The Texas dairy industry boosts local, state and national economies.
Jobs and income are generated not only by milk production, but also when farmers purchase machinery, trucks, fuel and other equipment; buy feed and healthcare for their animals; and use services such as banking and insurance. After the milk leaves the farm, it continues to create jobs in transportation, distribution, processing and retail.
How dairy feeds the Texas economy:
- 319 Grade A dairies with an estimated 625,000 cows produced almost 16.5 billion pounds of milk (more than 1.9 billion gallons) in 2022, up almost 6% from 2021.
- Each cow produces an average of 2,916 gallons of milk per year, or almost 8 gallons per day.
- Texas ranks fourth nationally in milk production.
- Texas dairy delivers:
- A $50.3 billion economic impact (direct and indirect).
- $1.6 billion in local and state taxes and $2.5 billion in federal taxes.
- 253,000 jobs (direct and indirect) and $12.7 billion in wages.
- Cash receipts for milk sales from Texas dairy farms in 2021 totaled $2.83 billion, the second-highest among the state’s agricultural commodities and 12.5% of total receipts. Texas dairies contribute 2.8% of the state’s GDP.
Learn more about jobs in the Texas dairy industry.
Rev. 4/10/23
