Livestock · NASS annual estimates, 2025
Where is milk produced?
California produces the most milk: 18% of the 232 billion pounds produced in the US in 2025.
Next come Wisconsin (14%) and Idaho (8%).
- US total, 2025
- 232 billion poundsNASS estimate
- Top state
- California18% of total
- Farms reporting, 2022
- 36,024in 50 states
- Farm value, 2025
- $49.1 billionvalue of production
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. State view: NASS annual estimates, 2025. County view: 2022 Census of Agriculture (head on farms). The annual survey measures milk produced, in pounds. The Census map counts milk cows on farms on December 31, 2022. Cheese, butter and ice cream are made from this milk.
Which state produces the most milk?
California produces the most milk: 18% of the 232 billion pounds produced in the US in 2025. Ranked by NASS's 2025 estimate.
Which counties produce the most milk?
From the 2022 Census of Agriculture, which reports milk for 2,359 counties. NASS withholds 850 of those county figures to protect individual farms, so a withheld county could be larger than some listed here.
| County | Head on farms | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Tulare County, CA | 480,992 | 5% |
| Merced County, CA | 288,973 | 3% |
| Gooding County, ID | 165,205 | 2% |
| Stanislaus County, CA | 153,912 | 2% |
| Kings County, CA | 150,643 | 2% |
| Weld County, CO | 134,728 | 1% |
| San Joaquin County, CA | 133,512 | 1% |
| Kern County, CA | 129,250 | 1% |
| Fresno County, CA | 111,876 | 1% |
| Twin Falls County, ID | 108,379 | 1% |
| Jerome County, ID | 103,043 | 1% |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 102,800 | 1% |
| Yakima County, WA | 100,591 | 1% |
| Hartley County, TX | 92,475 | under 1% |
| Curry County, NM | 78,369 | under 1% |
How has US production of milk changed?
NASS annual estimates, 2000 to 2025.
Milk by the numbers
Each note is calculated from USDA NASS data; the source is listed under it.
How concentrated
The top three states, California, Wisconsin and Idaho, account for 40% of the milk produced in the US.
NASS annual estimates, 2025
How widespread
Farms in 50 states reported milk in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, 36,024 farms in all.
2022 Census of Agriculture
Top county
Tulare County, California has 5% of the milk cows on US farms, more than any other county.
2022 Census of Agriculture
Ten-year change
US production of milk rose 11% between 2015 and 2025, from 209 billion pounds to 232 billion pounds.
NASS annual estimates
Record year
2025 was the biggest year in NASS estimates going back to 2000, at 232 billion pounds.
NASS annual estimates
Long-time leader
California has led NASS's state estimates for milk every year since at least 2000.
NASS annual estimates
Farm value
NASS puts the value of US milk production in 2025 at $49.1 billion.
NASS annual estimates
Census to Census
The number of milk cows on US farms rose 2% between the 1997 and 2022 Censuses of Agriculture, from 9.1 million milk cows to 9.3 million milk cows.
Censuses of Agriculture, 1997 to 2022
About this data
The annual survey measures milk produced, in pounds. The Census map counts milk cows on farms on December 31, 2022. Cheese, butter and ice cream are made from this milk.
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: CATTLE, COWS, MILK - INVENTORY; MILK - PRODUCTION, MEASURED IN LB. Data processed 2026-11-06. Methodology.