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
- Detroit Zoo
- Franklin Park Zoo
- Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center
- Little Rock Zoo
- Louisville Zoo
- Philadelphia Zoo
- Roger Williams Park Zoo
- San Diego Zoo
- Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
- Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay
- Milwaukee County Zoo
- Oglebay's Good Zoo
- Sedgwick County Zoo
- Saint Louis Zoo
- Virginia Zoo
- Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo
- ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain
- Utah's Hogle Zoo
- Honolulu Zoo
- Houston Zoo
- Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park
- The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
- Memphis Zoo
- Reptile Gardens
- Riverbanks Zoo & Garden
- Wild Animal Safari (Georgia)
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
- Hattiesburg Zoo
- Woodland Park Zoo
# of AnimalsBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
47 of 51 statesAdjust
# of Animals
Darker green is better (higher is better). Click a place to highlight it.
Loading map…
All 47 ranked
Best first.
Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →
Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.
Median
1,100
Middle half 475 – 2,400
Average
2,613
47 states
Highest
17,000
New York
Lowest
68
West Virginia
Data
Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.
50 states · # = rank by # of Animals
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  New York | Bronx Zoo | 17,000 |
| 1 |  Nebraska | Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 17,000 |
| 3 |  Missouri | Saint Louis Zoological Park | 16,000 |
| 4 |  Oregon | Oregon Coast Aquarium | 15,000 |
| 5 |  Texas | Houston Zoological Gardens | 4,500 |
| 6 |  California | San Diego Zoo | 4,000 |
| 7 |  Tennessee | Memphis Zoological Garden & Aquarium | 3,500 |
| 8 |  Michigan | Detroit Zoological Society’s Detroit Zoo | 3,300 |
| 9 |  South Carolina | Riverbanks Zoological Park & Botanical Garden | 3,000 |
| 9 |  Kansas | Sedgwick County Zoo | 3,000 |
| 11 |  Iowa | Blank Park Zoo | 2,800 |
| 12 |  Florida | Zoo Miami | 2,500 |
| 13 |  Illinois | Brookfield Zoo | 2,300 |
| 14 |  Wisconsin | Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens | 2,100 |
| 15 |  Louisiana | Audubon Zoo | 2,000 |
| 15 |  Nevada | Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino | 2,000 |
| 17 |  Ohio | Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden | 1,896 |
| 18 |  Minnesota | Como Park Zoo and Conservatory | 1,700 |
| 18 |  Kentucky | Louisville Zoological Garden | 1,700 |
| 20 |  North Carolina | North Carolina Zoological Park | 1,600 |
| 21 |  Maryland | The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore | 1,500 |
| 22 |  Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Zoological Garden | 1,300 |
| 23 |  Oklahoma | Oklahoma City Zoological Park | 1,200 |
| 24 |  New Mexico | ABQ BioPark - Albuquerque Biological Park | 1,100 |
| 25 |  Massachusetts | Franklin Park Zoo | 1,000 |
| 25 |  Indiana | Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo | 1,000 |
| 27 |  Washington | Woodland Park Zoological Gardens | 900 |
| 27 |  Hawaii | Honolulu Zoo | 900 |
| 29 |  Utah | Utah’s Hogle Zoo | 800 |
| 29 |  Wyoming | Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Park | 800 |
| 31 |  Connecticut | Beardsley Zoo | 750 |
| 32 |  Arkansas | Little Rock Zoo | 725 |
| 33 |  Virginia | Virginia Zoological Park | 700 |
| 34 |  Georgia | Wild Animal Safari | 550 |
| 34 |  New Jersey | Cape May County Park & Zoo | 550 |
| 36 |  Arizona | Out of Africa Wildlife Park | 400 |
| 37 |  Alabama | Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo | 300 |
| 37 |  Idaho | Tautphaus Park Zoo | 300 |
| 39 |  South Dakota | Reptile Gardens | 225 |
| 40 |  North Dakota | Chahinkapa Zoo | 200 |
| 41 |  Montana | Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center | 150 |
| 41 |  Rhode Island | Roger Williams Park Zoo | 150 |
| 43 |  Mississippi | Hattiesburg Zoo at Kamper Park | 100 |
| 43 |  Alaska | Alaska Zoo | 100 |
| 45 |  Delaware | Brandywine Zoo | 90 |
| 46 |  Vermont | ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center | 70 |
| 47 |  West Virginia | Oglebay’s Good Children’s Zoo | 68 |
| — |  Colorado | Cheyenne Mountain Zoo | — |
| — |  New Hampshire | Squam Lakes Natural Science Center & Kirkwood Gardens | — |
| — |  Maine | York’s Wild Kingdom Zoo and Fun Park | — |
What correlates with # of Animals?
Pearson r against 2,103 other state metrics sharing at least 29 states. Correlation is not causation.
Higher together
Places that have a higher # of Animals tend to score higher on these
Opposite directions
Places that have a higher # of Animals tend to score lower on these
Quick answers
- Which state has the highest # of Animals?
- New York has the highest # of Animals, at 17,000, followed by Nebraska (17,000) and Missouri (16,000).
- Which state has the lowest # of Animals?
- West Virginia has the lowest # of Animals, at 68.
- What is the median # of Animals across US states?
- The median is 1,100 across the 47 US states with data.
- Where does this best zoos by state data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Oregon Coast Aquarium; Bronx Zoo; Cape May County Park & Zoo; Alaska Zoo.