2020 Iowa Pork Industry Facts

On the Farm

Iowa is the No. 1 pork-producing state in the U.S., and the top state for pork exports.*
Nearly one-third of the nation’s hogs are raised in Iowa.
Iowa has more than 5,400 pig farms.
There are pig farmers in every Iowa county. The top five Iowa counties for pig production are Washington, Sioux, Lyon, Hamilton and Plymouth.
Iowa producers marketed almost 48 million hogs in 2018.
At any one time, there are approximately 24 million pigs being raised in Iowa.

As of 2019, 147,105 jobs were associated with the Iowa pork industry.*
One in nearly 10 working Iowans has a job tied to the pork industry.*
Exports of pork from Iowa totaled more than $2.1 billion in 2018.
In 2019, Japan, Mexico, China, Canada, and South Korea were the leading value export markets for Iowa pork. The largest export markets by volume were Mexico, China, Japan, Canada and South Korea.*
Hog production contributed $13.1 billion to the state economy in 2015.*
The pork industry contributed $40.8 billion in sales in 2019.*
Pork slaughtering and processing facilities generated 66% of the sales, hog production generates 34% of sales.*
From wean to 270 lbs., a pig eats approximately 12 bu. of corn and 2.5 bu. of soybeans.
During the year, Iowa pigs will eat corn from 22% of Iowa corn acres and 23% of Iowa soybean acres.

Livestock production in Iowa supplies about 25% of Iowa’s cropland fertilizer needs.
Pork sustainability keeps improving. When compared to 1960, the use of natural resources per pound of pork produced has been reduced significantly. Nearly 76% less land is used, 25% less water, and 7% less energy. In all, that shrinks the carbon footprint by nearly 8%.***

*Source: Decision Innovation Solutions 2020 Economic Contribution Study.

2020 Iowa Pork Economic Contribution infographic

**Source: U.S. Meat Export Federation 2018 Pork Export Statistics

***Source: A Retrospective Assessment of U.S. Pork Production: 1960 to 2015, University of Arkansas, 2018.