The species is found in the Western Central Atlantic region, from the US Atlantic coast, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, to Brazil. The stock structure is not clearly understood. Some studies mentioned that differences were not detected between the Florida Keys and western Caribbean (including Belize, Yucatan Peninsula, and Campeche Bank) (SEDAR 2012) while other genetic analyses revealed the occurrence of up to four groupings (stocks) of yellowtail snapper: one in the Florida Keys, one along the west coast of Puerto Rico, one that includes the east coast of Puerto Rico and St. Thomas and one offshore of St. Croix (Saillant et al. 2012).

However, it is unknown if differences exist between the Gulf of Mexico and the West Caribbean. This profile refers to the Southern Gulf of Mexico assessment unit.