Top States for Number of Meat Goats
Most of the meat goats in the United States are produced in states in the Mid-South (Texas), the Southeast (Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida and Alabama), the Midwest (Oklahoma, Missouri) and the West (California). More than 75 percent of meat goats are produced by the top 10 states in number of meat goats. According to the 2007 USDA-NASS sample data, Texas leads the nation with more 1 million meat goats and 44 percent of the meat goat population, followed by Tennessee (Table 7). California, with a 63-percent increase in meat goat population, claimed third place. Georgia, with a 52-percent increase in the goat numbers, claimed fourth place, surpassing Oklahoma. Missouri, with a 213-percent increase in meat goat numbers, ranked eighth, and Florida, with a 197-percent increase, made the top 10 list as ninth producer of meat goats in the United States.
Table 7. U.S. top 10 states for numbers of meat goats in 2007*
| Meat Goats | % of Total | % change from 2002 | |
| U.S. | 2,500,000 | 100 | 129 |
| Texas | 1,090,000 | 43.6 | 116 |
| Tennessee | 118,000 | 4.7 | 110 |
| California | 100,000 | 4.0 | 163 |
| Georgia | 100,000 | 4.0 | 152 |
| Oklahoma | 86,000 | 3.4 | 117 |
| North Carolina | 82,000 | 3.3 | 139 |
| Kentucky | 81,400 | 3.2 | 132 |
| Missouri | 80,000 | 3.2 | 213 |
| Florida | 71,000 | 2.8 | 197 |
| Alabama | 59,000 | 2.4 | 124 |
- Reflects the 2007 USDA-NASS sample data.