American agriculture contributes $10.4 trillion in economic value and supports nearly 49 million U.S. jobs

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Today, 35 food and agriculture groups released the 10th annual Feeding the Economy report, a farm-to-fork study of the entire agricultural supply chain. The report analyzes the direct and indirect economic contributions of one of America’s most essential industries to U.S. jobs, wages, economic output, and taxes.

The 2026 report confirms that America’s food and agriculture industries remain a cornerstone of the U.S. economy, generating more than $10.4 trillion in economic value—representing nearly 20% of the national economy. This marks an increase of nearly $894 billion year-over-year, reflecting growth across the agricultural value chain amid ongoing inflation pressures, a challenging farm economy, and an uncertain global trade environment.

America’s food and agriculture sector supports 48.7 million jobs across the economy, including nearly 24.3 million direct jobs in farming, manufacturing, processing, distribution, retail, and foodservice. Direct employment has grown 6.5% over the past decade, though job growth slowed in the past year as parts of the sector faced economic pressures.

Additional highlights from the report include:

• Food and agriculture generate more than $3 trillion in wages for American workers, with wages rising 4% year-over-year and 13% over the past decade, generally outpacing inflation.
• Food manufacturing remains the largest manufacturing sector in the U.S., employing more than 2.28 million workers.
• U.S. food and agriculture exports totaled more than $177.3 billion, though exports declined by roughly $5.4 billion year-over-year, underscoring the importance of maintaining strong trade agreements and expanding market access for American producers.
• The food and agriculture sector generates $1.35 trillion in tax revenue for federal, state, and local governments, a 7% increase year-over-year.

Despite the industry’s continued economic impact, the report reveals several emerging challenges. Direct employment in production agriculture and food manufacturing remained largely flat year-over-year, reflecting pressures on farmers, producers, and rural communities. Export values have also declined in inflation-adjusted terms over the past decade, further demonstrating the importance of stable and reliable international markets for U.S. agriculture.

Sponsoring organizations from the food and agriculture industries, who helped make the 2026 study possible, provided commentary on this year’s findings. The full list of sponsoring organizations is available at feedingtheeconomy.com.

Contact
Spencer Chase, schase@corn.org

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SOURCE Feeding the Economy