The five U.S. states with the largest grizzly bear populations

Grizzly bears are one of North America’s defining wildlife stories, a conservation comeback still unfolding across a handful of U.S. states. Around 60,000 grizzlies live in the wild on the continent, but only five states still support established populations. This article looks at those five states, how many bears they hold, and why their habitats have become the last strongholds for the species.

From Alaska’s vast wilderness to the smaller, more fragmented ranges in the Lower 48, grizzly numbers and protections vary sharply. Knowing where these bears live, and in what numbers, helps explain ongoing debates over endangered species policy, hunting, and how people share space with one of the continent’s top predators.

How many grizzlies are left in North America?

Across North America, scientists estimate there are Around 60,000 wild grizzly bears, a figure that reflects both the species’ resilience and the scale of its historic decline. Roughly 30,000 of those animals live in Alaska alone, with up to 29,000 more spread across western Canada and the northern Rocky Mountains of the contiguous United States. A separate assessment puts the North American total at about 55,000 g grizzlies, again with 30,000 in Alaska, underscoring how population estimates can vary depending on methods and timing.

South of the Canadian border, grizzlies are far more restricted. Conservation groups describe how Alaska and western Canada remain the main refuges, while in the Lower 48 the bears now persist only in portions of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington. Another overview of their range in the United States notes that, in the contiguous states, grizzlies primarily inhabit Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington, where large blocks of mountainous habitat still support them. Against that backdrop, the five U.S. states with the largest grizzly bear populations are Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington, with Alaska dwarfing all the rest.

Alaska: the undisputed stronghold

Alaska is often, and accurately, described as bear country. Population estimates consistently state that Alaska alone holds 30,000 grizzly bears, more than half of all grizzlies in North America. One breakdown of North American numbers likewise notes that 30,000 grizzlies live in Alaska, with the rest scattered across Canada and the Lower 48. Another analysis of where grizzlies thrive in the United States repeats that Alaska has a population of 30,000, reinforcing how central the state is to the species’ future.

Geography is a major reason. Alaska’s vast size and relatively low human density give grizzlies room to roam across mountain ranges, coastal ecosystems, and interior forests. It is also the only state where all three North American bear species live side by side, a point highlighted in a profile that notes that Alaska is the in the country where all three species of North bears occur. The state’s prominence is clear even in basic reference material: search results for Alaska emphasize its immense area and wild character, while additional overviews of Alaska’s geography, Alaska’s wildlife, and Alaska’s parks all reinforce how much intact habitat remains. For grizzlies, that combination of space and prey means Alaska will likely remain their primary refuge for decades.

Montana: the Lower 48’s grizzly heavyweight

Among the contiguous states, Montana stands out as the core of grizzly recovery. Regional wildlife experts describe how For Montana outdoor enthusiasts, fall brings grizzlies into hyperphagia and onto the move through forests, a reminder that the state has the largest population of grizzly bears in the Lower 48. That prominence reflects decades of habitat protection in and around Glacier National Park and the Northern Continental Divide, where bears have slowly expanded into surrounding valleys and plains.

Population tables that track Grizzly Bear Population by State consistently place Montana second only to Alaska, and they show that only five states now host established grizzly populations. Conservation groups that focus on the species stress that south of Canada, grizzlies are found only in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Washington, with Montana carrying a particularly large share. Basic reference entries on Montana highlight its extensive mountain ranges and public lands, while other summaries of Montana’s national parks and Montana’s terrain show why the state still offers the broad, connected habitat grizzlies need.

Wyoming: Yellowstone’s grizzly stronghold

Wyoming’s grizzly story is inseparable from Yellowstone. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which spills across Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, has become one of the best known bear recovery zones in the world. Population tables that rank states by State grizzly numbers consistently list Wyoming among the top five, reflecting the concentration of bears in and around Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

The state’s geography helps explain why. High plateaus, rugged mountains, and large swaths of public land give grizzlies den sites, seasonal food, and relative isolation from dense human settlement. Reference material on Wyoming highlights those open spaces, while more detailed summaries of Wyoming’s national parks and Wyoming’s mountains show how much of that landscape remains relatively undeveloped. Those conditions have allowed the Yellowstone grizzly population to rebound from a low point in the 1970s to several hundred animals today, making Wyoming a cornerstone of the species’ recovery in the Lower 48.

Idaho: a key link in the Northern Rockies

Idaho does not have grizzly numbers on the scale of Alaska or Montana, but it plays an outsized role in connecting bear populations across the Northern Rockies. The state contains portions of both the Greater Yellowstone and Selkirk recovery zones, as well as the Bitterroot ecosystem, which has long been discussed as a potential site for further restoration. Population tables that list Additional Grizzly numbers by state show Idaho among the five that still support the species, even if its share is smaller than its neighbors.

Geographically, Idaho is a natural corridor. Its panhandle and central mountains link Montana’s strongholds to Washington’s more fragile populations, while the state’s large tracts of national forest provide cover and seasonal food for wandering bears. Basic reference entries on Idaho emphasize its rugged topography, and additional descriptions of Idaho’s forests and Idaho’s mountains reinforce how much suitable habitat remains. That landscape makes Idaho a bridge state, one that may be essential if grizzlies are ever to reconnect across a broader swath of the West.

Washington: small, isolated, but still on the map

Washington has one of the smallest and most fragmented grizzly populations among the five states, yet it still counts as part of the species’ range. Conservation groups describe how, south of Canada, grizzlies are now found only in parts of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Washington states, with the latter supporting only very small and isolated groups. Agency and advocacy reports emphasize that confirmed sightings in Washington are rare, largely confined to the Selkirk Mountains near the Canadian border, and that there have been no verified grizzlies in the North Cascades for decades. Unverified based on available sources are any higher statewide totals sometimes cited in secondary compilations.

Even so, Washington’s geography keeps it in long term recovery plans. The state’s northern mountains and large wilderness areas, especially in the North Cascades, still offer suitable habitat if reintroduction or natural recolonization proceeds. Reference entries on Washington highlight its mix of coastal and alpine landscapes, while additional summaries of Washington’s mountains show why biologists still see potential there. In other words, Washington is not a numerical heavyweight in grizzly terms, but it remains a strategic piece of the species’ future range.

How the five states compare on paper

When the available data are lined up, one pattern is unmistakable: Alaska sits in its own category, and the four Lower 48 states divide a much smaller share of the continent’s grizzlies. A ranking of Grizzly Bear Population by State for 2026 lists Alaska at the top, followed by Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington, and notes that only five states still have established grizzly populations at all. A related breakdown that focuses on how many states host the species adds that grizzlies now live in only 5 states, reinforcing how geographically limited they have become compared with their historic range.

Other syntheses of bear numbers reach similar conclusions, even when the absolute figures differ. One overview of where grizzlies thrive in the United States reports that There are an 55,000 grizzly bears in North America, but they live only in five U.S. states, with Alaska again credited with 30,000. Another profile of bear populations by state lists Alaska at 30,000 and emphasizes that Alaska is rightly known as bear country. Taken together, those sources show that while exact numbers can shift, the hierarchy among states is consistent: Alaska first by a wide margin, then Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and finally Washington.

Why these states kept their grizzlies when others lost them

The fact that only five states still have grizzlies is not an accident of geography alone. These states share a combination of rugged terrain, large public land holdings, and relatively low human density that allowed remnant populations to hang on while bears were wiped out elsewhere. Conservation groups point out that Canada and Alaska remained strongholds because of their vast wilderness, while in the United States, only portions of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Washington still had enough intact habitat when protections arrived. In the contiguous United States, grizzlies now primarily inhabit In the northern Rockies and nearby ranges, where tens of thousands of square miles remain relatively undeveloped.

Policy choices then amplified those geographic advantages. Once grizzlies received federal protection, land managers in and around places like Glacier and Yellowstone began to prioritize secure habitat, conflict reduction, and connectivity between core areas. That is one reason Montana is now described as having the largest grizzly population in the Lower 48, and why Idaho and Wyoming still host viable, if smaller, populations. Washington, by contrast, saw its bears shrink to very small and isolated groups, which is why current discussions there revolve around whether to actively restore them rather than simply protect what remains. Unverified based on available sources are detailed historical counts for each state, but the broad pattern is clear: where habitat and political will aligned, grizzlies survived.

People, bears, and risk in the top grizzly states

Living in a state with many grizzlies brings both awe and risk. A review of fatal bear attacks notes that the Grizzly Bear is a large type of brown bear found across North America, and that Alaska is home to an estimated 30,000 grizzlies and experiences more fatal bear attacks than any other state. That reality shapes how Alaskans think about backcountry travel, cabin design, and even urban greenbelts. In the Lower 48, Montana’s status as the leading grizzly state means hikers and hunters routinely share trails with bears, especially in late summer and fall when, as one local expert explained, grizzlies enter hyperphagia and move widely through forests in search of food.

At the same time, the presence of grizzlies has become part of these states’ identity and economy. Wildlife tourism around Yellowstone and Glacier depends heavily on the chance to see bears in the wild, and many residents take pride in living alongside a species that once seemed destined for extinction in the Lower 48. The cultural weight of grizzlies shows up even in niche records, like the account of a New World-Record grizzly bear skull found by Gordon E. Scott near Lone Mountain, which measured 27 and 13/16 inches and became a benchmark for hunters. Those stories, for better and worse, illustrate how deeply the species is woven into life in the five states that still host it.

The future of grizzlies in the five leading states

Looking ahead, the fate of grizzlies in Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington will hinge on a familiar mix of habitat, politics, and public tolerance. Alaska’s sheer abundance of bears and wild country, documented in everything from basic Alaska facts to detailed wildlife profiles, suggests its populations will remain stable if development pressures are managed. In the Lower 48, Montana’s continued leadership, captured in both state-level summaries and local reporting that Montana has the grizzly population there, will depend on whether bears can keep expanding into new habitats without sparking unmanageable conflict.