report highlights
- Americans are on their way to consuming about 288.1 eggs per capita in 2022.
- The US per capita consumption of eggs was only 251 in 2000.
- Iowa is home to the most laying hens, with about 51.4 million of 325 million nationwide.
- The top 10 states that produce eggs 63% of all eggs in the US.
- The average laying hen produces 296 eggs in a year.
- Around 29.3% of all laying hens are cage-free.
- Of all eggs produced 6.8% come from 22.3 million organic laying hens.
- Almost two thirds (65.7%) of all eggs go directly to retail.
- Other 27.8% Eggs are further processed before they reach the store or restaurant.
- Most (97.1%) of US eggs remain in the US and the remaining 2.9% are exported.
General egg consumption
Eating eggs can be an excellent way to get your protein, but there have been health concerns about the fat and cholesterol levels.
Before going into detail, consider some general statistics on egg consumption in the US.
How many eggs are consumed in the US each year?
- In 1945, Americans ate the most eggs in a year, averaging 404 eggs per person.
- Americans use about 95 million cartons of a dozen eggs a year.
- The US ranks 10th with the highest egg consumption per capita after countries from China to Paraguay.
- Eggs are one of the most versatile foods and ingredients.
- Large eggs are the standard when it comes to recipes that call for eggs.
- The most common egg dish in upstate New York is an egg sandwich.
- An omelette is the most popular egg dish in most states.
- People in Oregon and Pennsylvania consume frittatas more than any other egg dish.
- Scrambled eggs are the most common choice for people in North Carolina and West Virginia.
- The US imports about $74.9 million worth of eggs, usually from Canada.
- The Vision 365 initiative aims to increase average egg consumption to 365 eggs per year, or one per day.
- About one in six eggs in the US comes from Iowa.
- Indiana and Ohio rank second and third in egg production with a combined 47.5 million eggs.
- Liquid and dried egg products are the most common reasons for egg processing.
- Hillandale Farms donated 1.2 million eggs to food banks after New York State sued the farm for price gouging in 2020.
- The vast majority of the eggs we consume come from the breed of chicken known as the hybrid white leghorn.
- American and Canadian farms are the two biggest sources of eggs Americans eat.
Egg consumption at home
Many people eat eggs or use them in recipes when cooking at home, and that has only increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Understanding the eggs that make it to your table can help you decide how much to buy and whether to switch brands or the store you buy your eggs from.
- In 2020, private label eggs were preferred by most customers, and over 204 million people bought private label eggs that year.
- As of 2022, Americans are eating about 38.7 pounds of eggs per person per year.
- Eggs typically have a shelf life of four to six weeks past the expiration date on the carton.
- Eating eggs or refrigerating them within two hours of cooking can help you avoid bacterial contamination.
- You should cook all egg dishes until they reach at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure the eggs are safe to eat.
- When baking, whole eggs, egg whites or egg yolks can be used.
- Egg yolk is responsible for richer foods, while egg white makes baked goods lighter.
- You can use eggs to thicken up a recipe for everything from puddings to puddings.
- Whole eggs are about 70 to 75% water, egg whites are 85% water, and yolks are about 50% water.
- Although they don’t cause it, eggs can help increase browning in baked goods.
- The price of eggs rose by 13.1% due to inflation.
- Increases in chicken feed costs have contributed to higher egg prices.
- The average American uses about two dozen eggs a month.
- Assuming you consume the average number of eggs, you could spend $35.04 per person per year on eggs.
- Inflation in the 1960s reportedly prompted President Lyndon Johnson to issue a warning about eggs and their health effects in order to curb demand.
- Consumer egg prices increased by 22.6% from April 2021 to April 2022.
- Weekly sales of eggs rose by 36 million cartons following the initial lockdowns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Most eggs go to grocery stores, about two-thirds of all eggs US farms produce.
- Costco can sell larger packs of eggs (24 for $5), but the price per egg is no lower than your average dozen at your local grocery store ($1.33 for 12).
Egg consumption in restaurants
Like individuals, restaurants can use eggs for many things, from egg dishes to baked goods and other items.
Consider some statistics related to how restaurants use eggs and sell items containing eggs to their customers.
- McDonald’s and Denny’s are two of the largest consumers of eggs.
- Both restaurants have started using cage-free eggs.
- About 8% of all eggs go directly to restaurants.
- Another 30% of all eggs are processed before going to restaurants, retail or other final stages.
- Las Vegas’ Hard Rock processes about 1,200 eggs a day, or 30,000 dozen a month.
- Another 93,000 eggs are consumed by guests at Caesar’s Palace in a month, over 3,000 a day.
- Combined, all Las Vegas casinos serve around 253,000 eggs a day, or 92.3 million a year.
- McDonald’s buys about 2 billion eggs every year.
- McDonald’s launched its famous Egg McMuffin in 1972, 50 years ago.
Health-Related Statistics
Eggs aren’t the healthiest product, but they’re not the worst either, and some health concerns are less of an issue now.
But you might still want to know about egg health, from salmonella risk to environmental health concerns.
- Since the government dropped its warning about eggs and other high-cholesterol foods, egg consumption has increased significantly.
- Another reason for this increase is that eggs contain good proteins and fats like omega 3.
- A large egg yolk contains 200 mg of dietary cholesterol, although this doesn’t directly affect the cholesterol levels in your blood.
- Not cooking eggs thoroughly can contribute to many diseases that could be avoided with proper preparation.
- White eggs are not as nutritious as brown eggs.
- About one egg in 20,000 has salmonella.
- Factory farming of eggs can lead to many health problems for the workers and residents near the farms due to toxic gases and groundwater pollution.
- Eggs produced today are healthier with 14% less cholesterol than eggs produced in the past.
- The average egg contains 78 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 6 grams of protein.
egg production
To better understand egg consumption statistics, learn about US egg production and how farmers have been able to keep up with demand.
Here are some important facts you should know, from the conditions for chickens on farms to developments in farming technology.
- The USDA estimates that by 2026 about two-thirds of eggs will need to be cage-free.
- Although 63% of all eggs are produced, the top 10 egg producing states have only 44% of all layers in the US.
- Better disease prevention, nutrition and health have helped egg farmers increase production in recent years.
- Egg cartons can choose from four labels: cage-free, free-range, grass-fed and certified organic.
- Around 70% of all eggs come from conventional husbandry.
- About 95% of all eggs in the US come from hens raised in battery cages.
- Chickens can lay up to one egg each day and are most productive when they are between 25 and 39 weeks old.
- The chicken egg production industry is expected to be worth US$10.2 billion in 2022.
- The US produces about 8% of the world’s eggs.
- Egg production in the US fell about 2% from 2019 to 2020.
- About 81% of all laying hens lay an egg on any given day.
- About 12% of all hatched eggs are hatching eggs and not consumption eggs.
- Cal-Maine Foods, Inc manufactures and distributes the largest number of eggs in the United States.
- Although the US does not consume the second highest number of eggs per capita, the US produces the second highest number of eggs after China.
- In early 2022, bird flu killed about a tenth of chickens in the US.
- Of course, chickens only produce about 12 eggs a year, but farming has increased that number by about 3,000%.
- Family farms make up about 97% of all farms in the United States.
- Egg production today emits 71% fewer greenhouse gases than 50 years ago.
- You can find about 16% of all laying hens in the US on farms in Iowa.
- In the US, there is just one laying hen for every inhabitant of the country.
