Sciurus carolinensis is native to eastern and midwestern U.S., and southern portions of eastern Canada. The species was first recorded in the Carolinas, but has been introduced to several regions of western U.S. It has also been introduced to Britain, where it has displaced the native red squirrel. The red squirrel has been almost entirely displaced in Ireland.

The Eastern Gray Squirrel, like many of its Sciuridae family members, is a scatter-hoarder. It'll hoard food in many small caches to retrieve later. Some are temporary, while some are more permanent, not retrieved until months later. They have a very accurate memory for the location of the caches, using distand and nearby landmarks to find them.