Honey Statistics and Facts

US production

How much honey does the US produce?

USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) surveys operations with five or more colonies each year. Each annual report also revises the prior year, so the table uses the latest published figure for every year.

1. US beekeepers produced 115.7 million pounds of honey in 2025, down 14% from 134.4 million pounds in 2024. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
2. There were 2.41 million honey-producing colonies in 2025, down 7% from 2.60 million in 2024. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
3. Yield averaged 48.0 pounds per colony in 2025, down from 51.7 pounds in 2024. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
4. Producers held 34.8 million pounds of honey in stock on December 15, 2025, down 15% from a year earlier. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
5. North Dakota led all states in 2025 with 30.8 million pounds, followed by California (11.0 million), Montana (10.5 million), South Dakota (8.2 million) and Minnesota (5.7 million). (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
6. US honey production averaged 212 million pounds a year in 1987-91 and 128 million pounds a year in 2020-2024. (Source: USDA ERS, Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook (SSS-M-454), June 2026)
7. Honey-producing colonies fell from 3.3 million in 1987 to a low of 2.3 million in 2008. (Source: USDA ERS, Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook (SSS-M-454), June 2026)
8. Yield per colony hit a record 84 pounds in 1998 and a record low of 47 pounds in 2021 and 2022. (Source: USDA ERS, Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook (SSS-M-454), June 2026)

NASS revises the previous year in each report, sometimes heavily. The March 2025 report put 2024 at $2.69 per pound and $361.5 million in value; the March 2026 report revised 2024 to $2.41 and $323.9 million. ERS long-term figures are multi-year averages and differ slightly from single-year NASS numbers.

Prices and value

Honey prices and the value of the US crop

NASS reports prices by sales channel and by honey color. Darker and specialty honeys sell for more.

1. The all-channel average price for US honey was $3.05 per pound in 2025, up 27% from $2.41 in 2024. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
2. The value of US honey production was $352.9 million in 2025, up about 9% from $323.9 million in 2024. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
3. Honey sold at retail by producers averaged $7.15 per pound in 2025, versus $2.45 per pound for honey sold to co-ops and private buyers. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
4. In 2025, light amber to dark amber honey averaged $3.54 per pound across all channels, compared with $2.29 for water white to white honey. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
5. The 'all other honey, area specialties' class averaged $5.91 per pound in 2025, the highest of any color class. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
6. Real (inflation-adjusted) producer honey prices rose almost threefold from 1987 to 2025, about 3% a year, and averaged about $3 per pound in 2021-2025. (Source: USDA ERS, Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook (SSS-M-454), June 2026)
7. In 2025 dollars, US beekeepers' honey revenue fell from $602 million in 2016 to $353 million in 2025. (Source: USDA ERS, Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook (SSS-M-454), June 2026)
8. Honey's share of beekeeping revenue averaged 51% in 2016-17 and 44% in 2022-25. (Source: USDA ERS, Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook (SSS-M-454), June 2026)

ERS revenue figures are adjusted to 2025 dollars, so they are not directly comparable to the nominal NASS values in the production table.

California

California honey production

California is the second-largest honey-producing state. Its yield per colony has run below the national average in each of the last four years.

1. California produced 11.0 million pounds of honey in 2025, down from 13.3 million pounds in 2024. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
2. California had 315,000 honey-producing colonies in 2025, up from 310,000 in 2024. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
3. California yield fell to 35 pounds per colony in 2025 from 43 pounds in 2024, below the national average of 48.0 pounds. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
4. California honey sold for an average of $2.57 per pound in 2025, for a crop value of $28.3 million. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
5. California producers held 2.4 million pounds of honey in stock on December 15, 2025, down from 3.5 million pounds a year earlier. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2026)
6. California produced 11.6 million pounds in 2022 at $2.69 per pound and 13.7 million pounds in 2023 at $2.29 per pound. (Source: USDA NASS, Honey, March 2024; NASS Pacific Region, California Honey, March 2025)

NASS revised California's 2024 price from $2.46 per pound (March 2025 release) to $1.96 (March 2026 report), and the 2024 value from $32.8 million to $26.1 million. I could not verify a UC or state source describing California's honey varietals, so they are not covered here.

Imports

Where does US honey come from?

Imports have supplied more than half of US honey since 2006. Country figures below are US-reported trade data for HS code 0409 (natural honey), published through the UN Comtrade database on the World Bank's WITS site.

1. In 2025, 78% of the US honey supply came from imported sources. (Source: USDA ERS, Chart of Note, June 2026)
2. Imports made up 74% of total US honey supply in 2021 and 70% in 2017, the highest share on record at that time. (Source: USDA ERS, Charts of Note, 2018 and 2022)
3. Imports have exceeded half of the US honey supply every year since 2006. (Source: USDA ERS, Chart of Note, June 2018)
4. The US imported 246.0 million kg (about 542 million pounds) of natural honey worth $690.6 million in 2025. (Source: UN Comtrade via World Bank WITS, US imports of HS 0409, 2025)
5. India was the largest supplier in 2025 with 87.8 million kg (about 194 million pounds), about 36% of US honey import volume. (Source: UN Comtrade via World Bank WITS, 2025; share calculated)
6. India, Argentina, Brazil and Vietnam together supplied about 80% of US honey import volume in 2025. (Source: UN Comtrade via World Bank WITS, 2025; share calculated)
7. US honey imports reached 254.9 million kg (about 562 million pounds) worth $650.2 million in 2024, the largest volume in the 2020-2025 data. (Source: UN Comtrade via World Bank WITS, 2024)
8. Honey from New Zealand cost about $19 per kg at import in 2025, versus about $2.05 per kg for honey from India. (Source: UN Comtrade via World Bank WITS, 2025; unit values calculated)
9. US honey imports totaled 365.3 million pounds in 2014, up from an average of 104.4 million pounds a year in the early 1990s. (Source: USDA ERS, Chart of Note, June 2016)
10. Over the 30 years to 2021, US honey imports grew about 7.6% a year while domestic production fell about 1.4% a year. (Source: USDA ERS, Chart of Note, June 2022)
11. In 2021, India, Vietnam and Argentina supplied more than 71% of imported honey. (Source: USDA ERS, Chart of Note, June 2022)

Comtrade trade figures and ERS supply shares measure different things: ERS share of supply accounts for exports and stocks, so it cannot be computed simply from imports and production. Comtrade's 2019 US entry has no total quantity, so 2019 is left out of the chart. Recent-year trade data can be revised.

Trade cases

Antidumping duties on imported honey

In 2022 the US found that raw honey from Argentina, Brazil, India and Vietnam was sold below fair value and injured US producers. Duties have applied since June 2022. An earlier order on Chinese honey dates to 2001.

1. The USITC voted unanimously, 5-0, on May 11, 2022 that a US industry was materially injured by raw honey imports from Argentina, Brazil, India and Vietnam. (Source: USITC, News Release 22-058, 2022)
2. Imports from the four countries were worth $296 million in 2020, equal to 42.8% of apparent US honey consumption by value. (Source: USITC, News Release 22-058, 2022)
3. In 2020, nonsubject honey imports were worth $93 million and US producers' US shipments were worth $302 million. (Source: USITC, News Release 22-058, 2022)
4. Commerce published antidumping duty orders on June 10, 2022, with deposit rates of about 60% for most Vietnamese exporters, 16.92% for most Argentine exporters, 7.89% for most Brazilian exporters and 5.87% for most Indian exporters. (Source: US Department of Commerce, Federal Register 87 FR 35501, June 10, 2022)
5. The highest individual rate in the 2022 orders was 83.72%, for Brazil's Apiário Diamante (Supermel), based on adverse facts available. (Source: US Department of Commerce, Federal Register, 2022; ITA case summary)
6. The orders cover raw honey in bulk; honey packaged for retail sale, such as containers of five pounds or less, is excluded. (Source: US Department of Commerce, Federal Register 87 FR 35501, June 10, 2022)
7. US honey imports from Vietnam fell from 56.2 million kg in 2021 to 23.6 million kg in 2025, a drop of about 58%, while imports from India rose about 55% over the same period. (Source: UN Comtrade via World Bank WITS, 2021 and 2025; change calculated)
8. In its 2023-2024 review, Commerce set a final margin of 21.35% for Argentina's Asociación de Cooperativas Argentinas and 0.00% for NEXCO S.A. (Source: US Department of Commerce, Raw Honey from Argentina, final results, June 2026)
9. In its 2023-2024 review of Indian raw honey, Commerce set final margins from 1.11% to 6.98%, with 3.99% for companies not individually reviewed. (Source: US Department of Commerce, Raw Honey from India, final results, June 2026)
10. Antidumping duties on Chinese honey, set in December 2001, reached as high as 221% of declared value and were later assessed at $2.63 per net kilogram. (Source: US Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, press release, February 20, 2013)

Changes in import volume by country after 2022 may reflect duties, prices, crop conditions and other factors; the trade data alone do not show cause. ITA import values come from Census data via Global Trade Atlas and can differ slightly from Comtrade figures.

Adulteration

Honey fraud statistics

Honey fraud usually means adding cheaper sugar syrups or hiding a honey's true origin to avoid duties. Results vary widely with the test used: EU labs used newer, more sensitive markers than the US FDA's isotope method.

1. Of 320 honey consignments sampled at EU borders from November 2021 to February 2022, 147 (46%) were suspected of breaking the EU Honey Directive. (Source: European Commission, EU coordinated action 'From the hives', 2023)
2. The 320 samples came from 20 exporting countries and were collected by 16 EU member states plus Switzerland and Norway. (Source: European Commission Joint Research Centre, news release, March 2023)
3. In the EU check, 66 of 89 samples from China (74%) were suspicious, the highest number from any country. (Source: European Commission, 'From the hives', 2023)
4. 14 of 15 Turkish samples (93%) and all 10 samples from the United Kingdom were flagged as suspicious; the UK result may reflect honey blended there from other origins. (Source: European Commission, 'From the hives', 2023)
5. A 2015-17 EU check found 14% of samples failed benchmark criteria; the Commission says more sensitive methods partly explain the higher 2021-22 rate. (Source: European Commission, 'From the hives', 2023)
6. Imported honey entering the EU had an average unit value of 2.32 euros per kg in 2021. (Source: European Commission Joint Research Centre, March 2023)
7. FDA found 14 of 144 imported honey samples (10%) from 32 countries violative in testing designed to detect undeclared added sweeteners, sampled from January 2021 to March 2022. (Source: US FDA, FY21/22 imported honey assignment, results released December 2022)
8. In a follow-up from April 2022 to July 2023, FDA found added sweeteners in 3 of 107 imported samples (3%) from 25 countries. (Source: US FDA, FY22/23 imported honey assignment)
9. The three violative FDA samples came from the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Yemen; all were refused entry. (Source: US FDA, FY22/23 imported honey assignment)
10. FDA says its isotope method (SCIRA) detects only a subset of undeclared sweeteners. (Source: US FDA, FY22/23 imported honey assignment)
11. In 2013, federal prosecutors charged five people and two US honey processors in schemes to evade more than $180 million in antidumping duties on Chinese honey. (Source: US Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, February 20, 2013)
12. Prosecutors said Groeb Farms bought 1,578 container loads of Chinese-origin honey from 2008 to 2012 and avoided more than $78.8 million in duties. (Source: US Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, February 20, 2013)
13. Honey Holding (Honey Solutions) was accused of avoiding more than $33.4 million in duties. (Source: US Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, February 20, 2013)
14. An earlier phase of the same investigation seized more than 3,000 drums of illegally imported honey tied to about $80 million in avoided duties. (Source: US Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, February 20, 2013)
15. FDA says a product labeled only 'honey' that contains sugar or corn syrup is adulterated and misbranded; a mix must be labeled as a blend, such as 'blend of honey and corn syrup'. (Source: US FDA, Guidance: Proper Labeling of Honey and Honey Products, 2018)

The EU (46%) and FDA (3% to 10%) results are not comparable. The EU study used newer markers of extraneous sugar and flagged samples as 'suspicious', while FDA counted confirmed violations using a method it says catches only some sweeteners. FDA also says its two assignments were not designed for statistical comparison. The 2013 case was widely reported in the press as 'Honeygate'; the DOJ release does not use that name.

Consumption

Honey consumption per capita in the US

ERS publishes two kinds of per capita figures: food availability (supply divided by population) and loss-adjusted consumption, which subtracts waste. They give different numbers for the same year.

1. US per capita honey consumption reached a record 2.0 pounds in 2024 and was about 1.9 pounds in 2025. (Source: USDA ERS, Chart of Note, June 2026)
2. In 1990, the average US consumer used scarcely more than a pound of honey a year, so use had nearly doubled by 2025. (Source: USDA ERS, Chart of Note, June 2026)
3. Per capita honey availability was 1.2 pounds in 2014 and 1.3 pounds in 2019. (Source: USDA ERS, Charts of Note, 2016 and 2021)
4. On a loss-adjusted basis, Americans consumed 0.9 pound of honey per person in 2014, up from 0.5 pound in 1990. (Source: USDA ERS, Chart of Note, June 2016)
5. By comparison, availability of all caloric sweeteners was 123.2 pounds per person in 2019, including 68.4 pounds of refined sugar. (Source: USDA ERS, Chart of Note, May 2021)

The 2016 ERS loss-adjusted series puts 1990 consumption at 0.5 pound, while the 2026 ERS note says about a pound; the first subtracts spoilage and waste, the second does not appear to. Use one series consistently when comparing years.

Composition

What honey is made of, why it rarely spoils, and what 'raw' means

Honey keeps for a long time because it is low in water, high in sugar and acidic, and because the enzyme glucose oxidase in honey produces hydrogen peroxide. It can still ferment if it takes on too much water.

1. FDA describes honey as a thick, sweet, syrupy substance that bees make as food from the nectar of plants. (Source: US FDA, Guidance: Proper Labeling of Honey and Honey Products, 2018)
2. USDA Grades A and B require at least 81.4% soluble solids (18.6% moisture); Grade C requires at least 80.0%. (Source: USDA AMS, US Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey, 1985)
3. Grade A honey must score at least 90 points, Grade B at least 80 and Grade C at least 70 on USDA's scoring system. (Source: USDA AMS, US Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey, 1985)
4. Honey is acidic, with a pH between 3.2 and 4.5. (Source: Mandal and Mandal, Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 2011 (peer-reviewed))
5. Honey resists microbes through the osmotic effect of high sugar and low moisture, its acidity, and the enzyme glucose oxidase, which turns glucose into gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide. (Source: Mandal and Mandal, Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 2011 (peer-reviewed))
6. Honey is hygroscopic: it draws moisture from its surroundings, which can dehydrate bacteria. (Source: Mandal and Mandal, Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 2011 (peer-reviewed))
7. USDA's color scale runs from water white (8 mm or less on the Pfund scale) to dark amber (over 114 mm), and color is not a factor of quality. (Source: USDA AMS, US Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey, 1985)
8. For grading, crystallized honey is liquefied by heating to about 130 F (54.4 C) and cooling to about 68 F (20 C). (Source: USDA AMS grading standard, as reproduced in UF/IFAS Extension, Honey Judging and Standards)
9. Honey show judging guidelines disqualify entries with more than 18.6% water and entries that show fermentation. (Source: UF/IFAS Extension, Honey Judging and Standards (ENY-129))
10. The USDA Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey, effective May 23, 1985, do not define the term 'raw'. (Source: USDA AMS, US Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey, 1985)
11. USDA defines strained honey as honey strained to remove most particles such as comb and propolis, with pollen grains and small air bubbles normally left in. (Source: USDA AMS, US Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey, 1985)
12. USDA defines filtered honey as honey filtered to remove most fine particles, pollen grains and air bubbles. (Source: USDA AMS, US Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey, 1985)
13. Under the 2022 trade orders, raw honey has not been filtered to a level that removes most or all pollen, for example below 25 microns. (Source: US Department of Commerce, Federal Register 87 FR 35501, June 10, 2022)
14. UF/IFAS notes that honey is typically eaten raw, meaning not heated, pasteurized, sterilized or irradiated. (Source: UF/IFAS Extension, Infant Botulism and Honey (EDIS AA142))
15. The 2022 antidumping orders define raw honey as honey as it exists in the hive or as obtained by extraction, settling and skimming, or coarse straining. (Source: US Department of Commerce, Federal Register 87 FR 35501, June 10, 2022)

I could not open a primary source giving honey's exact sugar breakdown (fructose, glucose) or a measured water activity, so those figures are not listed. 'Rarely spoils' does not mean honey never changes: it can crystallize, darken, or ferment if moisture rises. On 'raw': USDA's grading standard does not define it; the Commerce definition sets the scope of import duties and is not a consumer labeling rule.

Infant safety

Honey and babies: the botulism risk

Honey is safe for most people, but health agencies agree it should not be given to babies under one year old because it can carry spores of the bacteria that cause infant botulism.

1. CDC says honey is not safe for infants because it can contain the bacteria that cause botulism, and advises not to feed honey to a child younger than 1 year old. (Source: CDC, Botulism prevention)
2. CDC reports that several babies in Texas got infant botulism after using honey pacifiers. (Source: CDC, Botulism prevention)
3. The California Department of Public Health calls avoiding honey for babies under 12 months the only known way to prevent infant botulism. (Source: California Department of Public Health, Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program)
4. CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Honey Board all recommend no honey for infants younger than 12 months. (Source: UF/IFAS Extension, Infant Botulism and Honey (EDIS AA142))
5. In a US survey, 10% of honey samples contained botulism spores. (Source: UF/IFAS Extension, Infant Botulism and Honey (EDIS AA142))
6. Health departments reported 181 laboratory-confirmed infant botulism cases in the US in 2021. (Source: CDC, National Botulism Surveillance Summary, 2021)
7. Destroying botulism spores takes pressure-canner temperatures of 240-250 F; at boiling (212 F) it takes more than 6 hours. (Source: UF/IFAS Extension, Infant Botulism and Honey (EDIS AA142))

The 10% spore figure comes from one US survey cited by UF/IFAS and is not a national monitoring rate.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

Related on this site

• How much honey does a beehive produce?
• What nutrients are in nectar?
• How bees make honeycomb

How this page was made

Methodology & sources

Every fact on this page was traced to a primary source (a government data release, a university research or extension publication, a professional medical body or a peer-reviewed paper) and checked against the original document. Data years are given where they differ from publication years. Where reputable sources disagree, both figures are shown. Sources are named in plain text next to each fact.

• USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Honey reports 2019-2026
• USDA NASS Pacific Region, California Honey release, March 2025
• USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), Charts of Note 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2026
• USDA ERS, Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook SSS-M-454, June 2026
• USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, US Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey
• UN Comtrade via World Bank WITS
• US International Trade Commission, News Release 22-058 and Federal Register notice, 2022
• US Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, antidumping orders and administrative reviews
• European Commission, EU coordinated action 'From the hives', 2023
• European Commission Joint Research Centre
• US Food and Drug Administration
• US Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois
• Food Safety News
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• California Department of Public Health
• UF/IFAS Extension
• Mandal and Mandal, Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 2011
• CDC, National Botulism Surveillance Summary, 2021