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.

The US beef cattle production industry is currently marked by tight supply conditions and elevated prices. Over recent years, persistent drought conditions have led to significant herd liquidation, with beef cow numbers falling to historic lows. This contraction has created a bottleneck in calf production and feeder cattle availability, sustaining high cattle prices. In tandem, elevated feed costs have pressured prices upwards and profit down, driving revenue as cattle producers seek to pass on costs and prevent further profit declines. As herd rebuilding has remained slow, cattle supplies have remained low and kept prices high even as feed, energy and other key agricultural input costs have declined from their highs in 2022. Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 6.0% during the current period to reach an estimated $95.9 billion after declining by 2.4% in 2025 as reduced consumption and supplies limit sales. Consumer preferences are shifting in the beef cattle production industry. There is an increasing awareness of environmental and health-related concerns associated with beef consumption. Consequently, many consumers are reducing their intake of conventional beef, turning instead towards more sustainable options and alternatives that are perceived as healthier or higher quality, such as grass-fed and organic beef. This shift has spurred growth in these segments as consumers look for transparency and ethical farming practices. Retailers and restaurants have responded accordingly by offering more options that align with these consumer preferences. However, these trends also pose challenges, especially for smaller producers who face significant costs associated with transitioning to sustainable practices or achieving certifications like organic or "sustainably raised." Though opportunities for growth will continue to present themselves, the outlook for the industry as a whole does not look as positive in the next five years. Poultry, pork and plant-based proteins will threaten beef demand as they appeal to health-conscious customers, particularly as cattle prices are elevated. Climate change will also continue to introduce environmental pressures, demanding resilience and adaptability from producers. Periods of stable weather could facilitate herd rebuilding, leading to increased cattle supplies and dropping prices, but continued climatic fluctuations and extreme weather events could reduce the consistency of production and increase revenue volatility. Advancements in technology, such as drones and wearable sensors, promise to help optimize cattle management, improving operational efficiencies and animal welfare. These innovations, however, require investment and broader accessibility through government support to ensure equitable adoption across the industry. Additionally, while global trade disruptions remain a concern due to disease outbreaks and geopolitical tensions, US producers will have opportunities in niche market segments to differentiate themselves, counterbalancing some of these pressures. Overall, revenue for cattle producers is forecast to decline through 2030 at a CAGR of 0.4% to $94.0 billion.

The timeline shows the commercial beef production in the United States from 2008 to 2023. In 2023, the commercial beef production of the United States amounted to about 30 billion pounds.

Number of Businesses statistics on the Beef Cattle Production industry in the US

In the U.S., there have been approximately three times more beef cows than dairy cows each year since 2001. As of 2024, it was estimated that there were about 28 million beef cows and only about 9.3 million dairy cows. Beef vs. dairy cows Both beef and dairy cows are bred for their respective purposes and farmers often look for different qualities in each. Dairy cows are often bigger, as they can produce a larger volume of milk. Beef cows on the other hand are generally shorter and there is more emphasis on their muscle growth, among other qualities. In 2022, over 28 billion pounds of beef were produced in the United States. U.S. milk production and consumption The United States was among the top consumers of milk worldwide in 2022, surpassed only by India and the European Union. The annual consumption of milk in the U.S. that year was just under 21 million metric tons. To keep up with this level of consumption, milk production in the U.S. has increased by over 60 billion pounds since 1999 and is expected to exceed 228 billion pounds by 2023. California and Wisconsin were the top producing states as of 2022, producing about 41.8 and 31.9 billion pounds of milk, respectively.

The environmental impacts of beef cattle production and their effects on the overall sustainability of beef have become a national and international concern. Our objective was to quantify important environmental impacts of beef cattle production in the United States. Surveys and visits of farms, ranches and feedlots were conducted throughout seven regions (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Northern Plains, Southern Plains, Northwest and Southwest) to determine common practices and characteristics of cattle production. These data along with other information sources were used to create about 150 representative production systems throughout the country, which were simulated with the Integrated Farm System Model using local soil and climate data. The simulations quantified the performance and environmental impacts of beef cattle production systems for each region. A farm-gate life cycle assessment was used to quantify resource use and emissions for all production systems including traditional beef breeds and cull animals from the dairy industry. Regional and national totals were determined as the sum of the production system outputs multiplied by the number of cattle represented by each simulated system. The average annual greenhouse gas and reactive N emissions associated with beef cattle production over the past five years were determined to be 243 ± 26 Tg carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) and 1760 ± 136 Gg N, respectively. Total fossil energy use was found to be 569 ± 53 PJ and blue water consumption was 23.2 ± 3.5 TL. Environmental intensities expressed per kg of carcass weight produced were 21.3 ± 2.3 kg CO2e, 155 ± 12 g N, 50.0 ± 4.7 MJ, and 2034 ± 309 L, respectively. These farm-gate values are being combined with post farm-gate sources of packing, processing, distribution, retail, consumption and waste handling to produce a full life cycle assessment of U.S. beef. This study is the most detailed, yet comprehensive, study conducted to date to provide baseline measures for the sustainability of U.S. beef. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Appendix A. Supplementary Data - Tables S1 to S8 (docx). File Name: Web Page, url: https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0308521X18305675-mmc1.docx Direct download, docx.

Table S1. Important characteristics of farms and ranches simulated throughout seven regions of the U.S.

Table S2. Important characteristics of representative finishing facilities simulated in seven regions of the U.S.

Table S3. Important characteristics of dairy farms simulated throughout seven regions of the U.S.

Table S4. Summary of 25 years of weather data (daily solar radiation, daily mean temperature, annual precipitation and daily wind speed)1 used to simulate beef cattle operations in each area of the eastern regions.

Table S5. Soil characteristics used for locations simulated across the U.S.

Table S6. Cattle numbers by state and region as obtained or estimated from NASS (2017).

Table S7. Cattle numbers by state and region divided between traditional beef and dairy breeds as obtained or estimated from NASS (2017).

Table S8. Important resource inputs and emissions from representative cow-calf, stocker / background and feedlot operations expressed per unit of final carcass weight (CW) produced.

Graph and download economic data for Index of Beef Production for United States (M0148CUSM349NNBR) from Jan 1947 to Dec 1956 about meat, production, indexes, and USA.

Forecast: Beef Production in the US 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

How many cows are in the U.S.? The United States is home to approximately **** million cattle and calves as of 2024, dropping slightly from the 2023 value. Cattle farming in the United States There are over ***** times more beef cows than milk cows living in the United States. Raising cattle is notoriously expensive, not only in terms of land, feed, and equipment, but also in terms of the environmental impact of consuming beef. Beef and milk have the highest carbon footprints of any type of food in the United States. U.S. milk market The volume of milk produced in the United States has been steadily increasing over the last several years. In 2023, total milk production in the U.S. was about ***** billion pounds, up from ***** billion pounds in 2010. ********** is the leading producer of milk of any U.S. state, generating approximately ** billion pounds of milk in 2022. Wisconsin came in second, producing about **** billion pounds of milk in that year.

Purpose: The need to assess the sustainability attributes of the United States beef industry is underscored by its importance to food security locally and globally. A life cycle assessment (LCA) of the US beef value chain was conducted to develop baseline information on the environmental impacts of the industry including metrics of the cradle-to-farm gate (feed production, cow-calf, and feedlot operations) and post-farm gate (packing, case-ready, retail, restaurant, and consumer) segments. Methods: Cattle production (cradle-to-farm gate) data were obtained using the integrated farm system model (IFSM) supported with production data from the Roman L. Hruska US Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC). Primary data for the packing and case-ready phases were obtained from packers that jointly processed nearly 60% of US beef while retail and restaurant primary data represented 8 and 6%, respectively, of each sector. Consumer data were obtained from public databases and literature. The functional unit or consumer benefit (CB) was 1 kg of consumed, boneless, edible beef. The relative environmental impacts of processes along the full beef value chain were assessed using a third party validated BASF Corporation Eco-Efficiency Analysis methodology. Results and discussion: Value chain LCA results indicated that the feed and cattle production phases were the largest contributors to most environmental impact categories. Impact metrics included water emissions (7005 L diluted water eq/CB), cumulative energy demand (1110 MJ/CB), and land use (47.4 m2a eq/CB). Air emissions were acidification potential (726 g SO2 eq/CB), photochemical ozone creation potential (146.5 g C2H4 eq/CB), global warming potential (48.4 kg CO2 eq/CB), and ozone depletion potential (1686 μg CFC11 eq/CB). The remaining metrics calculated were abiotic depletion potential (10.3 mg Ag eq/CB), consumptive water use (2558 L eq/CB), and solid waste (369 g municipal waste eq/CB). Of the relative points adding up to 1 for each impact category, the feed phase contributed 0.93 to the human toxicity potential. Conclusions: This LCA is the first of its kind for beef and has been third party verified in accordance with ISO 14040:2006a and 14044:2006b and 14045:2012 standards. An expanded nationwide study of beef cattle production is now being performed with region-specific cattle production data aimed at identifying region-level benchmarks and opportunities for further improvement in US beef sustainability. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Electronic Supplementary Material ESM 1 - Tables S1 to S11 (docx). File Name: Web Page, url: https://static-content.springer.com/esm/art:10.1007/s11367-018-1464-6/MediaObjects/11367_2018_1464_MOESM1_ESM.docx Direct download, docx. Table S1: Feed phase input data (resource use and emissions) from USMARC and IFSM simulations used in the U.S. beef life cycle impact assessment and sources of their life-cycle inventories (LCI). Table S2: Cattle phase input data (resource use and emissions) from USMARC and IFSM simulations in the U.S. beef life cycle impact assessment and the sources of their respective life-cycle inventories (LCI). Table S3: Packing and case-ready phases input data (resource use and emissions) used in the U.S. beef life cycle impact assessment and the sources of their respective life-cycle inventories (LCI). Allocation factor of case-ready (i.e. % packaged at case ready) = 0.63. Table S4: Retail and consumer phases input data (resource use and emissions) used in U.S. beef life cycle impact assessment and their respective life-cycle inventory (LCI) sources. Allocation factor for retail and consumer (i.e. at-home consumption portion of total consumption sold through retail) = 0.47. Table S5: Restaurant phase input data (resource use and emissions) used in U.S. beef life cycle impact assessment and their respective life-cycle inventory (LCI) sources. Allocation factor (i.e. restaurant fraction of total beef consumption) = 0.53. Table S6: Essential raw materials considered in the U.S. beef life cycle impact assessment and respective weighting factors used for the determination of their Abiotic Depletion Potential (ADP). Table S7: Scoring system for toxic properties described by H-phrases for U.S. beef life cycle impact assessment (Landsiedel and Saling (2002) before our modification). Table S8: Land occupation and transformation weighting factors for U.S. beef life cycle impact assessment based on Ecosystem Damage Potentials (EDPs) from the Ecoinvent 2.2 life cycle inventory database (Frischknecht et al. 2005). Table S9: Air emissions and their respective weighting (equivalence) factors used in U.S. beef life cycle impact assessment. Table S10: Solid waste relative disposal costs used in U.S. beef life cycle impact assessment (Klein 2011). Table S11: Water emissions categories and their respective weighting factors based on regional regulatory limits used in the U.S. beef life cycle assessment.

Beef consumption in the United States reached a new high in 2021, when ** billion pounds were consumed. This is an increase in consumption of about *** 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 exceeded **** million metric tons. To keep up with the production demand, the U.S. was home to about ** 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. ** 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 ***** million kilograms.

How many cattle are in the world? The global live cattle population amounted to about 1.57 billion heads in 2023, up from approximately 1.51 million in 2021. Cows as livestock The domestication of cattle began as early as 10,000 to 5,000 years ago. From ancient times up to the present, cattle are bred to provide meat and dairy. Cattle are also employed as draft animals to plow the fields or transport heavy objects. Cattle hide is used for the production of leather, and dung for fuel and agricultural fertilizer. In 2022, India was home to the highest number of milk cows in the world. Cattle farming in the United States Cattle meat such as beef and veal is one of the most widely consumed types of meat across the globe, and is particularly popular in the United States. The United States is the top producer of beef and veal of any country worldwide. In 2021, beef production in the United States reached 12.6 million metric tons. Beef production appears to be following a positive trend in the United States. More than 33.07 million cattle were slaughtered both commercially and in farms annually in the United States in 2019, up from 33 million in the previous year.

United States Red Meat Production: Annual: Beef data was reported at 27,054.800 lb mn in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 27,033.900 lb mn for 2023. United States Red Meat Production: Annual: Beef data is updated yearly, averaging 25,222.100 lb mn from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2024, with 55 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28,358.300 lb mn in 2022 and a record low of 21,278.000 lb mn in 1973. United States Red Meat Production: Annual: Beef data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Economic Research Service. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.RI025: Red Meat Production.

The timeline shows the commercial red meat production in the United States from 2008 to 2023. In 2023, the total commercial red meat production of the United States amounted to about 54.44 billion pounds.

The Census of Agriculture, produced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides a complete count of America's farms, ranches and the people who grow our food. The census is conducted every five years, most recently in 2022, and provides an in-depth look at the agricultural industry. This layer was produced from data obtained from the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) Large Datasets download page. The data were transformed and prepared for publishing using the Pivot Table geoprocessing tool in ArcGIS Pro and joined to county boundaries. The county boundaries are 2022 vintage and come from Living Atlas ACS 2022 feature layers.Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: Cattle productionGeographic Extent: 48 contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto RicoProjection: Web Mercator Auxiliary SphereSource: USDA National Agricultural Statistics ServiceUpdate Frequency: 5 yearsData Vintage: 2022Publication Date: April 2024AttributesNote that some values are suppressed as "Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations", "Not applicable", or "Less than half the rounding unit". These have been coded in the data as -999, -888, and -777 respectively. You should account for these values when symbolizing or doing any calculations.Many cattle production commodity fields are broken out into 6 or 7 ranges based on the number of head of cattle. For space reasons, a general sample of the fields is listed here.Commodities included in this layer: Cattle, (Excl Cows) - Inventory - Inventory of Cattle, (Excl Cows): (By number of head)Cattle, (Excl Cows) - InventoryCattle, (Excl Cows) - Operations with Inventory - Inventory of Cattle, (Excl Cows): (By number of head)Cattle, (Excl Cows) - Operations with InventoryCattle, Calves - Operations with Sales - Sales of Calves: (By number of head)Cattle, Calves - Operations with SalesCattle, Calves - Sales, Measured in Head - Sales of Calves: (By number of head)Cattle, Calves - Sales, Measured in HeadCattle, Calves, Veal, Raised or Sold - Number of OperationsCattle, Cows - Inventory; Cattle, Cows - Operations with InventoryCattle, Cows, Beef - Inventory - Inventory of Beef Cows: (By number of head)Cattle, Cows, Beef - InventoryCattle, Cows, Beef - Operations with Inventory - Inventory of Beef Cows: (By number of head)Cattle, Cows, Beef - Operations with InventoryCattle, Cows, Milk - Inventory - Inventory of Milk Cows: (By number of head)Cattle, Cows, Milk - InventoryCattle, Cows, Milk - Operations with Inventory - Inventory of Milk Cows: (By number of head)Cattle, Cows, Milk - Operations with InventoryCattle, >= 500 lbs - Operations with Sales - Sales of Cattle >= 500 lbs: (By number of head)Cattle, >= 500 lbs - Operations with SalesCattle, >= 500 lbs - Sales, Measured in Head - Sales of Cattle >= 500 lbs: (By number of head)Cattle, >= 500 lbs - Sales, Measured in HeadCattle, Heifers, >= 500 lbs, Milk Replacement, Production Contract - Operations with ProductionCattle, Heifers, >= 500 lbs, Milk Replacement, Production Contract - Production, Measured in HeadCattle, Incl Calves - Inventory - Inventory of Cattle, Incl Calves: (By number of head)Cattle, Incl Calves - InventoryCattle, Incl Calves - Operations with Inventory - Inventory of Cattle, Incl Calves: (By number of head)Cattle, Incl Calves - Operations with InventoryCattle, Incl Calves - Operations with Sales - Sales of Cattle, Incl Calves: (By number of head)Cattle, Incl Calves - Operations with SalesCattle, Incl Calves - Sales, Measured in US Dollars ($)Cattle, Incl Calves - Sales, Measured in Head - Sales of Cattle, Incl Calves: (By number of head)Cattle, Incl Calves - Sales, Measured in HeadCattle, On Feed - Inventory - Inventory of Cattle On Feed: (By number of head)Cattle, On Feed - InventoryCattle, On Feed - Operations with Inventory - Inventory of Cattle On Feed: (By number of head)Cattle, On Feed - Operations with InventoryCattle, On Feed - Operations with Sales For Slaughter - Sales of Cattle On Feed: (By number of head)Cattle, On Feed - Operations with Sales For SlaughterCattle, On Feed - Sales For Slaughter, Measured in Head - Sales of Cattle On Feed: (By number of head)Cattle, On Feed - Sales For Slaughter, Measured in HeadCattle, Production Contract, On Feed - Operations with ProductionCattle, Production Contract, On Feed - Production, Measured in HeadGeography NoteIn Alaska, one or more county-equivalent entities (borough, census area, city, municipality) are included in an agriculture census area.What can you do with this layer?This layer is designed for data visualization. Identify features by clicking on the map to reveal the pre-configured pop-up. You may change the field(s) being symbolized. When symbolizing other fields, you will need to update the popup accordingly. Simple summary statistics are supported by this data.Questions?Please leave a comment below if you have a question about this layer, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

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

Statistics illustrates production of beef (cattle meat) in the United States from 2007 to 2024.

In 2025, Brazil was the leading cattle producer in Latin America and the Caribbean, with an estimate of about 47.8 million heads of cattle. Ranking second was Argentina, with about 14.8 million heads of cattle, and it was followed by Mexico, where cattle production reached over 8.7 million heads.

Forecast: Veal and Beef Production at Farm Gate in the US 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

United States Red Meat Production: Commercial: Veal data was reported at 2.100 lb mn in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.000 lb mn for Feb 2025. United States Red Meat Production: Commercial: Veal data is updated monthly, averaging 33.000 lb mn from Jan 1944 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 963 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 215.000 lb mn in Oct 1944 and a record low of 2.000 lb mn in Feb 2025. United States Red Meat Production: Commercial: Veal data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Economic Research Service. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.RI025: Red Meat Production.