The U.S. milk production per capita for 2024 was 664.1 pounds, down 7.8 pounds (-1.2%) compared with 2023. Table 1 lists the states in descending order based on 2024 per capita production. States with per capita production of more than 600 pounds are inside the shaded area of the table. Six of the top 10 states in total production are also in the top 10 in per capita production; Texas, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington were the only states of the 10 that weren’t.
The top five states with the highest milk production per capita were Idaho, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Vermont and New Mexico, respectively, and all five were above 2,500 pounds. The lowest five states were Arkansas, Rhode Island, Alabama, Alaska and Hawaii, and each were below 10 pounds.
Eleven states reported annual per capita increases during 2024, with Alaska and Hawaii's 13.4% increase as the largest gain. South Dakota posted the second-largest increase, with a production per capita gain of 9.5%. Arkansas's per capita production decreased by 21.7%, which was the largest decline. Five other states recorded decreases over 10%: Mississippi (-12.2%), North Dakota (-16.4%), New Mexico (-11.4%), West Virginia (-11.9%) and Rhode Island (-10.7%).
The 300- and 600-pound levels of per capita production are arbitrary divisions selected for the map at the top of this article. The 600-pound level roughly approximates annual per capita consumption of all dairy products on a milk equivalent basis, while the 300-pound level reflects average annual consumption of Class I and Class II products (fluid and soft manufactured products), plus reserve requirements. A cursory analysis of regional milk supply conditions can be performed by examining the shading patterns prevalent in the individual regions.
Per capita production for the U.S. decreased by 1.2 pounds (-0.2%) in the last five years between 2019 and 2024. Fifteen states recorded increases in per capita milk production, led by South Dakota's 69% gain (Figure 1). Six additional states increased per capita production by 10% or more comparing 2024 with 2019. Arkansas recorded the largest decrease, with per capita production falling by 62% (Figure 2). Fourteen additional states posted declines of more than 20%, while eight states reported decreases between 10% and 20%.
