State rankings
Cattle Ranching by State
Montana has the highest Score (59.72), followed by Kansas (58.78) and North Dakota (57.35). Alaska has the lowest (36.13).
50 of 51 states
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Score
Darker green is better (higher is better). Click a place to highlight it.
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All 50 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
48.95
Middle half 45.26 – 53.15
Average
48.93
50 states
Highest
59.72
Montana
Lowest
36.13
Alaska
Data
Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.
50 states · # = rank by Score
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Montana | 59.72 | 1st |
| 2 |  Kansas | 58.78 | 2nd |
| 3 |  North Dakota | 57.35 | 3rd |
| 4 |  Texas | 57.32 | 4th |
| 5 |  Oklahoma | 57.04 | 5th |
| 6 |  South Dakota | 56.36 | 6th |
| 7 |  Iowa | 56.06 | 7th |
| 8 |  Kentucky | 55.07 | 8th |
| 9 |  Colorado | 54.48 | 9th |
| 10 |  Wyoming | 54.41 | 10th |
| 11 |  Nebraska | 54.34 | 11th |
| 12 |  Arkansas | 54.26 | 12th |
| 13 |  New Mexico | 53.17 | 13th |
| 14 |  Oregon | 53.08 | 14th |
| 15 |  Tennessee | 52.88 | 15th |
| 16 |  Idaho | 52.81 | 16th |
| 17 |  Alabama | 52.37 | 17th |
| 18 |  Missouri | 52.34 | 18th |
| 19 |  Georgia | 52.12 | 19th |
| 20 |  Minnesota | 51.93 | 20th |
| 21 |  Washington | 51.89 | 21st |
| 22 |  Louisiana | 50.84 | 22nd |
| 23 |  Mississippi | 50.39 | 23rd |
| 24 |  Wisconsin | 49.3 | 24th |
| 25 |  Delaware | 49.01 | 25th |
| 26 |  South Carolina | 48.89 | 26th |
| 27 |  Virginia | 47.86 | 27th |
| 28 |  Arizona | 47.83 | 28th |
| 29 |  Ohio | 47.69 | 29th |
| 30 |  West Virginia | 47.33 | 30th |
| 31 |  Utah | 47 | 31st |
| 32 |  North Carolina | 46.98 | 32nd |
| 33 |  Illinois | 46.97 | 33rd |
| 34 |  Florida | 46.56 | 34th |
| 35 |  California | 45.83 | 35th |
| 36 |  New York | 45.7 | 36th |
| 37 |  Maryland | 45.66 | 37th |
| 38 |  Indiana | 45.13 | 38th |
| 39 |  Vermont | 44.8 | 39th |
| 40 |  Hawaii | 44.38 | 40th |
| 41 |  Michigan | 43.68 | 41st |
| 42 |  Nevada | 42.43 | 42nd |
| 43 |  New Hampshire | 42.11 | 43rd |
| 44 |  Pennsylvania | 41.88 | 44th |
| 45 |  Massachusetts | 39.94 | 45th |
| 46 |  Maine | 39.59 | 46th |
| 47 |  New Jersey | 39.25 | 47th |
| 48 |  Connecticut | 38.08 | 48th |
| 49 |  Rhode Island | 37.57 | 49th |
| 50 |  Alaska | 36.13 | 50th |
What correlates with Score?
Pearson r against 2,104 other state metrics sharing at least 30 states, 2 near-identical series hidden. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.
Higher together
Places that have a higher Score tend to score higher on these (or rank better)
Opposite directions
Places that have a higher Score tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)
- Price Level (Other Services)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)Plotr = −0.73 · very strong · n = 50
- Price Level (Utilities)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)Plotr = −0.70 · very strong · n = 50
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Quick answers
- Which state has the highest Score?
- Montana has the highest Score, at 59.72, followed by Kansas (58.78) and North Dakota (57.35).
- Which state has the lowest Score?
- Alaska has the lowest Score, at 36.13.
- What is the median Score across US states?
- The median is 48.95 across the 50 US states with data.
- Where does this cattle ranching by state data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: 2021’s Best States to Start a Farm or Ranch - LawnStarter; Cattle Statistics - USDA.