Farms receive larger share of spending on food at home than food away from home

In 2024, farm establishments in the United States received 18.5 cents per dollar spent on food at home (e.g., groceries) and 7.1 cents for each dollar spent on food away from home (e.g., restaurants). These amounts, called farm shares, highlight the different paths domestically produced food takes from farms to consumers. The remainder of each food dollar is the marketing share, which represents payments for processing, retailing, and other activities that get food from the farmgate to consumer points of purchase. In 2024, the marketing share was 81.5 cents per food-at-home dollar and 92.9 cents per food-away-from-home dollar. The marketing share is higher for food away from home because of the additional costs of preparing and serving meals at outlets like restaurants and schools. USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) updated the Food Dollar in 2026 using a new model that incorporates new data sources and an updated methodology. Results from this model are not directly comparable to previous releases. The data for this chart can be found in the ERS Food Dollar data product and was discussed in a recorded webinar.