U.S. per capita consumption of cheese 2000-2021

In 2021, the average consumer in the United States ate about 40.3 pounds of cheese. Over the past ten years, U.S. per capita consumption of cheese has increased by over five pounds.

Cheese production

Wisconsin and California are the leading American states in terms of cheese production. Wisconsin led the country, producing nearly three and a half billion pounds of the dairy product, while California accounted for an estimated two and a half billion. The EU-27, however, produced by far the highest volume of cheese in the world.

Cheese prices

While the retail price of a pound of cheese has fluctuated over the past few decades, the dairy product has generally become more expensive. While the price per pound was less than four U.S. dollars in 1999, the average cost in 2019 was closer to five and a half U.S. dollars.