America’s favorite vegetable making economical impacts
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – The National Potato Council with Michigan State University released a new report showing the impact the potato has on America's economy.
The study, Measuring the Economic Significance of the U.S. Potato Industry, highlights the U.S. potato sector as a driving force in the economy contributing over $100.9 billion in 2021. The findings are broken down into three categories:
- $10.8 billion comes from agriculture production and agribusiness services
- $49.1 billion from processing, wholesaling and retail
- $41 billion in food service industries and household consumption
The U.S. potato sector is also providing jobs nationwide. The study reports the industry is generating over 714,000 domestic jobs, providing $34.1 billion in wages and salaries.
The United States is the world's fifth largest potato producer. The study further demonstrates about 20% of potatoes grown in the U.S. are shipped and exported to places like Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea among others. In 2021, this represented $1.88 billion in sales combined.
With mass consumption and positive economical impacts, the findings go to support the analysis stating that the potato is America's favorite vegetable.
