Many years ago, we had a discussion with other poultry organizations about the need to quantify the impact the poultry industry has on the US economy. We realized that local, state, and governmental officials really did not understand the role that the poultry industry plays in the US economy. So, we began working with a group called John Dunham & Associates to conduct an economic impact study on the poultry industry. The first study, in 2012, revealed that the poultry industry provided 1.3 million jobs, $63 billion in wages, $23.4 billion in government revenue, and $265.6 billion in economic impact to the US economy.

Since that time, we have seen the industry grow. The study is conducted every other year, and the 2024 study results show the poultry industry providing 2.01 million jobs, $132.7 billion in wages, $54 billion in government revenue, and $663.6 billion in economic activity. Those are some pretty large numbers!

The study’s information can be viewed in many ways: by county, state Senate district, state House district, congressional district, by the entire state, or by the industry as a whole. And the study has been divided into four areas -- the entire poultry industry and then chicken, turkey, and eggs separately. This information is available for viewing on the following websites:

• PoultryFeedsAmerica.org
• ChickenFeedsAmerica.org
• TurkeyFeedsAmerica.org
• EggsFeedAmerica.org

The information provides a snapshot of the poultry industry's impact on the economy, based on historical data. For the 2024 study, we first sought feedback from state poultry associations and our national partner organizations. After incorporating their input, we shared the initial data set for review. Dunham & Associates then ran the models, making necessary corrections and adjustments, before finalizing the information for distribution.

We recognize that there is always room to improve how we communicate the positive contributions of the poultry industry, and the poultry economic impact study helps with this effort. The industry's economic contributions are rather eye opening, and when you also consider the annual donations of food, money, and other resources—along with the often-overlooked volunteer efforts of its employees—the overall impact becomes even more impressive!

The poultry economic impact model was developed by Dunham & Associates using data from Infogroup, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, numerous national and state poultry trade associations, and various state agriculture departments. This analysis employs the Minnesota IMPLAN Group's tools to measure the poultry industry's economic impact on the U.S. economy. The model uses an accounting framework to calculate the relationships between various inputs and outputs across industries and sectors. Additional details about the report's methodology are available on any of the poultry economic impact websites.

Gwen Venable is executive vice president, expo & communication services, for USPOULTRY.