<p>Understanding the evolution and mechanisms of livestock industry agglomeration provides valuable policy insights for reconciling growing meat demand with constrained resource endowments. This study analyzes the spatial agglomeration of livestock industry at county level across China from 2000 to 2022 using the localization quotient and Moran’s I. An interpretable machine learning approach is employed to test hypotheses concerning the driving mechanisms underlying the spatial distribution of livestock industry. The results show that the agglomeration of China’s livestock industry is intensifying, with the agro-pastoral transitional zone (APTZ) emerging as a prominent agglomeration area and distinct agglomeration patterns observed within the zone as well as in its eastern and western regions. Proximity to markets has become an increasingly important determinant of livestock industry agglomeration in China. This market-driven shift has heightened the demand for agricultural feed, prompting the livestock industry to relax its dependence on local natural resource endowments and gradually relocate eastward. Regionally, the agglomeration within the APTZ is shaped by the joint effects of natural and social factors. Natural factors dominate agglomeration dynamics in the western regions of the zone, whereas social factors are more influential in its eastern regions.</p>