Beef Industry Statistics
- 2014 Cattle inventory (as of July 1, 2014): 95 million, 3% down from July 2012.
- Economic impact: $44 billion in farm gate receipts (USDA NASS)
- Number of beef cow operations: 729,000
- Number of cattle & calf operations: 915,000
- 29.0 million beef cows (down 1%)
- 33.9 million head calf crop (2013)
- The average cow herd size: 40 head
- 2014 U.S. total beef exports: 5.6 billion pounds
- Top export markets: Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Hong Kong
- More than 50 percent of the total value of U.S. sales of cattle and calves comes from the top 5 states:
1. Texas
2. Nebraska
3. Kansas
4. California
5. Oklahoma
- Average producer age: 58.3, up 1.2 years since 2007 (USDA 2012 Ag Census)
- U.S. beef production (commercial carcass weight) was 25.8 billion pounds.
- The total U.S. beef consumed was 25.5 billion pounds.
- Average annual U.S. retail Choice beef price in 2013 was $5.29/lb.
- U.S. commercial slaughter total was 31.9 million head
National Cattlemen - Directions Statistics
Industry Statistics as of November 2012
Cattle Numbers and Beef Production 
Average Annual Per Capita Consumption of Meat (Retail Weight)
Average Annual Per Capita Consumption Beef Cuts and Ground Beef
Monthly Prices Cattle, Wholesale and Retail Beef
Monthly Corn Prices -- U.S. Average
Cattle and Beef Products, Exports vs. Imports (Annual)
Cattle and Beef Products, Exports vs. Imports (Monthly)
Leading Markets for U.S. Beef and Veal
Value of Cattle By-Product, Per 1,000-lb Steer