According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which reports per capita consumption of all dairy products reached 653 pounds per person in 2022, Americans are eating 63 lbs. of dairy above the historical average dating back to 1975 when USDA began tracking per capita dairy consumption.
Cheese consumption set an all-time high in 2022 to reach nearly 42 lbs.
per person, a half-a-pound per-person increase over the previous year. For comparison, the average American consumed 32.2 lbs.
of cheese in 2000 and 21.9 pounds in 1980. Ice cream consumption in 2022 also edged out the previous year, while other dairy products including yogurt and butter remained consistent with recent year highs.