Populations have been reported in eastern Kansas, southeastern Nebraska, western Oklahoma and south to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

[6] The population in southern Ontario has been thought to have been introduced in the 1970s; however, recent studies suggest that it is native to Canada due to natural migration after deglaciation.

[7] Notropis buchanani are benthopelagic freshwater fish[8] that generally inhabit areas with slow currents in lower magnitude streams of orders one to four.

In Tennessee, N. buchanani were reported to be in a reproductive state in late May,[11] while in Kansas breeding individuals were found in mid-August.

[12] During the breeding season, males develop nuptial tubercles, particularly on the snout, internasal region, orbit, and underside of the lower jaw.

Notropis buchanani was previously listed as a protected species in Ohio due to habitat loss according to the American Fisheries Society.

A 1947 collection of the species was taken from lower Norris Reservoir that suggests the range of N. buchanani extended farther up the Tennessee River.

[11] The population survived for roughly 10 years after the completion of the reservoir, but it is now considered extirpated, as TVA biologists failed to capture any recent specimens after frequent sampling.