Quick Facts

The food dollar series provides an overview of the food system, with estimates of the farm share and of the distribution of food-dollar value-added shares over time:

• For every dollar spent in 2015 in the U.S. on domestically produced food (food dollar), U.S. farmers sold 15.6 cents of farm products to non-farm establishments (farm share), down from 17.2 cents in 2014. The farm share is at its lowest level since 2006.
• Farm production costs per food dollar fell to 8.6 cents in 2015 and are also at their lowest level since 2006.
• Foodservice costs per food dollar rose in 2015 to 34.4 cents, increasing for the 7th consecutive year since 2008; foodservice costs were 29.0 cents in 2008.
• U.S. worker salary and benefits accounted for 50.1 cents of each food dollar in 2015, following seven consecutive years in which salary and benefits had been under 50 cents.