Broiler and conventional chicken production in the United States increased modestly end 2025, pulling down federal wholesale prices with it.
Despite the lingering presence of the pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), broiler production upped by 4% in December 2025 year-on-year (y-o-y).
Turkey output also advanced by 8.4% y-o-y, end 2025, according to David Anderson, a Texas A&M University’s extension economist.
Anderson further breaks down broiler meat volumes as 3.5% more than 2024’s, which had the effect of cooling erstwhile price hikes.
After rapidly advancing halfway through 2025, cutout broiler values slumped from $1.07 a pound (lb) in May 2025 to $0.63/lb by end year.
Cutouts represent various cuts such as boneless meat, wings, breast and other parts of chicken which sell at diverse rates.
According to Farms.com, wholesale boneless cuts sold at $1.16 a pound in December 2025, down from $2.77/lb or 2024’s average of $1.50.
Similarly-placed were legs at $0.59 a pound, a loss of $0.31 from the peak price of mid-2025.
Tyson’s Steps Up Federal Processing
This trend might continue for sometime after federal meat heavyweight Tyson’s ventured into chicken production at an idle processing plant in Springdale, Arkansas.
The acquisition of the former Cargill turkey processing plant indicates changing interests by a company that recently closed beef plants in Texas and Nebraska.
A retrofit of existing infrastructure at the Cargill facility preempts an intention to revamp chicken processing, with additional focus on value addition.
Arkansas is a top poultry producer in the United States, another pointer that the refitted plant will rally supplies countrywide.
This business interest also hints at upscaling demand for chicken products after a lull in 2024 and 2025 due to mainly avian flu. As such, the stats in the next section examine this vital part of the U.S. poultry industry from a production angle.
United States Chicken Production Statistics
The U.S. is the global leader in chicken production. Output hit 21.34 million tonnes in 2024-25, representing 20% global share, according to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). Only China (15% share, 2024-25), Brazil (14%), the European Union (11%) and Russia (5%) make the cut in the top 5.
Chicken output in the United States has been growing steadily from 2015 through 2024, per a USDA graphical representation:
| Year | Production [tonnes] |
| 2024 | 21.3 million |
| 2023 | 21.1 million |
| 2022 | 21 millon |
| 2021 | 20.4 million |
| 2020 | 20.3 million |
| 2015 | 18.2 million |
How big is the poultry industry in the U.S. by value?
America’s live turkey, egg, poultry meat and chicken production value was worth $70.2 billion in 2024, versus $67.4 billion in 2023. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), 65% of 2024’s production value came from broilers while 30% from eggs. The rest at 5% represented live turkeys and 1% live chicken. Apart from broilers, live chicken sales in 2024 hit $29.5 million, versus live turkey at $3.69 billion.
Which states produce the most chicken?
The southern state of Georgia leads federal chicken production by unit count at 1.4 billion head ( 2024). Following suit are Alabama at 1.2 billion head and Arkansas at 1 billion units.