Total milk production in the United States from 1999 to 2024 (in million pounds)*
* Excludes milk sucked by calves.
** Forecast
Data for 1999-2021 were taken from previous USDA reports.
The United States produced around 226.6 billion pounds of milk for human consumption in 2023. In 2000, this sum was roughly 167.4 billion pounds. The global production of cow milk has significantly increased in recent years.
Milk production in the United States has been relatively steady over the last three years, with the Midwest and Northeast contributing 1.4% and 0.9% of milk, respectively. However, output declined by 1.3% in the West and Southeast. The Southeast area has always declined, although this drop comes after years of expansion. The Northeast’s production has been constant, dropping 0.3% from five years ago. Over the previous five years, the Midwest has led in production, increasing output by 7.5%, with South Dakota leading the way. Kansas and Michigan also saw double-digit increases. The national herd size has not altered much, with 9.386 million cows in 2023, down just 0.2% from 2022. Cow numbers rose slightly in the Midwest and Northeast, but they fell 0.6% in the West and 2.3% in the Southeast. The average milk output per cow was 24,117 pounds, up 30 pounds from the previous year, and milk per cow has increased by 1,203 pounds during the last five years.
US milk market
Milk production has increased in recent years, while retail sales have decreased. The retail price of milk has fluctuated over the last several years, peaking in 2022 at 4.21 US dollars per gallon.
Leading US milk brands
Private label milk sells more than any other dairy brand in the United States. Hood had the most dollar sales of any name brand of whole milk in 2022, totaling more than 190 million USD. In the flavored milk category, TruMoo was the largest brand, selling about 91 million units in 2018. However, private label flavored milk sold many more units than the main name brand.
