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The latest USDA Census of Agriculture shows U.S. hog inventory concentrated on larger operations: from 2002 to 2022, the share of hogs on farms with at least 5,000 head rose from 53% to 75%, while the share on farms with fewer than 2,000 head fell from 25% to 5%. At the same time, fewer farms reported hog sales in 2022 than in 2017. These figures describe a long-running shift in operation size—not a count of corporate owners, and not a claim that every farm has expanded.
What the census numbers show
The 2022 Census of Agriculture, released by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) on February 13, 2024, is the latest complete census benchmark in the cited USDA data. The census is conducted every five years, so its figures are periodic snapshots rather than annual observations.
NASS tracks the share of hog inventory held by operations in three size bands. The comparison below shows how that distribution changed. The bands refer to hog inventory per operation—not acreage, corporate ownership, or the number of companies.
| Hogs per operation | 2002 inventory share | 2022 inventory share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 2,000 | 25% | 5% | Down 20 percentage points |
| 2,000–4,999 | 23% | 20% | Down 3 percentage points |
| 5,000 or more | 53% | 75% | Up 22 percentage points |
Shares are rounded, so the categories may not total exactly 100%. NASS reports that the inventory share on operations with at least 5,000 head rose at each census point from 2002 through 2022. The shift is therefore not just an endpoint comparison: the largest size band grew steadily across the reported census years. USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture: Hogs and Pigs.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesWhy “farms” can mean different things
A farm with hog sales during the census period is not necessarily the same as a farm reporting hog inventory at a particular point in time. The measures answer different questions and should not be substituted for one another.
- Farms with hog sales: NASS counted 56,265 farms reporting sales in 2022, 13% fewer than the 64,871 that reported sales in 2017.
- Hogs sold: Those sales totaled 240.1 million hogs in 2022.
- Sales value: The value of hog sales was $36.4 billion in 2022.
- Farms with inventory: This measure counts farms reporting hogs on hand, not farms that sold hogs over the census period. ERS’s separate historical comparison found a 47% decline in operations with inventory from 1997 to 2017.
The sales count and sales totals are from NASS’s 2022 census highlights; the inventory comparison is from USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). NASS census highlights; USDA ERS, Hogs & Pork: Sector at a Glance.
How the shift unfolded over time
Since 1990: many fewer farms with hogs
USDA ERS reports that the number of farms with hogs declined by more than 70% since 1990. That broad trend refers to farms with hogs, not specifically the farms-with-sales measure in the 2022 census.
1997 to 2017: inventory per operation roughly doubled
In a defined 1997–2017 comparison, the number of operations with hog inventory fell 47%, while average inventory per farm roughly doubled. Over the same period, the share of hog inventory on operations with at least 5,000 head rose from 40% to 73%. ERS also found that production contracts grew in major hog-producing states: in 2017, more than half of hogs sold in Iowa and Minnesota combined, and in North Carolina, were under production contract. USDA ERS, Number of U.S. hog operations declined between 1997 and 2017, while farm size and contract production increased.
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Why production moved toward larger operations
ERS describes several linked changes rather than a single cause. Specialized production phases have largely replaced the traditional farrow-to-finish model, in which one operation handles breeding through finishing. Production contracting also became more common. ERS associates these changes with economies of scale, technological innovation, and efficiency gains, and says increased scale and technology account for most productivity gains.
These are explanations of sector-wide change, not a quantified breakdown showing how much each factor caused farm exits. The data support the conclusion that hog production shifted toward fewer, larger operations; they do not show that one technology, contract arrangement, or business decision alone produced that result. USDA ERS sector overview.
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Where hog sales are concentrated
Hog production is concentrated geographically as well as by operation size. Iowa, Minnesota, and North Carolina together accounted for 56.7% of U.S. hog sales in 2022. NASS reported sales values of $11.8 billion for Iowa, $4.7 billion for Minnesota, and $4.1 billion for North Carolina. These are state sales values, not a measure of each state’s share of inventory. USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture: Hogs and Pigs.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What concentration means—and what it does not
A larger share of inventory on big operations means fewer operations account for more of the hogs being raised. It does not establish how many owners or companies control those operations, nor does it imply that all hog farms are large. The farm counts, inventory shares, and sales totals are distinct indicators, each with its own definition.
ERS also identifies environmental and community concerns associated with concentrated production, including facility air and water quality, worker health, manure and waste management, and conflicts with nearby residents over odor and water contamination. These are issues reported in connection with the sector’s structure, not claims that every large operation has the same impacts. USDA ERS sector overview.
Quick Recap
Sources and definitions
- USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture: Hogs and Pigs (2024), for inventory shares, farms with sales, hogs sold, sales value, and state data.
- USDA ERS, Hogs & Pork: Sector at a Glance, for the long-term structural shift, production practices, productivity, and environmental concerns.
- USDA ERS, Number of U.S. hog operations declined between 1997 and 2017, while farm size and contract production increased (December 9, 2022), for the 1997–2017 comparison.
- USDA NASS, 2022 Census of Agriculture: List of Reports and Publications (2024), for census publication context.
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