This Iowa County Has The Most Cows In The State

Iowa might be known as the Hawkeye State, but it is also known all around the nation as a hub of agriculture and livestock. Initially, when I first moved to Iowa, I was shocked at the fact that there were more pigs than people here.

The recent United States Census reports that there are approximately 3.193 million people living in Iowa, and according to the USDA there are 23.4 million hogs.

After spending nearly three years exploring Iowa, I've learned that the sprawling farmland leaves a whole lot of room for animals to roam.

One of the other types of animals that I frequently see when driving around here are cows.

So, I got curious...

Just how many cows call Iowa home?

And which of Iowa's ninety-nine counties has the most cows?

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Cows In Iowa

While Texas has the most cows in the entire country, coming in at a whopping 4,475,000, Iowa still has one of the largest cow populations in the nation. The Hawkeye State is number ten on the list of states with the most cows, with approximately 925,000 of the creatures residing in Iowa, according to reports.

Iowa has the ninth highest number of replacement heifer beef cows in the nation.

Which County Has The Most Cows?

According to a report from the USDA, in 2023 the county in Iowa that has the most cows is Sioux County. The largest city in this county is Sioux Center.

This report claims that as of 2023 there are 385,000 cattle and calves in Sioux County. The report indicates that there was a slight decline from 2022 to 2023. Last year, there were 405,000 cows here.

In addition, the only county that comes remotely close to Sioux, is Lyon County with 175,000 cattle and calves.

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