Red snapper are most common in the northern Gulf of Mexico, followed by the western Gulf and least common in southern Florida. Small and medium red snapper have a strong attraction to any sort of bottom relief or obstruction - reefs, rocks, ledges, wrecks, offshore oil and gas platforms, and even such small things on the bottom as pipeline valves and 55-gallon drums. As red snapper become larger, over 10 pounds, they seem to spend more time on relatively open bottom. Frequently, concentrations of large "sow" snapper over 20 pounds in weight, are located on
open, obstruction less, clay bottoms.

Red snappers are caught more frequently in shallower offshore waters in the cooler months than in the warmer months. Whether this is due to actual movement of the fish shoreward in the fall and winter, or due to changes in feeding behavior of fish that are present year round is open to debate. Red snappers are usually found in depths between 50 feet and 300 feet. Juvenile red snappers under 10 inches long live in shallower waters, over mud and sand bottoms.