- More than 30 federally-inspected companies are involved in the business of raising, processing and marketing the majority of broiler chickens in the United States (chickens raised for meat vs. eggs).
- About 20,000 family farmers have production (growout) contracts with the companies. Approximately 95 percent of broilers are produced on these farms, with the remaining five percent raised on company-owned farms or farms without contracts. Family farms also produce pullets and hatching eggs under contracts.
- In 2023 more than 9.4 billion broiler chickens, weighing 62 billion pounds, liveweight, were produced. About 46.4 billion pounds of chicken products were marketed, measured on a ready-to-cook basis. That was a 0.4% increase from 2022.
- The United States has the largest broiler chicken industry in the world with about 16 percent of production exported to other countries.
- The United States is the second leading broiler exporter in the world, behind Brazil.
- The top 5 export destinations (value) in 2023 were Mexico, China, Canada, Taiwan and Cuba.
- The top 5 export destinations (volume) in 2023 were Mexico, China, Taiwan, Cuba and Philippines.
- Americans consume more chicken (young meat chicken and fowl) than anyone else in the world – 101.1 pounds per capita in 2023 – the number one protein consumed in the United States.
- The top broiler producing states in 2023 were: North Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi and Delaware.
Source: USDA and NCC. No estimated or forward-looking figures are provided by NCC.
