The retail price of 100% ground beef in the United States has risen significantly in the last two decades. In 2024, a pound of ground beef cost **** U.S. dollars, up from **** U.S. dollars in 2008. Cattle and beef production in the U.S. In 2022, there were almost ** million beef cows in the United States. Compared to sheep, pigs, and chickens, cows are very expensive to raise and require much more water, feed, and land per calorie generated. Though beef production fluctuates from year to year, there has been a positive trend in beef production in the last several years in the United States. U.S. beef market In terms of retail sales, beef is the leading type of fresh meat in the United States. On average, beef generates about *********** U.S. dollars in sales per store per week, compared to approximately *********** dollars for chicken, and less than ************* dollars for pork. As of 2021, per capita consumption of beef in the United States amounted to about ** pounds per year.

Fresh regular 100% ground beef excluding round, chuck, and sirloin. Includes organic and non-organic. Excludes pre-formed patties."

The USA: Meat price index, world average = 100: The latest value from 2021 is 117.06 index points, a decline from 125.64 index points in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 96.25 index points, based on data from 165 countries. Historically, the average for the USA from 2017 to 2021 is 121.35 index points. The minimum value, 117.06 index points, was reached in 2021 while the maximum of 125.64 index points was recorded in 2017.

This statistic depicts the average annual prices for meat (beef) from 2014 through 2026*. In 2024, the average price for meat (beef) stood at 5.93 nominal U.S. dollars per kilogram.

Beef traded flat at 296.10 BRL/15KG on July 23, 2025. Over the past month, Beef's price has fallen 6.80%, but it is still 28.91% higher than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Beef - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

The average for 2021 based on 20 countries was 100.75 index points. The highest value was in Bermuda: 166.94 index points and the lowest value was in Nicaragua: 64.31 index points. The indicator is available from 2017 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The price per pound of beef and pork are forecast to increase in the United States until about 2027 and then will decrease slightly. The price of beef is forecast to be *** U.S. dollars per pound in 2028 and the price of pork is forecast to be over five U.S. dollars per pound that same year.

The average for 2021 based on 11 countries was 76.18 index points. The highest value was in Guyana: 105.06 index points and the lowest value was in Paraguay: 49.23 index points. The indicator is available from 2017 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

United States Wholesale Price: Beef: Central US: Boneless: 90%: Fresh data was reported at 381.590 USD/cwt in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 374.040 USD/cwt for Feb 2025. United States Wholesale Price: Beef: Central US: Boneless: 90%: Fresh data is updated monthly, averaging 198.740 USD/cwt from Jan 2000 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 301 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 381.590 USD/cwt in Mar 2025 and a record low of 93.690 USD/cwt in Oct 2000. United States Wholesale Price: Beef: Central US: Boneless: 90%: Fresh 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.P003: Red Meat Price.

The timeline shows the annual averages of beef price spreads in the United States from 2006 to 2023. The beef price spread from wholesale to retail amounted to 345.4 U.S. cents per pound of retail equivalent in the United States in 2023.

All uncooked ground beef regardless of fat content, primal source (chuck, round, sirloin, etc.), or packaging. Includes organic and non-organic."

Seafood had the highest average retail price in the United States in 2024. In that year, the average price of seafood amounted to **** U.S. dollars, while the price of beef stood at **** U.S. dollars.

Beef Price in the United States - 2023. Find the latest marketing data on the IndexBox platform.

In 2022, the average price difference per pound between beef and plant-based alternatives in the food service segment in the United States amounted to **** U.S. dollars. Plant-based beef alternatives costed more and were priced at around *** U.S. dollars per pound, compared to the cost of beef which was around **** U.S. dollars per pound. This disparity showed across the board, with plant-based alternatives costing more than animal-based meat in all categories.
How many people follow a vegetarian or vegan diet in the United States? The dietary preferences of consumers in the United States varied across age groups. It was recorded that approximately ***** percent of individuals aged between 18 and 19 followed a vegan diet. Similarly, ***** percent of respondents within the same age group reported following a vegetarian diet. However, as the age of respondents increased to above 40 years old, the prevalence of vegan and vegetarian diets declined. How big is the plant-based meat industry in the United States? In 2022, the sales of plant-based meat alternatives in the U.S. were predominantly based in the retail segment, followed by sales in the food service segment channels. The majority of meat alternative sales in the food service sector in the U.S. were made through restaurants, making up nearly ** percent of the total. This was followed by educational facilities, which also accounted for a notable portion of meat substitute sales.

Steaks other than round or sirloin, regardless of cut or grade. Includes bone-in, boneless, organic, non-organic, fresh, and frozen.

Average consumer prices are calculated for household fuel, motor fuel, and food items from prices collected for the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Average prices are best used to measure the price level in a particular month, not to measure price change over time. It is more appropriate to use CPI index values for the particular item categories to measure price change.

Prices, except for electricity, are collected monthly by BLS representatives in the 75 urban areas priced for the CPI. Electricity prices are collected for the BLS for the same 75 areas on a monthly basis by the Department of Energy using mail questionnaires. All fuel prices include applicable Federal, State, and local taxes; prices for natural gas and electricity also include fuel and purchased gas adjustments.

For more information, please visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/cpi/factsheets/average-prices.htm).

Steaks other than round or sirloin, regardless of cut or grade. Includes bone-in, boneless, organic, non-organic, fresh, and frozen."

United States Consumer Price: Average: Ground Beef, Lean & Extra Lean data was reported at 5.245 USD/lb in Nov 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5.252 USD/lb for Oct 2018. United States Consumer Price: Average: Ground Beef, Lean & Extra Lean data is updated monthly, averaging 2.912 USD/lb from Jan 1991 (Median) to Nov 2018, with 335 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.195 USD/lb in May 2015 and a record low of 1.973 USD/lb in May 1996. United States Consumer Price: Average: Ground Beef, Lean & Extra Lean data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.P001: Consumer Price.

This statistic depicts the average price of organic beef in the United States as of April 2023, by category type. In that year, the U.S. price for one pound of organic stew meat amounted to 6.14 U.S. dollars on average.

The FAO Meat Price Index* started to increase in October of 2020. For the first few months of the pandemic, prices had declined. In 2021, prices further increased and the index reached an all time high of 125.4 index points in June of 2022, a few months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since then, the index has fluctuated and came to 117.7 in January 2025. For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated facts and figures page. For further information about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, please visit our dedicated page on the topic.

In 2024, the U.S. price for one pound of lean and extra lean ground beef amounted to 7.12 U.S. dollars. While prices per pound were between five and six U.S. dollars in recent years, consumers in the United States typically paid about two U.S. dollars back in the nineties. Ground chuck and sirloin steak Like lean ground beef, the price of other types of meat has also risen in the United States. For example, the U.S. retail price per pound of ground chuck (100% beef) amounted to approximately 5.12 U.S. dollars in 2023 and cost about half that amount 20 years earlier. The price of boneless sirloin steak has likewise doubled: from about four U.S. dollars per pound in the nineties to almost 11 U.S. dollars in 2023. Beef consumption While total beef consumption in the United States had fluctuated slightly at certain intervals over the past decade and a half, the numbers have stayed fairly close to the 26-billion-pound mark . Annual per capita consumption of beef, on the other hand, has dropped considerably. In the early 2000s, the average American consumer typically ate almost 70 pounds of beef per year. By 2019, Americans consumed closer to 55 pounds annually.