Industry at a Glance

In 2021, the Meat and Poultry industry produced¹:

• 27.95 billion pounds of beef – a record volume.
• 27.67 billion pounds of pork.
• 53.2 million pounds of veal.
• 138.4 million pounds of lamb and mutton.
• 50.4 billion pounds of poultry.

Occupational Safety and Hazards Administration (OSHA) Injury and illness rates for workers have steadily declined.

The United States exports about $30 billion in livestock and animal products³.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, meat and poultry processing is a $227.9 billion industry.²

Meat and poultry packers and processors employ more than 532,000 people.⁴

Average starting salary was $16.00 per hour on average, which has grown to more than $22.00 per hour today.⁴