USA cheese market

The USA is the largest cheese market in the Americas and the second largest of the 48 markets in the database after the EU27. Zenith puts US cheese consumption at more than 7.3 million tonnes in 2025, or around 21 kg per person.

Zenith expects consumption to grow by more than 1% a year to 2030, passing 7.8 million tonnes.

Mozzarella and cheddar are the two pillars of the US cheese market, followed by processed cheese and a long tail of specialty and Hispanic-style cheeses. The USA is the second largest cheese exporter in the database, after the EU27, and imports cover only a small share of consumption.

The Zenith Global Cheese Database 2026 covers the USA with production, imports, exports and consumption for 39 cheese types, actuals from 2020 to 2025 and forecasts to 2030. Volume data covers totals, broad categories and separately measured cheese types, in tonnes. Consumer retail value covers total cheese only, in local currency and USD; import and export trade values cover HS 0406 total only, in USD. Monetary values are not broken down by individual cheese type or broad category. Retail shelf prices cover total cheese and five broad categories: hard and semi-hard, fresh, mould, processed, and other non-specified cheese, in local currency/kg and USD/kg, not individual prices for all 39 cheese types. Import and export unit prices cover HS 0406 total and available HS subheadings, in USD/kg. Retail value is estimated retail volume multiplied by regular shelf prices, including sales tax. Trade values are customs values, using CIF for imports and FOB for exports. Production is measured as formally manufactured cheese.