Ground beef prices in the U.S. reached an all-time high in June, averaging $6.12 per pound, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s a steep 12% increase from last June. But even as prices rise, consumer demand for ground beef remains strong. In March, beef had a demand index of nearly 91, according to data from Kansas State University. The demand index measures the ratio of buying pressure to selling pressure and is scaled out of 120. The Hearst Television Data team spoke to two experts in the cattle industry and analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to understand what’s driving the steady increase in ground beef prices and whether the trend will continue.Andrew Griffith, a professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of Tennessee, has written extensively on cattle economics, including topics such as cattle prices, production and more.Consumers are seeing higher beef prices because demand remains high while cattle inventory remains low in the U.S., Griffith said. At the beginning of 2025, the USDA reported beef cattle inventory was at approximately 27.9 million head, the lowest in the past decade. It’s the lowest level since 1961, according to Griffith. A couple of years ago, a drought in the Southern Plains stretched across the U.S. and decimated about two years' worth of the beef cattle herd, Griffith explained. Many farmers didn’t have the feed resources to maintain their herds and had to either pay higher feed prices or sell their inventory. Mattie Horchler, a livestock educator at Penn State Extension with expertise in beef production, agrees that low inventory is a factor but also points to an aging farmer population as a contributor. As farmers get closer to retirement, especially if their families are not interested in taking over, farmers often sell their cattle to pay off debt or build a retirement fund, she explained. The average age of farmers increased in every state from 2007 to 2022, according to Hearst Television's analysis of USDA Census of Agriculture data. Delaware and New Hampshire saw the highest increases in average farmer age, both at around 9%. Utah and North Dakota had the lowest increase, with the average age rising by about 3.8%. The national average age of farmers was 54 in 2007. By 2022, it rose to about 58 years, showing that America’s farmers are getting older.Prior to 2007, the USDA Census did not calculate the average age of all producers or operators, just the primary operators. Other factors that could add to the trend of higher ground beef prices: tariffs and the New World Screwworm.To meet high demand, the U.S. imports lean fat trimmings from other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and many more.However, President Donald Trump's administration imposed new tariffs on some of these countries, meaning consumers could see even higher prices, Griffith said. While Mexico is a top trading partner for lean fat trimmings, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins last month ordered the closure of livestock trade through Mexico’s southern ports of entry. The move followed a report from Mexico’s National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality, confirming a new case of New World Screwworm in Veracruz, Mexico. The permanent closure aims to prevent the parasitic fly from infesting American livestock near the southern border.The New World Screwworm is a parasite fly that lays its eggs in livestock wounds and produces a deadly larva that feeds on the living flesh. It can be deadly if left untreated.The last time the parasite fly infested U.S. livestock was in the 1950s. The cost of eliminating the flies, treatment costs and animal mortality caused $132 million in damages.By 1966, the USDA had eradicated the screwworms from the country.See how each state varied in cattle production last year. PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
WASHINGTON — Ground beef prices in the U.S. reached an all-time high in June, averaging $6.12 per pound, according to data from the .
That’s a steep 12% increase from last June. But even as prices rise, consumer demand for ground beef remains strong.
In March, beef had a demand index of nearly 91, according to data from . The demand index measures the ratio of buying pressure to selling pressure and is scaled out of 120.
The Hearst Television Data team spoke to two experts in the cattle industry and analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to understand what’s driving the steady increase in ground beef prices and whether the trend will continue.
Andrew Griffith, a professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of Tennessee, has written extensively on cattle economics, including topics such as cattle prices, production and more.
Consumers are seeing higher beef prices because demand remains high while cattle inventory remains low in the U.S., Griffith said.
At the beginning of 2025, the USDA reported beef cattle inventory was at approximately 27.9 million head, the lowest in the past decade. It’s the lowest level since 1961, according to Griffith.
A couple of years ago, a drought in the Southern Plains stretched across the U.S. and decimated about two years' worth of the beef cattle herd, Griffith explained. Many farmers didn’t have the feed resources to maintain their herds and had to either pay higher feed prices or sell their inventory.
Mattie Horchler, a livestock educator at Penn State Extension with expertise in beef production, agrees that low inventory is a factor but also points to an aging farmer population as a contributor.
As farmers get closer to retirement, especially if their families are not interested in taking over, farmers often sell their cattle to pay off debt or build a retirement fund, she explained.
The average age of farmers increased in every state from 2007 to 2022, according to Hearst Television's analysis of USDA Census of Agriculture data.
Delaware and New Hampshire saw the highest increases in average farmer age, both at around 9%. Utah and North Dakota had the lowest increase, with the average age rising by about 3.8%.
The national average age of farmers was 54 in 2007. By 2022, it rose to about 58 years, showing that America’s farmers are getting older.
Prior to 2007, the USDA Census did not calculate the average age of all producers or operators, just the primary operators.
Other factors that could add to the trend of higher ground beef prices: tariffs and the New World Screwworm.
To meet high demand, the U.S. imports lean fat trimmings from other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and many more.
However, President Donald Trump's administration imposed new tariffs on some of these countries, meaning consumers could see even higher prices, Griffith said.
While Mexico is a top trading partner for lean fat trimmings, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins ordered the closure of livestock trade through Mexico’s southern ports of entry. The move followed a report from Mexico’s National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality, confirming a new case of New World Screwworm in Veracruz, Mexico.
The permanent closure aims to prevent the parasitic fly from infesting American livestock near the southern border.
The New World Screwworm is a parasite fly that lays its eggs in livestock wounds and produces a deadly larva that feeds on the living flesh. It can be deadly if left untreated.
The last time the parasite fly infested U.S. livestock was in the 1950s. The cost of eliminating the flies, treatment costs and animal mortality caused $132 million in damages.
By 1966, the USDA had eradicated the screwworms from the country.
See how each state varied in cattle production last year.
