Butchering statistics show the scale and rhythm of commercial meat processing. In the United States, commercial red meat production ranged from 4.27 billion pounds in June 2024 to 5.02 billion pounds in October, while monthly slaughter totals varied by livestock type. The figures below are reported for each measurement month by the USDA Pacific Region Livestock Slaughter releases through July and USDA Livestock Slaughter releases from August onward.
Table of contents
- At a glance
- Monthly production totals
- Cattle and calf slaughter
- Hog slaughter
- Sheep slaughter
- The October high point
At a glance
The available series covers January through October 2024. It measures commercial activity in the United States, not home butchering, game processing, or the number of individual cuts produced. Production is reported in pounds, while slaughter is reported in head.
The main production pattern is a decline from winter into early summer, followed by a recovery. Commercial red meat production was 4.77 billion pounds in January, 4.55 billion in February, 4.38 billion in March, and 4.64 billion in April. May reached 4.62 billion pounds before June fell to 4.27 billion. Output then rose to 4.55 billion pounds in July and 4.59 billion in August, eased to 4.45 billion in September, and climbed to 5.02 billion in October.
The largest monthly slaughter series was hogs. Hog slaughter was 11.4 million head in January and 11.9 million in October. Cattle slaughter ranged from 2.51 million head in March to 2.86 million in October. Calf and sheep slaughter were much smaller series by head count, remaining below 200,000 head in every month shown.
These are descriptive monthly measurements. They should not be read as a forecast, a national annual total, or a measure of wild-game harvest. Each number remains tied to its stated month and geography.
Monthly production totals
The production figures provide a broad view of commercial red meat processing during the first ten months of 2024. The compact table preserves the monthly measurement period and the reported total.
| Measurement month | Commercial red meat production |
|---|---|
| January 2024 | 4.77 billion pounds |
| February 2024 | 4.55 billion pounds |
| March 2024 | 4.38 billion pounds |
| April 2024 | 4.64 billion pounds |
| May 2024 | 4.62 billion pounds |
| June 2024 | 4.27 billion pounds |
| July 2024 | 4.55 billion pounds |
| August 2024 | 4.59 billion pounds |
| September 2024 | 4.45 billion pounds |
| October 2024 | 5.02 billion pounds |
The USDA Pacific Region Livestock Slaughter release dated February 22, 2024, reported January production at 4.77 billion pounds. The following release, dated March 21, reported February production at 4.55 billion pounds. March production was 4.38 billion pounds in the USDA Pacific Region Livestock Slaughter release dated April 25, and April production was 4.64 billion pounds in the release dated May 23.
The same source series reported 4.62 billion pounds for May in the June 20 release and 4.27 billion pounds for June in the July 25 release. July production was 4.55 billion pounds in the August 22 release. From August onward, the source label is USDA Livestock Slaughter: the September 19 release reported 4.59 billion pounds for August, the October 24 release reported 4.45 billion pounds for September, and the November 21 release reported 5.02 billion pounds for October.
Within this period, June was the lowest reported production month and October was the highest. The month-to-month figures also show that a higher production total did not occur in every later month: August was above July, September was below August, and October was above September.
Cattle and calf slaughter
Cattle slaughter was measured in millions of head throughout the period. January and April each recorded 2.73 million cattle slaughtered. February recorded 2.61 million, March 2.51 million, and May 2.75 million. June fell to 2.54 million, July rose to 2.72 million, and August reached 2.70 million. September recorded 2.57 million, while October reached the period high of 2.86 million head.
| Measurement month | Cattle slaughter | Calf slaughter |
|---|---|---|
| January 2024 | 2.73 million head | 22,600 head |
| February 2024 | 2.61 million head | 19,600 head |
| March 2024 | 2.51 million head | 18,900 head |
| April 2024 | 2.73 million head | 17,500 head |
| May 2024 | 2.75 million head | 17,700 head |
| June 2024 | 2.54 million head | 15,800 head |
| July 2024 | 2.72 million head | 17,600 head |
| August 2024 | 2.70 million head | 17,000 head |
| September 2024 | 2.57 million head | 16,100 head |
| October 2024 | 2.86 million head | 17,100 head |
The cattle figures come from the same monthly USDA releases as the production totals. The January 2024 report listed 2.73 million head, February listed 2.61 million, and March listed 2.51 million. April was 2.73 million, May was 2.75 million, and June was 2.54 million. July was 2.72 million, August was 2.70 million, September was 2.57 million, and October was 2.86 million.
Calf slaughter stayed within a narrower range, from 15,800 head in June to 22,600 head in January. February recorded 19,600 head, March 18,900, April 17,500, and May 17,700. July recorded 17,600, August 17,000, September 16,100, and October 17,100.
For a reader interested in processing scale, the cattle and calf series illustrate why “head” needs a clear animal category. A cattle count in the millions and a calf count in the tens of thousands appear in the same monthly releases, but they are separate measurements and should not be combined without an explicitly defined method.
Hog slaughter
Hog slaughter was the largest animal-count series in every month shown. January 2024 recorded 11.4 million head, followed by 11.0 million in February and 10.5 million in March. April was 10.7 million, May was 10.6 million, and June was 9.92 million.
The series increased to 10.7 million head in July and 10.9 million in August. September recorded 10.5 million, matching March’s reported total. October then reached 11.9 million head, the highest hog figure in the period.
The month-by-month hog figures were reported as follows:
- January 2024: 11.4 million head, USDA Pacific Region Livestock Slaughter, February 22, 2024.
- February 2024: 11.0 million head, USDA Pacific Region Livestock Slaughter, March 21, 2024.
- March 2024: 10.5 million head, USDA Pacific Region Livestock Slaughter, April 25, 2024.
- April 2024: 10.7 million head, USDA Pacific Region Livestock Slaughter, May 23, 2024.
- May 2024: 10.6 million head, USDA Pacific Region Livestock Slaughter, June 20, 2024.
- June 2024: 9.92 million head, USDA Pacific Region Livestock Slaughter, July 25, 2024.
- July 2024: 10.7 million head, USDA Pacific Region Livestock Slaughter, August 22, 2024.
- August 2024: 10.9 million head, USDA Livestock Slaughter, September 19, 2024.
- September 2024: 10.5 million head, USDA Livestock Slaughter, October 24, 2024.
- October 2024: 11.9 million head, USDA Livestock Slaughter, November 21, 2024.
June was the low point in the listed hog series, at 9.92 million head. October was the high point, at 11.9 million. The data therefore show a lower midyear measurement followed by higher reported counts in July and August, a September decline, and a strong October figure.
Sheep slaughter
Sheep slaughter remained below 200,000 head in each month. January 2024 recorded 171,700 head, and February recorded 171,800. March rose to 199,300, the highest sheep figure in the period. April was 188,800, May was 187,000, and June was 176,700.
July recorded 185,100 head. August and September each recorded 176,400, while October recorded 194,700. The figures show a relatively tight range compared with the cattle and hog series, but the measurement unit is the same: head slaughtered during the named month in the United States.
The sheep figures were reported by the USDA Pacific Region Livestock Slaughter releases for January through July and by USDA Livestock Slaughter for August through October. The release dates were February 22, March 21, April 25, May 23, June 20, July 25, August 22, September 19, October 24, and November 21, respectively.
For wild-game cooks, this category is best treated as commercial livestock context rather than a proxy for venison, elk, wild sheep, or other game. The reported series names sheep slaughter specifically and does not quantify wild-animal butchering.
The October high point
October 2024 stands out across the supplied measures. Commercial red meat production reached 5.02 billion pounds, the highest monthly production figure from January through October. Cattle slaughter reached 2.86 million head, also the period high. Hog slaughter reached 11.9 million head, the highest in that series. Sheep slaughter was 194,700 head, below the March high of 199,300, and calf slaughter was 17,100 head, below the January high of 22,600.
| Measure | Lowest month and figure | Highest month and figure |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial red meat production | June: 4.27 billion pounds | October: 5.02 billion pounds |
| Cattle slaughter | March: 2.51 million head | October: 2.86 million head |
| Calf slaughter | June: 15,800 head | January: 22,600 head |
| Hog slaughter | June: 9.92 million head | October: 11.9 million head |
| Sheep slaughter | January: 171,700 head | March: 199,300 head |
These minimum and maximum points describe only the ten measurement months included here. They are not annual records, long-term averages, or forecasts. They also do not establish why a particular month was higher or lower, because the supplied USDA figures report the measurements rather than causal explanations.
Taken together, the series give a clear statistical snapshot of commercial butchering activity in the United States during January–October 2024: production dipped into June, then finished at its highest listed level in October; hog slaughter remained the largest count by head; cattle slaughter moved within a multi-million-head range; and calf and sheep slaughter stayed below 200,000 head in every reported month.