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.

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.

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.

This statistic shows the per capita consumption of poultry meat in the United States from 2010 to 2023, with an estimated figure for 2024, by type. The consumption of broiler meat in the U.S. amounted to 99.5 pounds per capita in 2023, and is forecast to increase slightly to 102 pounds by 2024.

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.

According to a survey carried out in the United States in June 2023, some seven percent of respondents stated that they consume much less meat than before, as compared to half a year ago. About 61 percent of respondents stated that their meat consumption did not change.

According to a survey carried out in the United States in June 2023, approximately 58 percent of respondents stated that their main reason for reducing their meat consumption within the last six months was to follow a healthy diet. This was the most common reason for lowering their meat intake among respondents.

The timeline shows the per capita consumption of pork in the United States from 2015 to 2023, and provides a forecast until 2034. The U.S. per capita consumption of pork amounted to 50.2 pounds in 2023.

This statistic shows the consumption of cold cuts in the United States from 2011 to 2020 and a forecast thereof until 2024. The data has been calculated by Statista based on the U.S. Census data and Simmons National Consumer Survey (NHCS). According to this statistic, 279.92 million Americans consumed cold cuts in 2020. This figure is projected to increase to 286.19 million in 2024.

In 2023, around 140 million tons of poultry meat were consumed worldwide, making it the most consumed type of meat globally. Pork was the second most consumed meat worldwide, followed by beef and veal. Leading consumers The per capita consumption of meat is forecast to grow in every part of the world by 2031. OECD countries had the highest per capita consumption of meat from 2019 to 2021, at 69.5 kilograms of retail weight per person. The world average per capita consumption is only about 34.1 kilograms. Shift towards meat substitutes Meat production is a significant greenhouse gas emitter and beef specifically emits more greenhouse gases than any other food product. Because of this and other climate change threats caused by meat production, such as deforestation, meat alternatives have been on the rise. It is projected that by 2040, 25 percent of all “meat” consumed will be vegan meat alternatives and only 40 percent of consumption will be from traditionally produced meat.

This statistic shows the consumption of canned meat in the United States in 2020. The data has been calculated by Statista based on the U.S. Census data and Simmons National Consumer Survey (NHCS). According to this statistic, 102.04 million Americans consumed canned meat in 2020.

The per capita consumption of meat was highest in North America, at roughly 78.5 kilos per person in the period between 2021 and 2023. By comparison, the average person living in Africa consumed about 9.7 kilos per year during that period.

Per capita meat consumption is projected to grow worldwide from an average of 28.1 kilograms from 2021 to 2023 to 28.6 kilograms in 2023. Meanwhile, the global population is also expected to further increase. In combination this will drive up total worldwide meat consumption. Consumption is highest in the OECD country group, where per capita consumption is forecast to reach 56.4 kilograms in 2033. North America is the region with the highest per capita meat consumption.

During a survey in April 2023, a third of U.S. respondents between 34 and 44 years of age stated that they consumed meat substitutes but would not consider their consumption to be regular. Younger consumers were more likely than older consumers to state that they eat meat substitutes regularly.

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.

This statistic shows the consumption of meat snacks and beef jerky in the United States in 2020. The data has been calculated by Statista based on the U.S. Census data and Simmons National Consumer Survey (NHCS). According to this statistic, 128.73 million Americans consumed meat snacks and beef jerky in 2020.

By 2040, the projected value share of cultured meat consumption will reach 30 percent of worldwide meat consumption, which will amount to 1.8 billion U.S. dollars. Novel vegan meat substitutes might make up up 25 percent of the whole meat market, globally.

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.