The American dinner plate has quietly transformed. A generation ago, beef was king; today the U.S. produces far more chicken than beef or pork. This guide charts U.S. meat production since 1990, maps where the nation's cattle are raised, and explains the economics that made chicken the country's dominant meat.
How much meat does the U.S. produce?
The U.S. produces tens of billions of pounds of meat a year, and the chart breaks it into the big three: chicken (broilers), beef (cattle), and pork (hogs). Chicken now sits well above the others and keeps climbing, beef has been roughly flat for decades, and pork has grown steadily. The most important feature isn't the total — it's how decisively chicken pulled away from beef.
The rise of chicken
Chicken's ascent is one of the great shifts in American food. Decades ago, beef and pork dominated; today chicken production dwarfs both. Americans now eat far more chicken per person than beef, a complete reversal from the mid-20th century. The drivers were economic and cultural: chicken got dramatically cheaper relative to beef, and it rode the wave of health advice steering people toward leaner white meat over red meat.
Where the cattle are
Beef production is geographically concentrated. The map shows cattle inventory by state, and a familiar cluster dominates: Texas leads by a wide margin, followed by other Great Plains and Western states like Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. These are the states with the vast grasslands and feedlots that the cattle industry depends on. The ranking below lists the top cattle states by head count.
Why chicken won
Chicken beat beef on pure economics. A chicken reaches market weight in about six weeks; a beef steer takes around two years. That makes chicken vastly cheaper and faster to produce, and far more efficient at converting feed into meat. Decades of industrial breeding and consolidation drove chicken's cost down even further, while beef — slow, land-hungry, and exposed to drought — grew more expensive. Cheap, lean, and versatile, chicken simply out-competed red meat on the American plate.
Frequently asked questions
What meat does the U.S. produce the most of?
Chicken, by a wide margin — U.S. chicken production now far exceeds beef or pork, a reversal from decades ago when beef dominated.
When did chicken overtake beef?
Chicken production pulled decisively ahead of beef over recent decades and continues to climb, while beef output has stayed roughly flat.
Which state has the most cattle?
Texas, by a wide margin, followed by Great Plains states like Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma with their grasslands and feedlots.
Why is chicken so much cheaper than beef?
Chickens reach market weight in about six weeks versus two years for cattle, convert feed to meat far more efficiently, and benefit from decades of industrial breeding — making chicken much cheaper to produce.
Do Americans eat more chicken than beef?
Yes — Americans now eat far more chicken per person than beef, a complete reversal from the mid-20th century, driven by chicken's lower cost and leaner profile.