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US: dairy sector

This page contains data regarding key components of the United States dairy industry over a given time period.

The purpose of this report is two-fold:

  • on the one hand, it highlights the complexity of the industry, which should be considered from several viewpoints:
    the commodities area, the variety of dairy derivatives, imports, exports and domestic consumption;

  • on the other hand, it exemplifies the framework of a market that equates large domestic consumption figures (supported by import volumes) to large production figures.

US: DAIRY SECTOR
  x 1.000 ton
RAW MATERIAL AREA 2021 2022 2023 2024 2024 2025 % Period
Farms ('000) 1.960 1.901 0 0
Number of cows ('000 head) 9.386 9.405 9.344 9.360 9.338 9.396 +0,6% Jan-Mar 2025
Cow's milk production 102.646 102.702 102.654 102.453 25.829 25.740 -0,3% Jan-Mar 2025
± % Over the same period of the previous year +0,1% 0,0% -0,2%
Farm-gate milk price € x 100 Kg ** 34,59 53,13 41,49 46,06 41,35 50,64 +22,5% Jan-Feb 2025
± % Over the same period of the previous year +53,6% -21,9% +11,0%
Corn price (North West Iowa, IA) (€\Ton) 194,4 267,0 214,1 155,1 157,7 166,4 (p) +5,5% Jan-Apr 2025
Soybeans price (Western Illinois, IL) (€\Ton) 450,1 571,4 506,8 391,2 423,7 363,5 (p) -14,2% Jan-Apr 2025
DAIRY PRODUCTION 2021 2022 2023 2024 2024 2025 % Period
Liquid milk 20.192 19.708 19.424
Butter 936 934 959 1.013 188 191 +1,5% Jan-Feb 2025
Cream Sour 677 678 689 695 113 112 -0,5% Jan-Feb 2025
Cheese 6.242 6.389 6.446 6.466 1.062 1.059 -0,2% Jan-Feb 2025
Italian Mozzarella 2.040 2.110 2.089 2.170 350 356 +1,7% Jan-Feb 2025
Cheddar 1.801 1.798 1.856 1.748 293 288 -1,5% Jan-Feb 2025
Americal Colby & Jack & Monterey 746 775 795 808 125 130 +4,4% Jan-Feb 2025
Cream & Neufchatel 465 507 495 531 91 83 -8,2% Jan-Feb 2025
Italian Parmesan & Similar 220 220 222 205 39 39 -1,7% Jan-Feb 2025
Italian Provolone & Similar 172 168 171 173 27 26 -6,0% Jan-Feb 2025
Hispanic 160 175 192 190 33 31 -5,2% Jan-Feb 2025
Swiss 150 159 152 149 25 24 -2,7% Jan-Feb 2025
Italian Ricotta & Similar 114 112 112 108 19 19 -4,3% Jan-Feb 2025
Muenster 87 87 92
Feta 77 64 66 69 11 11 +2,3% Jan-Feb 2025
Blue e Gorgonzola 40 42 38 40 6,1 6,2 +2,3% Jan-Feb 2025
Italian Romano & Similar 31 26 23 27 4,1 4,7 +14,9% Jan-Feb 2025
Gouda 26 28 28 36 5,0 6,3 +25,7% Jan-Feb 2025
Brick 0,9 0,7 0,7
Altri formaggi 114 117 114 118 18 19 +7,5% Jan- 2025
Cottage Cream 154 156 171 190 30 34 +14,9% Jan-Feb 2025
Cottage Curd 163 164 181 203 31 36 +17,4% Jan-Feb 2025
Cottage Lowfat 138 133 152 172 26 29 +10,1% Jan-Feb 2025
WMP (whole milk powder) 67 62 50 51 9,1 10 +12,1% Jan-Feb 2025
NDM (skimmed milk powder) 929 887 847 757 129 137 +5,6% Jan-Feb 2025
SMP (skimmed milk powder) 317 298 315 250 42 30 -29,9% Jan-Feb 2025
Whey powder 405 415 426 391 68 60 -11,9% Jan-Feb 2025
Condensed milk (Whole and Skimmed Canned Milk) 249 253
Lactose 509 504 501 503 80 80 0,0% Jan-Feb 2025
WPC (Whey Protein Concentrate) 210 205 228 222 37 34 -8,2% Jan-Feb 2025
WPI 90 (Whey Protein Isolated) 59 59 64 87 13 15 +14,4% Jan-Feb 2025
Yogurt 2.152 2.026 2.082 2.207 360 380 +5,4% Jan-Feb 2025
Frozen Yogurt (Mio Litri) 153 144 160 166 28 30 +9,0% Jan-Feb 2025
Ice cream, regular, hard (Mio Litri) 2.726 2.830 2.657 2.760 405 436 +7,7% Jan-Feb 2025
Ice cream lowfat, total (Mio Litri) 1.808 1.687 1.707 1.528 219 226 +3,0% Jan-Feb 2025
Ice cream, lowfat, hard (Mio Litri) 865 823 860 796 118 126 +7,1% Jan-Feb 2025
Ice cream, lowfat, soft (Mio Litri) 943 863 846 732 102 100 -1,8% Jan-Feb 2025
Ice cream, nonfat, hard (Mio Litri) 25 32 30 23 3,3 2,6 -20,2% Jan-Feb 2025
EXPORT 2021 2022 2023 2024 2024 2025 % Period
Bulk and pack. milk (HS 040110+040120)
TOP importers
120 122 103 105 16 17 +5,9% Jan-Feb 2025
Cream (HS 040130+040140+040150)
TOP importers
26 28 37 40 5,4 5,4 +1,0% Jan-Feb 2025
Condensed milk (HS 040291+040299)
TOP importers
16 20 22 18 2,9 3,3 +13,3% Jan-Feb 2025
Butter (HS 0405)
TOP importers
57 69 36 46 5,7 16 +179,6% Jan-Feb 2025
of which:
Anhydrous Milk Fat (HS 040590)
TOP importers
13 16 6,1 14 1,0 7,3 +652,3% Jan-Feb 2025
Cheese (HS 0406)
TOP importers
404 454 435 514 82 92 +12,3% Jan-Feb 2025
SMP (skimmed milk powder - HS 040210)
TOP importers
880 837 809 745 126 95 -24,5% Jan-Feb 2025
WMP (whole milk powder - HS 040221+040229)
TOP importers
39 39 26 26 3,5 4,0 +11,7% Jan-Feb 2025
Whey powder (HS 0404)
TOP importers
592 663 534 556 89 92 +3,1% Jan-Feb 2025
of which:
Sweet dairy Whey (12% protein) e WPC (HS 040410)
TOP importers
551 615 490 512 82 83 +0,9% Jan-Feb 2025
Casein (HS 350110)
TOP importers
1,8 2,1 1,1 6,1 0,5 1,2 +122,8% Jan-Feb 2025
Caseinates (HS 350190)
TOP importers
2,1 2,5 2,6 3,2 0,5 0,9 +75,4% Jan-Feb 2025
Lactose pharmaceutical (HS 170211)
TOP importers
322 413 434 409 69 62 -11,3% Jan-Feb 2025
Lactose edible (HS 170299)
TOP importers
69 40 37 24 3,4 3,6 +3,4% Jan-Feb 2025
Infant milk formula (HS 190110)
TOP importers
28 29 28 25 4,3 4,3 +0,5% Jan-Feb 2025
Yogurt e latticello (HS 0403)
TOP importers
41 41 48 61 8,7 11 +22,3% Jan-Feb 2025
Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) (HS 190190)
TOP importers
162 175 170 164 26 30 +16,3% Jan-Feb 2025
Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) (HS 350220)
TOP importers
65 65 76 89 12 14 +16,1% Jan-Feb 2025
IMPORT 2021 2022 2023 2024 2024 2025 % Period
Bulk and pack. milk (HS 040110+040120)
TOP exporters
35 26 24 24 4,0 5,7 +41,1% Jan-Feb 2025
Cream (HS 040130+040140+040150)
TOP exporters
19 32 58 54 8,2 7,7 -5,2% Jan-Feb 2025
Condensed milk (HS 040291+040299)
TOP exporters
23 37 37 49 8,7 8,1 -7,2% Jan-Feb 2025
Butter (HS 0405)
TOP exporters
63 73 81 109 16 16 +2,4% Jan-Feb 2025
of which:
Anhydrous Milk Fat (HS 040590)
TOP exporters
14 21 19 21 3,7 2,8 -25,4% Jan-Feb 2025
Cheese (HS 0406)
TOP exporters
188 189 193 215 31 34 +9,0% Jan-Feb 2025
SMP (skimmed milk powder - HS 040210)
TOP exporters
0,4 0,6 0,8 0,7 0,0 0,4 >1000% Jan-Feb 2025
WMP (whole milk powder - HS 040221+040229)
TOP exporters
12 16 14 18 2,5 4,4 +77,9% Jan-Feb 2025
Whey powder (HS 0404)
TOP exporters
84 79 81 97 12 18 +48,0% Jan-Feb 2025
of which:
Sweet dairy Whey (12% protein) e WPC (HS 040410)
TOP exporters
44 44 44 46 7,3 7,8 +6,6% Jan-Feb 2025
Casein (HS 350110)
TOP exporters
53 81 51 38 8,7 7,0 -20,4% Jan-Feb 2025
Caseinates (HS 350190)
TOP exporters
22 24 31 23 3,3 2,5 -23,4% Jan-Feb 2025
Lactose pharmaceutical (HS 170211)
TOP exporters
2,9 3,2 3,3 3,0 0,4 0,4 +6,2% Jan-Feb 2025
Lactose edible (HS 170299)
TOP exporters
0,4 0,5 0,8 0,4 0,1 0,0 -80,1% Jan-Feb 2025
Infant milk formula (HS 190110)
TOP exporters
17 42 40 61 13 12 -12,1% Jan-Feb 2025
Yogurt e latticello (HS 0403)
TOP exporters
27 35 41 49 7,8 9,3 +19,6% Jan-Feb 2025
Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) (HS 190190)
TOP exporters
230 255 252 269 41 44 +6,5% Jan-Feb 2025
Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) (HS 350220)
TOP exporters
14 11 9,9 16 3,3 2,4 -27,1% Jan-Feb 2025
STOCK (al 31 December) 2021 2022 2023 2024 2024 2025 % Period
Butter 90 98 91 97 135 139 +2,6% Feb 2025
Cheese (no fresh cheese) 654 656 654 614 661 626 -5,3% Feb 2025
SMP Human Use 115 116 90 116 95 149 +57,0% Feb 2025
SMP Animal Use 2,7 3,7 2,9 3,6 3,6 3,1 -13,1% Feb 2025
WMP (Whole Milk Powder) 11 6,9 5,9 5,6 5,5 7,5 +35,7% Feb 2025
Condensed milk (Whole and Skimmed Canned Milk) 21 18 18
Whey Powder Human Use 25 31 30 26 30 27 -9,8% Feb 2025
Whey Powder Animal Use 0,3 0,6 1,8 1,5 2,7 1,1 -60,2% Feb 2025
WPC 31 37 28 26 26 25 -3,9% Feb 2025
I° Classification
- WPC Human Use 30 37 27 25 26 25 -3,0% Feb 2025
- WPC Animal Use 0,7 0,4 0,8 0,7 0,6 0,4 -41,7% Feb 2025
2° Classification
- WPC 25-49.9% s.s. 11 13 11 9,9 10 9,7 -3,1% Feb 2025
- WPC 50-89.9% s.s. 21 24 17 16 16 15 -4,4% Feb 2025
Lactose 76 78 49 48 49 44 -9,2% Feb 2025
DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION (Source: FAS-USDA) 2021 2022 2023 2024 2024 2025(f) % Period
Cheese 5.964 6.079 6.153 6.178 6.178 6.256 +1,3% Jan-Dec 2025
Butter 981 938 1.011 1.067 1.067 1.162 +8,9% Jan-Dec 2025
SMP 374 354 386 235 235 289 +23,0% Jan-Dec 2025
WMP 33 40 36 48 48 46 -4,2% Jan-Dec 2025
PER CAPITA CONSUMPTIONS (kg) 2021 2022 2023 2024 2024 2025(f) % Period
Cheese 17,53 17,80 17,91  
Butter 2,88 2,75 2,94  
SMP 1,10 1,04 1,12  
WMP 0,10 0,12 0,10  
% Self-sufficiency 100,1% 100,1% 100,1% 100,1%
SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS 2021 2022 2023 2024 2024 2025(f) % Period
GDP (gross domestic product) 6,06% 2,51% 2,89% 2,80% 2,80% 1,80% Jan-Dic 2025
CPI (consumer price index) 4,70% 8,00% 4,12% 3,00% 3,00% 2,80% Jan-Dic 2025
Population ('000) 340.161 341.534 343.477
GDP per capita (U.S. dollars) 70.160 (e) 76.349 (e) 80.035 (e)
GDP per capita (€) * 59.320(e) 72.502(e) 74.018(e)
(e): estimated
* Per capita GDP in Euro is calculated by using the yearly average exchange rate
(p): partial data
(f): forecast
** Fluid Grade
NOTE:Per capita consumptions are obtained dividing total consumption (Source FAS-USDA ) by the population (Source FAO)

Vedi Metric Conversion Factors
METRIC CONVERSION FACTORS
1 Hectare = 2.4710 Acres; 1 Kilogram = 2.2046 Pounds
1 Metric Ton:=Domestic Unit*Factor
Wheat & Soybeans:=bushels*0.027216
Rice:=cwt*0.045359
Rapeseed & Sunflowerseed:=cwt*0.045359
Corn, Sorghum & Rye:=bushels*0.025401
Barley:=bushels*0.021772
Oats:=bushels*0.014515
Sugar:=short tons*0.907185
Cotton:=480-lb bales*0.217720
UK cwt: in UK CWT is "long hundred weight" (long is equivalent to gross) = 112 lbs, that equals to 50.8024 Kg.
USA cwt : in USA CWT is "short hundred weight" (short is equivalent to net)=100 lbs, that equals to 45.3592 Kg.

Source:
Raw material area: USDA, ERS; Cow's milk production: National Agricultural Statistics Service
Dairy production: National Agricultural Statistics Service and USDA
Export and Import: Census Bureau
Consumption: FAS-USDA
GDP and CPI: Intesa Sanpaolo
GDP per capita: International Monetary Found
Population: FAO
Note: Self-sufficiency rate = Milk deliveries/(Domestic use in milk equivalent ME)
Domestic use in milk equivalent (ME) = Milk deliveries + Import in ME - Export in ME
The Self-sufficiency rate does not consider the trade of FFMP (fat-filled milk powder) - HS 190190 and the infant milk formula.

Last update: 2025-04-23
US: Export on Production
Product 2022 2023 2024 Feb 2025 Jan-Feb 2025
Butter 7,4% 3,7% 4,5% 9,4% 8,3%
Cheese 7,1% 6,8% 7,9% 8,9% 8,7%
WMP 62,8% 51,5% 50,5% 47,1% 38,9%
SMP 91,3% 92,3% 94,8% 60,3% 57,3%
Whey 129,7% 95,1% 101,3% 71,2% 68,2%
Lactose 89,8% 94,0% 85,9% 87,2% 81,1%
NOTE:
SMP
: SMP+NDM Production, SMP (040210) Export Code
Whey: Whey + WPC (25% - 50%) Production, Whey (0404) Export Code
Lactose: Lactose Production, Lactose edible + pharmaceutical (170211+170219) Export Code
NOTE: Access to World Dairy Trade, which also contains the processing of Import / Export of the United States with MONTHLY UPDATES, is reserved for Supporters of CLAL.it