Skip to main content
Skip to main content

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Charts of Note logo

Where does the food dollar go?

  • by ERS
  • 3/25/2011
  • Food Markets & Prices
  • Food Choices & Health
An illustration showing the food dollar in 2008.

Download chart image

A new ERS food dollar series measures annual expenditures on domestically produced food by individuals living in the United States and provides a detailed answer to the question "For what do our food dollars pay?" Farm share (15.8¢ in 2008) is measured as the average payment from each food dollar expenditure that farmers receive for their raw food dollar commodities. The food marketing bill (84.2¢ in 2008) is measured as the average value added to the raw food dollar from each consumer food dollar expenditure and includes all other costs associated with food production including processing and distribution. This figure is from the ERS report, A Revised and Expanded Food Dollar Series: A Better Understanding of Our Food Costs, ERR-114, February 2011.

Get Charts of Note delivered!

Subscribe

See our Privacy Policy.