Top 10 Cowboy States in America

You've seen the boots, the hats, the rodeos, and the long stretches of open land dotted with cattle. But what exactly makes a Cowboy State? It's more than just a few folks dressing the part for a themed party or a country music festival. These states are built on a way of life that's still very much alive.

In these places, being a rancher isn't a throwback, it's a Tuesday. This list celebrates the places where real cowboys still ride, where wrangling livestock is a profession, not a costume, and where the sound of spurs on wooden floors is just part of the background noise.

The Top Ten

Texas

My home state! The birth of the modern American cowboy (sorry, other states!), and the start of most major historical cattle drives (not to mention one of, if not the, largest stockyards at Fort Worth, Texas). Although urbanization has been killing cowboy culture in the major cities, it's still alive and well in rural Texas.
Rural Texas still feels as Western as ever, and we rural Texans respect the Western way of life. You'd also have a hard time distinguishing a Texan cowboy from a Wyomingite cowboy at first glance (except maybe with accents and speech patterns).

Very nice state. It was the home of cattle ranching and is second to none. It probably has the most cowboys, except maybe for Oklahoma or Arizona.
Wyoming

I was born in Jackson and have lived in several towns in Wyoming. A town I lived in for a while, called Lander, still had cattle drives through a town of 15 thousand or so people. By far, the most real western state, people even ride horses through town on a daily basis.
When you think of spaghetti westerns, you think of Texas, Arizona, Utah, and Oklahoma, but when you think of a true western state, Wyoming takes the cake.

I agree with Wyoming being at the top of the list. I lived in Utah the majority of my life riding horses. I never owned a ranch myself.
I always thought moving to Wyoming, I would never see a single cowboy, thinking they would all be hiding in caves. After I moved up here, I see nothing but cowboys. They are all really nice folks, and I fit in with them pretty well for the most part.
Oklahoma

Oklahoma is home to the National Cowboy Museum. It has wide-open plains and mountains. It is the home of Sequoyah, who created the Cherokee alphabet, and the Five Civilized Tribes. It also played a major role in the land rush to settle the West and hosts hundreds of rodeos.

I live here, and it is a cowboy capital. It is the home of the Indigenous tribes, and cattle drives were a major part of Oklahoma's history.
It is a very diverse state and has every biome except tundra and ice cap. The main ones are plains, desert, and mountains.
New Mexico

New Mexico was an American symbol of where cowboys truly started, which was Mexico with the Vaqueros. It stands to reason that because of this historical reminder, it should make the top ten list.

Only real cowboys come from New Mexico.
Montana

Being from Montana, I know that you aren't going to find any truer cowboys and cowgirls than those you find in Montana. We're tough, hard-working, and not afraid of getting hurt or a little dirty. It's "all in a day's work."
The spirit of the old west is still very much alive and well here. We don't shrink from a challenge. Rather, we face it head-on. We believe in working hard for what you have.
At least half of the state's population is involved in farming or ranching in one way or another. Cattle and horses are around every corner. Montana is the most "cowboy" state of all 50! Proud Montanan here!

Montana cowboys work from horseback, not from an ATV. The only way to move cattle from summer mountain meadows to winter valley ranch grass is by horse. Cowboys are laborers, and Montana cowboys labor hard.
California

Anywhere in Northern CA east of the immediate Bay Area, you'll regularly see many men and women wearing western attire, especially boots. The same is true for the entire San Joaquin Valley down to Bakersfield. Additionally, you have to include the desert counties, the Sierra-Nevada foothills, and the mountains themselves.
Remember, CA is the fourth most beef-producing state in the US and ranks eighth in terms of the number of farms. Outside of the big cities, you'll see more cowboys/farmers than any other state due to the population. People from out of state rarely see this because tourists stick to the LA, SD, and Bay Areas.

Bakersfield, Visalia, Fresno, Madera, Stockton, Merced, Clovis, Hanford, Lodi, Porterville, Tulare - cowboy country California.
Rodeo and horse culture are huge, as well as many ranches and feedlots. Yes, people don't think of cowboys when they think of California, but believe me, cowboy culture is very much alive in the Central Valley. I learned to be a cowgirl in the Sierra Nevadas of California.
When you watch westerns, most of those locations were actually filmed in California.
Arizona

Arizona has a lot more desert and slightly fewer cowboys than some others, but there are a few who settled there long ago and stayed put in their small towns.

We have a horse trail by my house, and it's normal to wear cowboy gear. That horse trail is in Phoenix. You'll find more cowboy culture down south in Tucson and Tombstone.

This should be number one. Every well-known story about cowboys happened there.
South Dakota

South Dakota is a border state between the Midwest and the West. The western half of SD has absolutely massive ranches raising cattle and bison, as well as some more unusual animals. There is no doubt that SD has a strong Western culture with many cowboys.
Western SD also has some of the most stunning and beautiful Western landscapes with multiple areas of badlands, and the beautiful Black Hills.

Cowboy memorabilia is everywhere in this state.
Colorado

Colorado, native born and raised. It is the true definition of a ranch state with high-quality horses, real cattle drives, and a real Wild West feeling. It is definitely a cowboy state with the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

Cowboys here are very common, from the Eastern plains to the western slope. Western life is the norm. Even in the Front Range, cowboys are common, just a little more spread out.

Wisconsin dairy cows do not compare to a Colorado cattle drive. Cowboy and ranching culture is quite different than farming.
Kansas

Born and raised on a farm, fourth generation country boy. My grandpa used to ride his horse to high school. You can't drive anywhere and not see a real country boy or cowboy alike.

In my definition of a cowboy, Kansas deserves a place. These folks work hard farming crops and have the blood, sweat, and sunburns to prove it.

I live in Kansas and you can't turn around without seeing a cowboy hat or a rodeo arena.

The Newcomers

?
Connecticut
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North Dakota

Doesn't deserve last place, at least not after Hawaii.

The Contenders

Utah

Every city has a rodeo and rodeo grounds.
Idaho

Growing up in Southern Idaho feels the same as its neighbors Montana and Wyoming. Drive down the I-84 and you see plenty of cowboys and ranching land. Many of my friends were involved in rodeo and ranching.
Oregon

Eastern Oregon is where you want to go if you want to find cowboys. You'll especially find them in Pendleton, as they have a large rodeo there.
They're also home to Hill Meat Company, showcasing their fine pork products direct from local farmers.
Nevada

Wide open land where ranchers graze their cattle all over the state. I live on a dozen acres that has a boundary with BLM land, and cattle herds graze there every year. A major rodeo has been held in Reno for the last 100 years.
Visiting city slickers only see Vegas, Reno, and Tahoe casinos. The rest of the state is open range mostly held by the BLM, which leases it to ranchers and mining operations.

I personally think that Nevada should be listed as number two for being a cowboy state.

The Great Basin buckaroos are some of the finest cowpunchers in the west.
Kentucky

I grew up in Cox's Creek, KY. There are farmers, ranchers, and a lot of cowboys down here. And an equal amount of briar hoppers (rednecks), you might say we are a similar breed.
Plenty of old country singers see Kentucky as a home state, even if they aren't from here. A place full of southern hospitality, and a horse on about every hillside. In KY, there were many settlers, from the 1700s cowboys filled this land, and they continue to thrive in it today.

Kentucky has a ton of cattle farms. We ride horses and don't care what people from up north think. What else can I say? We don't wear hats like people in the southwest and "pure west," but we wear them.
Tennessee

Tennessee has always been known for its beautiful mountains and temperatures. It is an amazing experience to be in Tennessee because whether you are in the fields or on a mountain, you feel that southern culture.
I totally think Tennessee deserves to be higher on this list.

I live in Eastern Tennessee and all I see is people dressed like they just came from a rodeo. They also have accents. We are very polite.

Tennessee embraces cowboy culture with a modern twist. Proud to be from here, most of the time.
Alabama

Alabama is the most country state here besides maybe Texas or Montana.
West Virginia

West Virginia is the last frontier of the east. While rural West Virginians differ from the traditional image that comes to mind when we think of cowboys, their lives are centered around managing animal and land resources.

Awesome state! Living here is awesome. Even though the weather isn't nice sometimes, it's awesome. I love this state!
Arkansas

Fort Smith is one of the most historically Western towns. From protecting settlers in Indian Territory and the Hanging Judge to the movie True Grit.

I grew up here, and you'd be surprised how many cowboys and cowgirls there are. All you have to do is know where to look.

We have so much land and a lot of room for cowboys and ranchers to occupy.
Wisconsin

In rural areas, guys in WI definitely wear cowboy boots. Even in more urban areas, guys wear boots, but it's just not as common. However, that's not to say they don't.
I like cowboy boots, so I wear them. My guess is many guys feel the same and thus wear them as well.

They may not be true cowboys, but farmers in Wisconsin carry their own kind of grit and blood with them. They're tough people. I would know. My entire family is composed of them, including myself.

I live in Wisconsin and occasionally wear a cowboy hat, but I almost always wear cowboy boots. I own more boots than any other footwear.
Georgia
Missouri

Missouri deserves mention as the "Mother of Western Outlaws," for example, Jesse and Frank James, and home of the Bushwhackers. It is the starting point for the Pony Express (St. Joseph), Oregon Trail, and Santa Fe Trail (both in Independence).

Missouri is definitely a cowboy state and its history is rich with western heritage.

I live in Missouri and I can't even count how many cowboys and cowgirls I see on a daily basis.
Maryland

In the mall on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, all the men over the age of 35 were wearing cowboy boots. There are cotton fields everywhere. Most people think of DC or Baltimore, but on the Eastern Shore, it's pretty southern and pretty cowboy.
Illinois
Vermont