Contents
- Household spending on meat statistics: annual U.S. consumer-unit benchmarks
- Household spending on meat statistics: 2019–2020 at-home meat purchases and spending
- Household spending on meat statistics: beef, pork, poultry, and other meat expenditures
- Household spending on meat statistics: meat purchase prices and quantities
- household spending on meat: Meat, poultry, fish, and egg spending across U.S. regions
- household spending on meat: Meat, poultry, fish, and egg spending in selected U.S. metropolitan areas
- Sources
Household spending on meat statistics: annual U.S. consumer-unit benchmarks
Household spending on meat statistics depend on what the source counts as meat. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) annual consumer-expenditure survey reports the combined category “Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs.” Its measure includes foods beyond meat, so it is a useful broad benchmark but not a meat-only total. In 2025, average annual expenditure in the category was $1,579 per U.S. consumer unit; in 2024, it was $1,414. BLS reported an 11.7% increase between those years and marked the difference in dollar means as statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Source: BLS, Consumer Expenditures Summary — 2025
| BLS annual mean per U.S. consumer unit | 2024 | 2025 | Reported change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs | $1,414 | $1,579 | 11.7% |
| Food at home | — | $6,491 | — |
| Food away from home | — | $4,142 | — |
The 2025 food totals provide context for the combined category: mean annual food-at-home expenditure was $6,491 per consumer unit, and mean annual food-away-from-home expenditure was $4,142. They are separate broad food measures. The BLS table does not present them as a breakdown of the $1,579 combined meats, poultry, fish, and eggs expenditure. Source: BLS, Consumer Expenditures Summary — 2025
A consumer unit is the BLS survey’s unit of analysis. The wording should be retained when describing the estimate rather than assuming it is identical to a household in another survey. BLS reports annual average expenditures, while the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) estimates below concern monthly household purchases of retail meat for at-home consumption. Their populations, categories, and methods differ; the observations describe distinct series. Sources: BLS, Consumer Expenditures Summary — 2025; USDA ERS, ERR-306
Household spending on meat statistics: 2019–2020 at-home meat purchases and spending
For a meat-only view, USDA ERS report ERR-306 measures household retail meat purchases for at-home consumption. Average monthly household expenditure was $146.82 in 2019 and $168.18 in 2020. A related USDA summary states that U.S. households spent 14.5% more on meat for at-home consumption in 2020 than in 2019. These are historical observations for those years, not current estimates. Sources: USDA ERS, ERR-306, Table 1; USDA ERS, Higher retail meat prices during COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted U.S. households in 2020
The expenditure amounts and percentage comparison describe the same general period and type of purchase, but they are reported as separate observations: the report gives average monthly dollars, while the USDA summary gives a year-over-year percentage. ERR-306 draws on household and store scanner data and covers 48 continental states plus the District of Columbia. Sources: USDA ERS, ERR-306; USDA ERS, Higher retail meat prices during COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted U.S. households in 2020
These USDA values are not directly interchangeable with the BLS annual consumer-unit mean. USDA isolates retail meat purchased for home use and reports monthly household expenditure. BLS groups meat with poultry, fish, and eggs and reports annual consumer-unit expenditure. Read each in its own scope and period. Sources: USDA ERS, ERR-306; BLS, Consumer Expenditures Summary — 2025
Household spending on meat statistics: beef, pork, poultry, and other meat expenditures
ERR-306 separates the monthly at-home retail meat expenditure into beef, pork, poultry, and other meats. The 2019 and 2020 average-month amounts are shown below. “Other meats” includes lamb, mutton, rabbit, venison, and similar items, as defined in the report’s table note. Source: USDA ERS, ERR-306, Table 1
| Average monthly household at-home retail meat expenditure | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | $71.67 | $82.91 |
| Pork | $30.81 | $35.17 |
| Poultry | $40.13 | $45.06 |
| Other meats | $4.22 | $5.04 |
| Total meat | $146.82 | $168.18 |
USDA also reports the percentage changes in expenditure from 2019 to 2020 by category: 14.5% for total meat, 15.7% for beef, 14.2% for pork, 12.3% for poultry, and 19.5% for other meats. These figures refer to expenditure changes; they do not state the percentage change in pounds purchased or price per pound. Source: USDA ERS, ERR-306, Table 2
Beef had the highest monthly expenditure amount among the listed categories in both years, while other meats had the lowest. The values are study averages, not a claim that every household purchased each category or spent the listed amount. Source: USDA ERS, ERR-306
Household spending on meat statistics: meat purchase prices and quantities
Expenditure alone does not show the amount purchased or the average price per pound. USDA’s table reports those measures alongside spending. Average monthly household at-home retail meat quantity was 44.02 pounds in 2019 and 47.18 pounds in 2020. The average total meat price was $3.37 per pound in 2019 and $3.61 per pound in 2020. Source: USDA ERS, ERR-306, Table 1
| USDA at-home retail purchase measure | 2019 average month | 2020 average month |
|---|---|---|
| Total meat quantity per household | 44.02 pounds | 47.18 pounds |
| Average total meat price | $3.37 per pound | $3.61 per pound |
| Average beef price | $5.32 per pound | $5.80 per pound |
The beef price measure was $5.32 per pound in 2019 and $5.80 per pound in 2020. It is an average across the beef purchases represented in the study, not a price for a particular cut, store, or date. The total and beef prices describe retail store-based average prices for the purchases covered by the report. Source: USDA ERS, ERR-306, Table 1
The expenditure, quantity, and price measures give separate views of the reported at-home retail purchase series. They do not represent restaurant meat spending or universal grocery prices. Source: USDA ERS, ERR-306
household spending on meat: Meat, poultry, fish, and egg spending across U.S. regions
BLS reports mean annual expenditure per consumer unit for the combined “Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs” category over the 2023–24 two-year period. The U.S. mean was $1,289. The regional means were $1,511 in the Northeast, $1,198 in the Midwest, $1,182 in the South, and $1,389 in the West. These amounts include poultry, fish, and eggs and do not isolate meat. Source: BLS, Consumer Expenditures for the U.S., regions, and selected metropolitan areas, 2023–24
| Area, 2023–24 | Mean annual expenditure per consumer unit | Share of mean total expenditures |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $1,289 | 1.7% |
| Northeast | $1,511 | 1.8% |
| Midwest | $1,198 | 1.6% |
| South | $1,182 | 1.7% |
| West | $1,389 | 1.5% |
The same BLS table reports the category’s share of mean total expenditures: 1.7% for the United States, 1.8% for the Northeast, 1.6% for the Midwest, 1.7% for the South, and 1.5% for the West. The dollar means and percentage shares are different comparisons: one reports average expenditure, and the other reports the category’s proportion of total expenditure. Source: BLS, Consumer Expenditures for the U.S., regions, and selected metropolitan areas, 2023–24
These regional estimates use the BLS consumer-unit measure and combined category. They should not be read as a regional version of USDA’s meat-only household purchase series. Sources: BLS, regional consumer expenditures, 2023–24; USDA ERS, ERR-306
household spending on meat: Meat, poultry, fish, and egg spending in selected U.S. metropolitan areas
BLS publishes mean annual spending for selected metropolitan statistical areas over 2023–24. The figures below are per consumer unit for the combined meats, poultry, fish, and eggs category. The table covers selected metros, not every U.S. metropolitan area. Source: BLS, Consumer Expenditures for the U.S., regions, and selected metropolitan areas, 2023–24
| Selected metropolitan area | Mean annual expenditure per consumer unit, 2023–24 |
|---|---|
| New York | $1,624 |
| Philadelphia | $1,331 |
| Boston | $1,623 |
| Chicago | $1,552 |
| Detroit | $1,213 |
| Minneapolis–St. Paul | $1,119 |
| Washington, DC | $1,406 |
| Baltimore | $1,818 |
| Atlanta | $1,518 |
| Miami | $1,322 |
| Dallas–Fort Worth | $1,233 |
| Houston | $1,283 |
| Tampa | $1,057 |
| Los Angeles | $1,510 |
| San Francisco | $1,552 |
| San Diego | $1,485 |
| Seattle | $1,291 |
| Phoenix | $1,130 |
| Denver | $1,254 |
In this selected set, the reported mean annual expenditure ranges from $1,057 in Tampa to $1,818 in Baltimore. Other values include $1,624 for New York, $1,623 for Boston, $1,552 for both Chicago and San Francisco, and $1,510 for Los Angeles. All are means for the combined category during 2023–24; the table does not break each metropolitan estimate into meat, poultry, fish, or eggs. Source: BLS, Consumer Expenditures for the U.S., regions, and selected metropolitan areas, 2023–24
The metropolitan figures describe variation among the published consumer-unit averages. They do not explain the reasons for that variation or provide a local breakdown of food types, prices, or quantities. Source: BLS, Consumer Expenditures for the U.S., regions, and selected metropolitan areas, 2023–24
Sources
- Consumer Expenditures Summary — 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Consumer expenditures in 2024, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Consumer Expenditures for the U.S., regions, and selected metropolitan areas, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Quantifying Consumer Welfare Impacts of Higher Meat Prices During the COVID-19 Pandemic, USDA Economic Research Service, ERR-306
- Higher retail meat prices during COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted U.S. households in 2020, USDA Economic Research Service