Beef consumption in the United States reached a new high in 2021, when 30 billion pounds were consumed. This is an increase in consumption of about 8.7 percent compared to the previous year and the highest consumption recorded during the period under consideration.

United States beef production

The United States is the world’s top producer of beef and veal. In 2022, production exceeding 12.6 million metric tons. To keep up with the production demand, the U.S. was home to about 30 million beef cows in 2022, more than three times the number of dairy cows recorded that year.

The shift towards plant-based foods

There is a large trend among Generation Z consumers to adopt a more vegetarian or vegan diet. Over half of Gen Z consumers are mostly vegetarian, at a minimum, as of 2022. 21 percent, however, are completely vegan, meaning they eat no animal products at all. With this shift away from animal proteins, it is no surprise that the consumption of meat substitutes is expected to exponentially grow within the next several years. By 2027, U.S. meat substitute consumption is forecast to reach 292.5 million kilograms.

This statistic shows the per capita consumption of beef in the United States from 2000 to 2024 and includes a forecast from 2025 to 2034. The U.S. per capita consumption of beef amounted to 58.1 pounds in 2023.

This statistic shows the per capita consumption of red meat in the United States from 2010 to 2023, with an estimated figure for 2024, by type. The consumption of beef in the U.S. amounted to 57.6 pounds per capita in 2023, and was estimated to decrease slightly in 2024.

United States Long Term Projections: Per Capita Meat Consumption: Beef data was reported at 55.258 lb in 2034. This records a decrease from the previous number of 55.380 lb for 2033. United States Long Term Projections: Per Capita Meat Consumption: Beef data is updated yearly, averaging 55.360 lb from Dec 2022 (Median) to 2034, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 59.250 lb in 2024 and a record low of 52.840 lb in 2027. United States Long Term Projections: Per Capita Meat Consumption: Beef data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Department of Agriculture. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.RI016: Agricultural Projections: Meat Consumption.

The total beef production in the United States is estimated to be 26.96 billion pounds in 2023, down from 28.29 billion pounds in the previous year. Over the last two decades, the total U.S. beef production has fluctuated slightly but remained stable overall.

Beef retail in the United States Beef has the highest retail sales of any fresh meat in the United States, as of 2021. In that year, over 30 billion U.S. dollars worth of fresh beef were sold in the United States. The retail price for 100 percent ground beef in the United States was 4.8 U.S. dollars per pound in 2022, up from 3.95 U.S. dollars in 2020. Beef brisket, on the other hand, was priced on average around 8.84 U.S. dollars per pound in major grocery retailers.

U.S. beef consumption The United States consumes more beef than any other country in the world. Consumption of beef amounted to around 59 pounds per capita on an annual basis. This was projected to decrease slowly until 2032.

Forecast: Red Meat Consumption in the US 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In 2024, the most consumed type of meat in the United States was broiler chicken, at about 102.1 pounds per capita. This figure is expected to increase to around 110.4 pounds per capita by 2034. Chickens in the United States To accommodate the growing demand for chicken among American consumers, there is a rapidly expanding chicken industry in the United States. The overall value of all chickens in America was over 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. In that same year, an individual chicken in the United States was worth 3.32 U.S. dollars. Meat consumption in the United States On average, Americans purchase fresh meat about 27 times per year, compared to only 4.3 times for fresh seafood. A 2018 survey found that nearly half of Americans eat chicken a couple times a week but not every day, while only 9 percent ate chicken on a daily basis. Ready-to-eat meat/poultry is also very popular among consumers in the United States, with about 40 percent of Americans eating ready-to-eat meat at least once a week as of 2017.

Forecast: Beef and Veal Meat Domestic Consumption in the US 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

The statistic shows the per capita consumption of boneless red meat in the United States in 2023, by type. According to the report, the U.S. per capita consumption of beef amounted to approximately 55.5 pounds that year.

Learn about the expected growth in the United States beef market over the next decade, driven by increasing demand for cattle meat. Market performance is projected to gradually increase in both volume and value terms, with a forecasted CAGR of +0.0% for volume and +0.2% for value from 2024 to 2035.

Global Beef and Veal Meat Consumption Per Capita by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

The US beef market in 2024 showcases growth in consumption and stable production, with evolving trade dynamics indicating a resilient and promising outlook.

This product provides information on the per capita consumption of meats (beef, veal, mutton/lamb, pork and poultry) in Canada and United States for a thirty-year period. Trend of Beef and Poultry consumption comparison is included.

United States Long Term Projections: Per Capita Meat Consumption: Total Red Meat data was reported at 109.949 lb in 2034. This records an increase from the previous number of 109.867 lb for 2033. United States Long Term Projections: Per Capita Meat Consumption: Total Red Meat data is updated yearly, averaging 109.867 lb from Dec 2022 (Median) to 2034, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 111.600 lb in 2022 and a record low of 106.804 lb in 2027. United States Long Term Projections: Per Capita Meat Consumption: Total Red Meat data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Department of Agriculture. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.RI016: Agricultural Projections: Meat Consumption.

Forecast: Veal and Beef Consumption at Farm Gate in the US 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Beef and Veal Meat Human Domestic Consumption in the US 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

The food demands of the United States (US) impart significant environmental pressures. The high rate of consumption of beef has been shown to be the largest driver of food-borne greenhouse gas emissions, water use and land occupation in the US diet. The environmental benefits of substituting animal products with vegetal foods are well documented, but significant psychological barriers persist in reducing meat consumption. Here we use life cycle assessment to appraise the environmental performance of a novel vegetal protein source in the mean US diet where it replaces ground beef, and in vegetarian and vegan diets where it substitutes for legumes, tofu and other protein sources. We find that relative to the mean US diet, vegetarian and vegan diets significantly reduce per-capita food-borne greenhouse gas emission (32% and 67%, respectively), blue water use (70% and 75%, respectively) and land occupation (70% and 79%, respectively), primarily in the form of rangeland. The substitution of 10%, 25% and 50% of ground beef with plant-based burger (PBB) at the national scale results in substantial reductions in annual US dietary greenhouse gas emissions (4.55–45.42 Mt CO2 equivalents), water consumption (1.30–12.00 km3) and land occupation (22300–190100 km2). Despite PBB’s elevated environmental pressures compared to other vegetal protein sources, we demonstrate that minimal risk exists for the disservices of PBB substitution in non-meat diets to outweigh the benefits of ground-beef substitution in the omnivorous American diet. Demand for plant-based oils in PBB production has the potential to increase land use pressures in biodiversity hotspots, though these could be obviated through responsible land stewardship. Although the apparent environmental benefits of the PBB are contingent on actual uptake of the product, this study demonstrates the potential for non-traditional protein substitutes to play a role in a transition towards more sustainable consumption regimes in the US and potentially abroad.

The timeline shows the per capita consumption of red meat in the United States from 2017 to 2023, with a projection from 2024 until 2034. The consumption of red meat in the U.S. amounted to 109.5 pounds per capita in 2023.

Forecast: Beef Meat Demand in the US 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Current valuations of USD 43,625.2 million in 2025 are expected to surge to USD 70,386.9 million by 2035, supported by a projected 7.4% CAGR during the forecast period. Processed Beef USA market is thus on the upward path, fueled by this trend of people preferring convenient sources of protein content.