The Pork Industry

U.S. Pork Industry Data

The U.S. pork industry represents a significant value-add to the agricultural economy and a major contributor to the overall U.S. economy. In 2021, more than 66,000 U.S. pork producers marketed 140+ million hogs valued at over $28+ billion in gross cash receipts. The sales generated from hog marketings and pork processing support a total economic contribution of $35+ billion in personal income, $57+ billion in value added (GDP), and more than 610,000 jobs in the U.S. economy.

Total Economic Contribution

All direct, indirect, and induced economic activity supported by the U.S. Pork Industry

610K+

Jobs Supported

$57B+

Value Added (GDP)

$35B+

Personal Income Generated

The United States Pork Industry 2021 Report

Download the 2021 Pork Industry Report

From Farm to Table

How does your pork meal end up from the farm to your kitchen?

 See the Infographic

State Contributions

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Hog Farms and Production
Hog inventories in the United States have varied cyclically over time but have trended upward from 59.11 million head in 2000 to 74.15 million head in December 2021. This includes 68.02 million market hogs and a breeding inventory of 6.12 million.
Approximately seven percent of U.S. hogs are on farms with less than 2,000 head in total inventory and 93 percent are on farms with 2,000 or more hogs. Family farms comprise 96 percent of all U.S. hog farms and 81 percent of hog inventories.

 

<2,000 head = 58,115 Farms
2,000-4,999 head = 4,724 Farms
5,000+ head = 3,600 farms
U.S. Hog Farms and Hogs per Farm

The most recent USDA-NASS Census of Agriculture shows that the number of farms raising hogs increased by nearly 3,200 from 2012 to 2017. There are now 66,439 U.S. hog farms with an average inventory of 1,089 hogs per farm.

Hog Production by the Numbers

66,439

Pork Producers

140.12M

Annual Hog Marketings

$28.02B

Cash Receipts from Hog Sales

Pork Exports

U.S. Pork Consumption and Exports

In 2021, an estimated 7.03 billion pounds of U.S. pork was exported with 14.83 pounds consumed domestically. Pork export values in 2021 totaled $8.1 billion dollars, adding more than $62 per head in value to each hog marketed.
The pork industry generates significant economy activity through its purchase of inputs. Feed inputs, like corn and soybean meal, account for an estimated 56 percent of total U.S. production costs. Other costs include equipment, buildings, land, utilities, trucking, and labor.

Input Summary

1.64B

Corn Use (bushels)

10.5M

Soybean Meal (tons)

$12.74B

Average Total Feed Cost