Americans Eat 59 Pounds of Beef in 2026 as Steak Nears $13 a Pound
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 31
Americans Eat 59 Pounds of Beef in 2026 as Steak Nears $13 a Pound
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 31
Summary
$13-a-pound steak and nearly $7 ground beef have not curbed U.S. beef demand, with Americans projected to eat 59 pounds per person this year, up from 54 pounds in 2014.
Low cattle supply — the smallest in decades — has collided with a broader protein boom driven by new dietary guidance, the Make America Healthy Again push and GLP-1 users seeking to preserve muscle.
Steak prices are up 3.5% from a year ago and 16.6% over two years, with economists saying wealthier consumers remain willing to pay for premium beef.
Chicken is still the cheaper mass-market alternative at about $2 a pound for whole birds, and Americans are expected to eat roughly 108 pounds of it this year.