Statistics & Information

For the most current coverage of U.S. livestock outlook: 

Table 1. U.S. beef industry
Year

Total beef disappearance1

Retail equivalent of dissappearance2

All fresh beef retail value3

Retail equivalent value of beef produced4

Value of cattle and calf production5

Cash receipts6
  Billion pounds Dollars Billion dollars
2001 27.0 18.9 3.01 56.9 29.4 40.5
2002 27.9 19.5 3.05 59.5 27.1 38.1
2003 27.0 18.9 3.31 62.6 32.1 45.3
2004 27.8 19.4 3.62 70.3 34.9 47.4
2005 27.8 19.5 3.64 70.8 36.3 49.3
2006 28.1 19.7 3.62 71.2 35.5 49.1
2007 28.1 19.7 3.78 74.4 36.0 49.8
2008 27.3 19.1 3.97 75.9 35.6 48.4
2009 26.8 18.8 3.89 73.0 31.9 43.7
2010 26.4 18.5 4.10 75.8 36.9 51.2
2011 25.5 17.9 4.44 79.3 45.1 62.3
2012 25.8 18.1 4.69 84.7 48.1 66.1
2013 25.5 17.9 4.94 88.2 48.6 67.8
2014 24.7 17.3 5.60 96.9 60.1 81.1
2015 24.8 17.4 6.04 104.9 60.1 78.3
2016 25.7 18.0 5.74 103.3 48.6 63.7
2017 26.5 18.6 5.65 104.8 50.4 66.9
2018 26.8 18.8 5.69 106.7 49.1 67.0
2019 27.3 19.1 5.82 111.2 48.2 66.3
2020 27.6 19.3 6.39 123.3 45.8 63.1

1Total amount of beef used in the domestic market on a carcass weight basis.

2Amount of the carcass estimated to cutout to retail cuts. This is 70 percent of the total disappearance.

3The value of a weighted average of an animal's retail meat cuts.

4Retail equivalent value of beef produced.

5Production includes total live weights of animals marketed, farm slaughter, and custom slaughter consumed on farms where produced, minus live weight of inshipments, with an adjustment for any increase or decrease in live weight of inventory.

6Receipts for cattle marketed for slaughter, including on-farm slaughter.

Sources: USDA, Economic Research Service, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, and National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Table 2. U.S. beef production and trade
Year

Commercial beef production1

Beef exports2

Beef exports as percent of production

Value of beef exports
  Billion pounds Percent Billion dollars
2001 26.1 2.3 8.7 2.7
2002 27.1 2.4 9.0 2.6
2003 26.2 2.5 9.6 3.2
2004 24.5 0.5 1.9 0.6
2005 24.7 0.7 2.8 1.0
2006 26.2 1.1 4.4 1.6
2007 26.4 1.4 5.4 2.2
2008 26.6 2.0 7.5 3.0
2009 26.0 1.9 7.5 2.9
2010 26.3 2.3 8.7 3.8
2011 26.2 2.8 10.6 5.0
2012 25.9 2.5 9.5 5.1
2013 25.7 2.6 10.1 5.7
2014 24.3 2.6 10.6 6.5
2015 23.7 2.3 9.6 5.4
2016 25.2 2.6 10.1 5.5
2017 26.2 2.9 10.9 6.4
2018 26.9 3.2 11.8 7.5
2019 27.2 3.0 11.1 7.1
2020 27.6 3.0 10.9 6.8

1Commercial production on a carcass weight basis.

2Carcass weight basis.

Sources: USDA, Economic Research Service, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.
Table 3a. North America total slaughter and inventories
Year Total slaughter U.S. Total slaughter Canada Total slaughter Mexico All cattle & calves inventory U.S. All cattle & calves inventory Canada All cattle & calves inventory Mexico
  Million head
2001 36.6 3.8 7.1 97.3 13.6 25.3
2002 37.0 3.9 6.3 96.7 13.8 25.3
2003 36.7 3.6 7.0 96.1 13.5 26.0
2004 33.8 4.5 6.8 94.4 14.6 25.2
2005 33.3 4.4 6.2 95.0 14.9 24.3
2006 34.6 4.0 5.5 96.3 14.7 23.7
2007 35.2 3.8 5.7 96.6 14.1 23.3
2008 35.5 3.8 5.8 96.0 13.8 22.9
2009 34.5 3.7 5.9 94.7 13.0 22.7
2010 35.3 3.7 6.1 94.1 12.7 22.2
2011 35.1 3.4 6.3 92.9 12.2 21.5
2012 33.9 3.1 6.4 91.2 12.2 20.1
2013 33.4 3.1 6.2 90.1 12.2 18.5
2014 30.9 3.2 6.0 88.2 12.1 17.8
2015 29.3 2.9 6.0 89.2 11.6 17.1
2016 31.2 3.1 6.0 91.9 11.6 16.6
2017 32.8 3.3 6.1 93.6 11.5 16.5
2018 33.7 3.5 6.2 94.3 11.6 16.6
2019 34.3 3.6 6.2 94.8 11.5 16.7
2020 32.8 3.5 6.3 93.8 11.3 16.9
* = Inventory on January 1.

Sources: USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service, and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.
Table 3b. U.S. beef and veal imports from North America
Year Total imports Imports from Canada¹ Imports from Mexico Share from Canada Share from Mexico Imports from North America as share of U.S. beef consumption
  Billion Pounds Percent
2001 3.163 0.987 0.012 31.2 0.4 3.7
2002 3.218 1.091 0.017 33.9 0.5 4.0
2003 3.006 0.740 0.016 24.60 0.5 2.8
2004 3.679 1.062 0.019 28.9 0.5 3.9
2005 3.599 1.092 0.027 30.4 0.7 4.0
2006 3.085 0.844 0.041 27.4 1.3 3.1
2007 3.052 0.789 0.050 25.9 1.6 3.0
2008 2.538 0.841 0.044 33.1 1.7 3.2
2009 2.626 0.812 0.066 30.9 2.5 3.3
2010 2.298 0.861 0.107 37.5 4.7 3.7
2011 2.057 0.689 0.155 33.5 7.5 3.3
2012 2.220 0.537 0.242 24.2 10.9 3.0
2013 2.250 0.538 0.252 23.9 11.2 3.1
2014 2.947 0.602 0.310 20.4 10.5 3.7
2015 3.368 0.628 0.392 18.7 11.6 4.1
2016 3.012 0.718 0.493 23.8 16.4 4.7
2017 2.993 0.741 0.574 24.8 19.2 5.0
2018 2.998 0.792 0.508 26.4 16.9 4.9
2019 3.058 0.848 0.580 27.7 19.0 5.3
2020 3.342 0.825 0.651 24.7 19.5 5.4

1Some products imported from Canada could be made from animals originally imported from the United States.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service.
Table 3c. U.S. cattle imports from North America
Year Total Cattle Imports From Mexico From Canada 1 Share from Canada
  Million head Percent
2001 2.437 1.130 1.306 54
2002 2.503 0.816 1.687 67
2003 1.752 1.240 0.512 29
2004 1.371 1.370 0.000* <0.1
2005 1.816 1.256 0.559 31
2006 2.289 1.257 1.032 45
2007 2.495 1.090 1.405 56
2008 2.284 0.703 1.581 69
2009 2.002 0.941 1.061 53
2010 2.284 1.221 1.063 47
2011 2.107 1.421 0.686 33
2012 2.283 1.468 0.815 36
2013 2.033 0.989 1.044 51
2014 2.358 1.116 1.243 53
2015 1.984 1.154 0.830 42
2016 1.708 0.943 0.765 45
2017 1.807 1.164 0.642 36
2018 1.899 1.268 0.631 33
2019 2.043 1.320 0.723 35
2020 2.114 1.441 0.673 32

1Cattle shipments from Canada to the United States may include animals transshipped through Canada from Hawaii or Alaska.

*135 head.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service.
Table 4a. Volume of top export markets for U.S. beef
Year Japan South Korea Mexico Canada
  Million pounds
2001 1,004 346 532 233
2002 771 597 629 241
2003 918 587 586 227
2004 12 1 333 56
2005 17 1 464 106
2006 52 1 660 239
2007 159 78 586 339
2008 231 152 759 389
2009 274 141 628 363
2010 351 277 500 391
2011 456 380 488 500
2012 449 305 352 467
2013 671 253 403 467
2014 663 301 435 364
2015 540 319 363 324
2016 655 459 395 308
2017 826 473 419 309
2018 886 638 449 300
2019 799 684 424 268
2020 827 667 320 286

Note: Carcass weight basis.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service.
Table 4b. Value of top export markets for U.S. beef
Year Japan South Korea Mexico Canada
  Million dollars
2001 1,261 361 576 287
2002 854 619 615 286
2003 1,183 754 623 309
2004 31 2 393 105
2005 50 3 584 194
2006 105 4 786 415
2007 294 124 737 576
2008 439 291 895 683
2009 495 215 770 622
2010 662 504 669 731
2011 873 661 791 1,039
2012 1,000 548 647 1,189
2013 1,283 567 739 1,197
2014 1,421 825 942 1,052
2015 1,013 766 801 874
2016 1,137 1,014 711 740
2017 1,528 1,149 746 775
2018 1,754 1,673 829 727
2019 1,563 1,773 830 638
2020 1,572 1,654 625 709

Note: Carcass weight basis.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service.