![\"Susie](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/256c5f7b-9f6d-4208-b6b7-28ffe8c7e783_1738262377.file.png\")
<\/p>\n85,500 wild horses, burros roam in the US. Here’s how their population has grown<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Data Visualization Journalist<\/p>\n
There are about 85,500 wild horses and burros, or wild donkeys, across the U.S. \u2014 a population that has more than doubled since 2012. <\/p>\n
Related video above: Bureau of Land Management holds wild mustang adoption event in Cullman County, Alabama, in 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n The horses \u2014 which roam throughout 10 western states \u2014 have recently drawn attention after The New York Times<\/a> reported that some are ending up in slaughterhouses through third-party buyers after being sold by the federal government. <\/p>\n The Bureau of Land Management maintains that it does not send wild horses to slaughterhouses.<\/p>\n A growing population<\/p>\n The wild horse and burro population began to grow dramatically in 2012, but has leveled off since 2020, according to a Get the Facts Data Team<\/a> analysis of BLM data.<\/p>\n The animals have no natural predators, and BLM estimates that unmanaged wild horse herds can grow 15-20% per year. <\/p>\n When the herd size grows beyond what the land can support, the horses’ body condition can deteriorate, and starvation is a risk, according to a BLM spokesperson.<\/p>\n Where are the horses?<\/p>\n The majority of wild horses and burros are located in Nevada, which has more than 42,500 of the animals.<\/p>\n Arizona has the greatest burro population, at about 13,500, in addition to about 270 wild horses. <\/p>\n Behind Nevada, Wyoming has the second-highest horse population at 7,165. <\/p>\n Some wild horse populations are outside of BLM’s mandated responsibility.<\/p>\n Maryland’s Assateague Island, for example, is home to 83 wild horses<\/a>, per a March 2026 census by the National Park Service. Two of those horses were struck and killed by motorists on the island this summer. <\/p>\n How many wild horses are sold?<\/p>\n In the past year, federal sales of wild horses have tripled.<\/p>\n In fiscal year 2025, the federal government sold 2,387 horses. The year prior, it sold 793. <\/p>\n