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 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.

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.

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

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.

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

Forecast: Poultry Meat Consumption at Farm Gate in the US 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

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.

Forecast: Poultry Meat Consumption at Farm Gate in the US 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Chicken Meat Domestic Consumption in the US 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Swine Meat Consumption Per Capita in the US 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

This dataset shows the long-run projections for the US agricultural sector to 2025 includes assumptions for the US and international macroeconomic conditions and projections for major commodities, farm income, and the US agricultural trade value. Values are from the publication United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Projections to 2031, February 2022.

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

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: Broiler Meat Human Consumption in the US 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In 2025, camel and other animal meat consumption in the United States amounted to 275K tons, remaining stable against the previous year. The value of the market for meat of camels and other animals in the United States surged to $1.6B in 2025, with an increase of 18% against the previous year.

Forecast: Swine Meat Domestic Consumption in the US 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

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.