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Cattle & Beef - Statistics & Information

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

For current and historical inventory data, see the following USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reports:

For current cattle and beef prices:

For production, supply, and distribution data for U.S. and major importing and exporting countries, including historic data and current year projections, see USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) database:

 
Table 1. U.S. beef industry
Calendar year Total beef disappearance1 (billion pounds) Retail equivalent of dissappearance2 (billion pounds) All fresh beef retail value3 (U.S. dollars) Retail equivalent value of beef produced4 (billion U.S. dollars) Value of cattle and calf production5 (billion U.S. dollars) Cash receipts6 (billion U.S. dollars)
2002 27.9 19.5 3.05 59.6 27.1 38.1
2003 27.0 18.9 3.31 62.6 32.1 45.3
2004 27.7 19.4 3.61 70.2 34.9 47.4
2005 27.8 19.4 3.64 70.8 36.3 49.3
2006 28.1 19.7 3.61 71.2 35.5 49.1
2007 28.1 19.7 3.77 74.3 36.0 49.8
2008 27.2 19.0 3.97 75.5 35.6 48.4
2009 26.8 18.8 3.89 73.1 31.9 43.7
2010 26.4 18.5 4.02 74.2 36.9 51.2
2011 25.5 17.9 4.44 79.3 45.1 62.3
2012 25.7 18.0 4.69 84.6 48.1 66.1
2013 25.5 17.8 4.94 88.1 48.6 67.8
2014 24.7 17.3 5.60 96.8 60.1 81.1
2015 24.8 17.3 6.04 104.7 60.1 78.3
2016 25.7 18.0 5.74 103.2 48.6 63.7
2017 26.5 18.5 5.65 104.7 50.4 66.9
2018 26.8 18.7 5.69 106.6 49.1 67.0
2019 27.3 19.1 5.82 111.1 48.2 66.3
2020 27.6 19.3 6.38 123.2 45.9 63.1
2021 28.0 19.6 6.95 136.0 51.9 72.7
2022 28.2 19.7 7.30 143.9 61.9 86.1
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 onfarm slaughter.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations using USDA, World Agricultural Outlook Board, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates; and USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service data.
Table 2. U.S. beef production and trade
Calendar year Commercial beef production1 (billion pounds) Beef exports2 (billion pounds) Beef exports as percent of production (percent) Value of beef exports (billion U.S. dollars)
2002 27.1 2.4 9.0 2.7
2003 26.2 2.5 9.6 3.3
2004 24.5 0.5 1.9 0.7
2005 24.7 0.7 2.8 1.1
2006 26.2 1.1 4.4 1.7
2007 26.4 1.4 5.4 2.2
2008 26.6 2.0 7.5 3.1
2009 26.0 1.9 7.5 3.0
2010 26.3 2.3 8.7 3.9
2011 26.2 2.8 10.6 5.1
2012 25.9 2.5 9.5 5.2
2013 25.7 2.6 10.1 5.8
2014 24.3 2.6 10.6 6.7
2015 23.7 2.3 9.6 5.8
2016 25.2 2.6 10.1 5.8
2017 26.2 2.9 10.9 6.7
2018 26.9 3.2 11.8 7.8
2019 27.2 3.0 11.1 7.5
2020 27.2 3.0 10.9 7.1
2021 27.9 3.4 12.3 9.9
2022 28.3 3.5 12.5 10.9
1Commercial production on a carcass weight basis.

2Carcass weight basis.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations using USDA, World Agricultural Outlook Board, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.
Table 3a. North American total slaughter and inventories
Calendar year Total slaughter, United States (million head) Total slaughter, Canada (million head) Total slaughter, Mexico (million head) All cattle and calves inventory, United States* (million head) All cattle and calves inventory, Canada* (million head) All cattle and calves inventory, Mexico* (million head)
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 11.7 16.6
2019 34.3 3.6 6.3 94.8 11.7 16.7
2020 33.4 3.5 6.3 93.8 11.5 16.9
2021 34.4 3.7 6.7 93.8 11.5 17.0
2022 34.8 3.7 6.8 92.1 11.5 17.3
* = Inventory on January 1.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations using USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service data; and USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service data.
Table 3b. U.S. beef and veal imports from North America
Calendar year Total imports (billion pounds) Imports from Canada1 (billion pounds) Imports from Mexico (billion pounds) Share from Canada (percent) Share from Mexico (percent) Imports from North America as share of U.S. beef consumption (percent)
2002 3.218 1.091 0.017 33.9 0.5 4.0
2003 3.006 0.740 0.016 24.6 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 3.3
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 17.0 4.9
2019 3.058 0.848 0.580 27.7 19.0 5.2
2020 3.339 0.825 0.651 24.7 19.5 5.4
2021 3.345 0.942 0.675 28.2 20.2 5.8
2022 3.390 0.971 0.740 28.6 21.8 6.1
1Some products imported from Canada could be made from animals originally imported from the United States.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
Table 3c. U.S. cattle imports from North America
Calendar year Total cattle imports (million head) Imports from Mexico (million head) Imports from Canada1 (million head) Share from Canada (percent)    
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    
2021 1.775 1.128 0.647 36    
2022 1.628 0.871 0.757 47    
*=135 head.

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

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
Table 4a. Top U.S. beef export markets, by volume
Calendar year Japan (million pounds) South Korea (million pounds) Mexico (million pounds) Canada (million pounds) China (million pounds)
2002 771 597 629 241 18
2003 918 587 586 227 9
2004 12 1 333 56 0
2005 17 1 464 106 5
2006 52 1 660 239 8
2007 159 78 586 339 10
2008 231 152 759 389 4
2009 274 141 628 363 5
2010 351 277 500 391 9
2011 456 380 488 500 5
2012 449 305 352 467 14
2013 671 253 403 467 17
2014 663 301 435 364 8
2015 540 319 363 324 2
2016 655 459 395 308 0
2017 826 473 419 309 9
2018 886 638 449 300 22
2019 799 684 424 268 32
2020 827 667 320 286 119
2021 818 778 316 279 540
2022 816 812 283 274 627
Note: Carcass weight basis.

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.
Table 4b. Top U.S. beef export markets, by value
Calendar year Japan (million dollars) South Korea (million dollars) Mexico (million dollars) Canada (million dollars) China (million dollars)
2002 857 621 617 328 14
2003 1,187 761 625 354 10
2004 31 2 393 131 0
2005 50 3 585 232 13
2006 105 4 787 459 23
2007 294 124 740 628 42
2008 439 291 898 739 15
2009 495 215 773 672 22
2010 662 504 673 784 44
2011 873 661 793 1,106 20
2012 1,000 548 649 1,270 61
2013 1,283 567 743 1,294 72
2014 1,421 825 946 1,163 36
2015 1,084 778 855 1,038 8
2016 1,213 1,031 765 897 0
2017 1,607 1,172 794 929 33
2018 1,844 1,695 873 887 62
2019 1,658 1,797 871 804 85
2020 1,653 1,680 670 863 301
2021 1,947 2,347 840 948 1,551
2022 1,886 2,691 756 1,016 2,020
Source: USDA, Economic Research Service calculations using data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.