U.S. farms produced over 15 billion bushels of corn last year alone. This massive output anchors a sector that contributes more than a trillion dollars to the national economy. These statistics detail the scale of American crop production, livestock inventory, and agricultural land use.
Key Takeaways
- U.S. farmers produced 15.3 billion bushels of corn in 2023
- Soybean production in the U.S. totaled 4.16 billion bushels in 2023
- All wheat production in the U.S. totaled 1.81 billion bushels in 2023
- Agriculture, food, and related industries contributed roughly $1.530 trillion to U.S. GDP in 2023
- The output of America’s farms contributed $203.5 billion to the GDP in 2023
- Food service, eating, and drinking places accounted for $776.1 billion of the value added to GDP in 2023
- There are approximately 1.9 million farms in the United States
- Land in farms consists of about 880 million acres across the U.S.
- The average farm size in the United States is 463 acres
- Market hogs and pigs inventory was 67.5 million head as of June 1, 2024
- Total cattle and calves inventory in the U.S. was 87.2 million head as of January 1, 2024
- The number of milk cows in the U.S. was 9.3 million head in 2023
- Agriculture accounts for about 10% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions
- Soil management practices account for 50% of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions
- Enteric fermentation (livestock methane) accounts for 27% of agricultural GHG emissions
In 2023, U.S. farms produced massive crop and livestock volumes, totaling trillions in economic impact.
Related reading
01 · Category
Crop Production30 stats
01
U.S. farmers produced 15.3 billion bushels of corn in 2023
02
Soybean production in the U.S. totaled 4.16 billion bushels in 2023
03
All wheat production in the U.S. totaled 1.81 billion bushels in 2023
04
U.S. cotton production was estimated at 12.1 million 480-lb bales in 2023
05
Total rice production in the U.S. was 218 million cwt in 2023
06
U.S. sugarbeet production reached 35.2 million tons in 2023
07
Sugarcane production for sugar and seed was 33.3 million tons in 2023
08
Peanut production in the U.S. was 5.89 billion pounds in 2023
09
Potato production in the U.S. totaled 441 million cwt in 2023
10
Dry edible bean production reached 24 million cwt in 2023
11
Sunflower production totaled 2.26 billion pounds in 2023
12
U.S. sorghum production was 318 million bushels in 2023
13
Barley production for 2023 totaled 185 million bushels
14
Oat production was estimated at 57 million bushels in 2023
15
Alfalfa hay production totaled 49.9 million tons in 2023
16
All other hay production totaled 68.9 million tons in 2023
17
U.S. apple production was 9.8 billion pounds in 2023
18
Grape production reached 6.1 million tons in 2023
19
Total orange production for 2022-2023 season was 2.5 million tons
20
Strawberry production totaled 2.6 billion pounds in 2023
21
U.S. almond production (shelled basis) was 2.5 billion pounds in 2023
22
Walnut production reached 820,000 tons in 2023
23
Pistachio production in the U.S. hit a record 1.49 billion pounds in 2023
24
Peach production was estimated at 543,000 tons for 2023
25
Cherry production (sweet and tart) totaled 421,000 tons in 2023
26
Blueberry production (utilized) in the U.S. was 711 million pounds in 2023
27
Cranberry production reached 8.1 million barrels in 2023
28
Pecan production was estimated at 240 million pounds in 2023
29
Pear production totaled 670,000 tons in 2023
30
Commercial vegetable production value for the U.S. was $19.5 billion in 2023
Interpretation
Crop Production Interpretation
Behold the awe-inspiring, calorie-bending, and fabric-weaving power of American agriculture, where each year our farmers orchestrate a symphony of billions of bushels, tons, and pounds so vast it could generously feed and clothe a nation while still leaving enough for a truly epic fruit and nut platter.
02 · Category
Economic Impact30 stats
01
Agriculture, food, and related industries contributed roughly $1.530 trillion to U.S. GDP in 2023
02
The output of America’s farms contributed $203.5 billion to the GDP in 2023
03
Food service, eating, and drinking places accounted for $776.1 billion of the value added to GDP in 2023
04
Food and beverage manufacturing contributed $323 billion to the total U.S. GDP in 2023
05
Agricultural exports reached a record value of $196 billion in fiscal year 2022
06
Total cash receipts from crops were estimated at $273.6 billion in 2023
07
Total cash receipts from animals and animal products reached $244 billion in 2023
08
Net farm income is forecast at $116 billion for the 2024 calendar year
09
Production expenses for U.S. farmers are estimated at $458.9 billion in 2024
10
Direct government farm payments are forecast at $10.4 billion for 2024
11
The average net cash farm income for farm businesses is projected at $90,100for 2024
12
Intermediate product expenses like feed and fertilizer accounted for $267.4 billion in costs in 2023
13
Total farm sector assets are valued at approximately $4.27 trillion in 2024
14
Farm real estate debt reached an estimated $381.8 billion in 2024
15
Non-real estate farm debt reached $159.2 billion in 2024
16
The debt-to-asset ratio for the U.S. farm sector is projected at 12.68% for 2024
17
Agriculture and food sectors provide 10.4% of total U.S. employment
18
U.S. agricultural imports were valued at $195.4 billion in fiscal year 2023
19
Corn exports from the U.S. generated $12.3 billion in revenue in 2023
20
Soybean exports represented the highest value crop export at roughly $28 billion in 2023
21
Dairy product exports reached $8 billion in value during 2023
22
The total value of beef exports from the U.S. was $9.9 billion in 2023
23
Pork exports contributed $8.16 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023
24
Poultry and egg exports were valued at $5.5 billion in 2023
25
Tree nut exports (almonds, walnuts, pistachios) were valued at $8.2 billion in 2023
26
California leads the nation in agricultural cash receipts with over $50 billion annually
27
Iowa is the second leading state in cash receipts, generating over $30 billion
28
Nebraska ranks third in agricultural cash receipts at approximately $25 billion
29
Texas agricultural cash receipts total roughly $24 billion annually
30
Minnesota ranks fifth in agricultural cash receipts at $17 billion
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
For all the talk of Silicon Valley, it turns out America's most essential trillion-dollar industry still runs on actual soil, sweat, and a shockingly narrow profit margin, where farmers feed the world on a shoestring while the real money is made after the food leaves the farm.
03 · Category
Land and Demographics30 stats
01
There are approximately 1.9 million farms in the United States
02
Land in farms consists of about 880 million acres across the U.S.
03
The average farm size in the United States is 463 acres
04
Approximately 39% of U.S. farmland is rented or leased
05
97% of U.S. farms are family-owned and operated businesses
06
Small family farms (less than $350k GCFI) operate 45% of U.S. farmland
07
Large and very large family farms account for 46% of the total value of production
08
The average age of all U.S. farm producers is 58.1 years
09
The number of beginning farmers (10 years or less experience) is 1,057,190
10
There are 1.2 million female producers in the U.S., representing 36% of all producers
11
58% of U.S. farms have at least one female decision-maker
12
Military veterans make up 9% of all U.S. agricultural producers
13
The number of farms with American Indian or Alaska Native producers is 60,118
14
There are 41,807 Black-operated farms in the United States
15
Hispanic-operated farms number 112,686 in the 2022 Census
16
Asian-operated farms in the U.S. total 23,267
17
Only 1 in 4 producers are under the age of 45
18
Total cropland in the U.S. is roughly 380 million acres
19
Pasture and rangeland account for about 415 million acres of U.S. land
20
Forest-use land on farms accounts for about 69 million acres
21
The number of farms in the U.S. has declined by 7% since 2017
22
74% of U.S. farms have internet access as of 2022
23
Texas has the highest number of farms of any state at 230,662
24
Missouri ranks second in number of farms with 87,887
25
Iowa has 80,419 farms, ranking third in quantity
26
Oklahoma contains 70,378 farms
27
Kentucky has 69,425 farms
28
The average value of farm real estate (land and buildings) is $4,170per acre
29
Cropland value in the U.S. averaged $5,570per acre in 2024
30
Pastureland value in the U.S. averaged $1,830per acre in 2024
Interpretation
Land and Demographics Interpretation
The American farm, now primarily run by geriatric guardians on ever-valuable land, presents a paradox of resilient tradition clinging to an asset base that increasingly defies both the youthful vitality and the diverse future trying to take root.
More related reading
04 · Category
Livestock and Poultry30 stats
01
Market hogs and pigs inventory was 67.5 million head as of June 1, 2024
02
Total cattle and calves inventory in the U.S. was 87.2 million head as of January 1, 2024
03
The number of milk cows in the U.S. was 9.3 million head in 2023
04
Total milk production in the U.S. for 2023 was 226 billion pounds
05
There were 2.87 billion broiler chickens produced in the U.S. in 2023
06
Total egg production in 2023 was 109 billion eggs
07
The inventory of all sheep and lambs was 5.03 million head as of January 1, 2024
08
Total turkey production reached 218 million birds in 2023
09
Honey production by commercial beekeepers was 139 million pounds in 2023
10
U.S. goat inventory totaled 2.47 million head on January 1, 2024
11
Red meat production in the U.S. totaled 54.4 billion pounds in 2023
12
Beef production totaled 26.9 billion pounds in 2023
13
Pork production totaled 27.3 billion pounds in 2023
14
Lamb and mutton production totaled 131 million pounds in 2023
15
Veal production totaled 48.6 million pounds in 2023
16
Average milk production per cow in 2023 was 24,117 pounds
17
Wool production in the U.S. was 22.7 million pounds in 2023
18
The number of cattle on feed in lots with capacity of 1000+ head was 11.3 million on June 1, 2024
19
Total catfish production (foodsize) was 323 million pounds in 2023
20
Trout sales in the U.S. totaled $101 million in 2023
21
There are 2.52 million colonies of honey bees in the U.S. as of January 1, 2024
22
Commercial layer chicken inventory averaged 379 million birds in 2023
23
Angora goat inventory was 107,000 head in 2023
24
Mohair production totaled 500,000 pounds in 2023
25
Total commercial hatch of broiler-type chicks was 9.94 billion in 2023
26
Total commercial hatch of egg-type chicks was 637 million in 2023
27
Mink pelt production was 1.33 million pelts in 2022
28
In 2023, 127 million hogs were slaughtered in the United States
29
Total cattle slaughter in 2023 was 32.2 million head
30
Calf slaughter totaled 283,500 head in 2023
Interpretation
Livestock and Poultry Interpretation
America has a protein empire so vast, the chickens need their own spreadsheet, the cows require a dedicated census, and the bees are working double shifts just to keep the toast interesting.
05 · Category
Sustainability and Tech30 stats
01
Agriculture accounts for about 10% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions
02
Soil management practices account for 50% of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions
03
Enteric fermentation (livestock methane) accounts for 27% of agricultural GHG emissions
04
Manure management accounts for about 14% of agricultural GHG emissions
05
Precision agriculture technologies are used on approximately 50% of U.S. corn and soybean acres
06
Cover crops were planted on 19.7 million acres in 2022, a 17% increase from 2017
07
No-till farming practices were used on 105 million acres in 2022
08
Reduced-tillage (conservation tillage) was used on 103 million acres in 2022
09
Organic sales in the U.S. reached $67.6 billion in 2022
10
There are 17,048 certified organic farms in the United States
11
Renewable energy producing systems are installed on 153,101 farms
12
Solar panels account for 76% of renewable energy systems on U.S. farms
13
Geo-thermal energy systems are present on about 3,000 U.S. farms
14
Wind turbines are utilized by approximately 14,000 U.S. farms
15
Methane digesters are utilized on approximately 330 livestock operations
16
Agriculture uses approximately 80% of U.S. consumptive water use
17
Over 55 million acres of U.S. farmland are irrigated
18
Nebraska has the most irrigated land with 8.2 million acres
19
Sprinkler irrigation systems are used on 55% of irrigated acres
20
Drip or trickle irrigation is used on roughly 10% of irrigated land
21
Use of Variable Rate Technology (VRT) for fertilizer has grown to 40% of large corn farms
22
Auto-steer GPS technology is used by over 70% of large-scale grain farmers
23
Genetically modified (GM) corn accounts for 93% of all U.S. corn acreage
24
GM soybeans account for 95% of all U.S. soybean acreage
25
GM cotton (herbicide tolerant/insect resistant) accounts for 97% of U.S. cotton acres
26
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enrollment is capped at 27 million acres
27
Approximately 30,000 farms use drones for crop scouting or monitoring
28
Vertical farming/controlled environment ag is projected to be a $3 billion industry in the U.S. by 2025
29
40% of the U.S. food supply is wasted, totaling $218 billion annually
30
Soil carbon sequestration on U.S. agricultural lands has the potential to offset 10-15% of annual fossil fuel emissions
Interpretation
Sustainability and Tech Interpretation
The American farm is a study in profound contradictions, wielding GPS-guided tractors and genetically modified seeds to feed the nation while its own soil and livestock remain the source of a tenth of our emissions, yet it is also quietly deploying solar panels, cover crops, and no-till fields in a race to turn its vast acreage from a climate problem into a carbon-sequestering solution.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Us Agriculture Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/us-agriculture-industry-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "Us Agriculture Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/us-agriculture-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "Us Agriculture Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/us-agriculture-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
14 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level