Poultry & eggs · NASS annual estimates, 2025
Where are chickens raised?
Georgia raises the most chickens: 14% of the 9.4 billion broiler chickens raised in the US in 2025.
Among states with published figures, next come Alabama (13%) and Arkansas (11%).
- US total, 2025
- 9.4 billion broiler chickensNASS estimate
- Top state
- Georgia14% of total
- Farms reporting, 2022
- 31,877in 50 states
- Farm value, 2025
- $44.6 billionvalue of production
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. State view: NASS annual estimates, 2025. County view: 2022 Census of Agriculture (head sold). Broilers: chickens raised for meat. Egg-laying hens are on the eggs page.
Which state raises the most chickens?
Georgia raises the most chickens: 14% of the 9.4 billion broiler chickens raised in the US in 2025. Ranked by NASS's 2025 estimate.
* Rank among states with published figures. A state whose figure is withheld could rank higher.
Which counties raise the most chickens?
From the 2022 Census of Agriculture, which reports chickens for 2,327 counties. NASS withholds 724 of those county figures to protect individual farms, so a withheld county could be larger than some listed here.
| County | Head sold | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Sussex County, DE | 176,369,472 | 2% |
| Benton County, AR | 122,249,191 | 1% |
| Rockingham County, VA | 112,754,497 | 1% |
| DeKalb County, AL | 108,347,266 | 1% |
| Duplin County, NC | 105,578,798 | 1% |
| Gonzales County, TX | 94,447,112 | 1% |
| Fresno County, CA | 93,956,101 | 1% |
| Shelby County, TX | 90,518,787 | under 1% |
| Cullman County, AL | 87,345,796 | under 1% |
| Nacogdoches County, TX | 86,982,261 | under 1% |
| Sampson County, NC | 85,064,871 | under 1% |
| Washington County, AR | 81,652,276 | under 1% |
| Franklin County, GA | 79,725,917 | under 1% |
| Marshall County, AL | 73,280,317 | under 1% |
| Oglethorpe County, GA | 71,662,009 | under 1% |
How has the number of broiler chickens raised changed?
NASS annual estimates, 2008 to 2025.
Chickens by the numbers
Each note is calculated from USDA NASS data; the source is listed under it.
How concentrated
The top three states, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas, account for 38% of the chickens raised in the US.
NASS annual estimates, 2025
How widespread
Farms in 50 states reported chickens in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, 31,877 farms in all.
2022 Census of Agriculture
Top county
Sussex County, Delaware has 2% of the broiler chickens sold by US farms, more than any other county.
2022 Census of Agriculture
Ten-year change
The number of broiler chickens raised in the US rose 8% between 2015 and 2025, from 8.7 billion broiler chickens to 9.4 billion broiler chickens.
NASS annual estimates
Record year
2025 was the biggest year in NASS estimates going back to 2008, at 9.4 billion broiler chickens.
NASS annual estimates
Long-time leader
Georgia has led NASS's state estimates for chickens every year since at least 2008.
NASS annual estimates
Farm value
NASS puts the value of US chickens production in 2025 at $44.6 billion.
NASS annual estimates
Census to Census
The number of broiler chickens sold by US farms rose 25% between the 1997 and 2022 Censuses of Agriculture, from 7.4 billion broiler chickens to 9.2 billion broiler chickens.
Censuses of Agriculture, 1997 to 2022
About this data
Broilers: chickens raised for meat. Egg-laying hens are on the eggs page.
State and national figures come from NASS's annual estimates (final 2025 figures; in-season forecasts are not used). County figures and the county map come from the 2022 Census of Agriculture, the only source that covers every county. NASS withholds some figures, marked "withheld", to avoid disclosing data for individual farms.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats. Series: CHICKENS, BROILERS - SALES, MEASURED IN HEAD; CHICKENS, BROILERS - PRODUCTION, MEASURED IN HEAD. Data processed 2026-11-06. Methodology.