Steller’s Jay has the most extensive range of any North American jay, from Alaska along the coast to central California, and through the Rocky Mountains and high mountain areas of Central America to Nicaragua.

The Steller’s Jay is a common and conspicuous denizen of the West. Its range largely coincides with the coniferous forests of the West, as well as the Douglas Fir forests of Wyoming and Montana. This jay, which is especially common in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado, is absent from desert areas and the Great Basin. On the West Coast of America, Steller’s Jays may range from sea level to tree line, but within the continent they generally range in altitude from 3,000 feet to 10,000 feet. Over much of its range, the Steller’s Jay is found at lower altitudes than the Clark's Nutcracker and at higher altitudes than the Western Scrub-Jay, although there is much overlap. This jay is usually nonmigratory.