As of August 2022, the U.S. had 1.5 billion pounds of cheese in cold storage across the country. That’s around $3.4 billion worth of cheese. Using data from USDA, this graphic looks at just how big the U.S. cheese stockpile has gotten over the last few years, and compares it to notable landmarks to help put things into perspective.
The U.S. cheese stockpile keeps growing
Apart from a small dip in 2021 during the global pandemic, America’s stockpile of cheese has increased steadily over the last five years:
Yet, despite their best efforts to decrease the surplus, America’s cheese stockpile continues to grow.
| Date | Total cheese in cold storage (billion pounds) | Y-o-y change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| April 2018 | 1.35 | 3.8% |
| April 2019 | 1.40 | 3.7% |
| April 2020 | 1.48 | 5.7% |
| April 2021 | 1.45 | -2.0% |
| April 2022 | 1.48 | 2.1% |
Between April 2018 and April 2022, U.S. cheese holdings increased by 130 million pounds to reach 1.48 billion pounds. After climbing up to 1.52 billion pounds in July, the stockpile settled once again at 1.48 billion pounds at the end of August 2022.
Now, the U.S. cheese stockpile weighs more than the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Tower of Pisa, and the Great Sphinx of Giza—combined.
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