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ERS FY 2025 Year in Review

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Graphic depicting six report covers from FY 2025.

The mission of USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) is to anticipate trends and emerging issues in agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America; and to conduct high-quality, objective economic research to inform and enhance public and private decision making. ERS shapes its research programs and products to serve those who routinely make or influence public policy and program decisions.

ERS is one of the Federal Government’s principal statistical agencies and—as such—is responsible for ensuring the quality, objectivity, and transparency of the statistical information and analyses it provides. Our policies and standards for publishing research and data are designed to ensure we provide high-quality and objective analysis. ERS provides the Nation’s statistics for farm income, agricultural productivity, long-term agricultural commodity projections, costs and returns for agricultural operations, agricultural trade multipliers, and staff play a vital role in the development of USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE).

The agency both anticipates and responds to decision makers’ needs. ERS researchers frequently provide briefings to policymakers, USDA leadership, and other government officials; our staff analysis program provides rapid responses to their requests for data, analyses, and reviews. Further, our data products—including interactive tools, diverse datasets and wide array of machine-readable and 508-compliant products—enhance the understanding of economic issues affecting all involved in food and agriculture in the United States.

  • Annual Budget: $90,612,000 
  • Employees: In fiscal year 2025, ERS employed a range of professional staff, including economists, other social scientists, data analysts, and mission-support professionals.   
  • Strategic Plan: Strategic Plan for 2021 to 2025 
  • Key Metrics for Fiscal Year 2025:
    • ERS published 146 reports, including 45 Economic Research Reports, 92 Outlook Newsletters, and 9 Amber Waves features.
    • ERS economists published 56 journal articles in peer-reviewed publications including, Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, American Journal of Public Health, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Food Policy, Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, and Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, and Land Economics. 
    • ERS economists gave 50 briefings and over 300 analyses in response to requests from government officials. 
    • ERS public affairs specialists responded to 347 inquiries and interview requests from U.S. and international media. 
    • There were 10,178,843 views of ERS website pages, the highest on record.