US hog herd eases slightly to 73.7 million head in the June count

There were 73.7 million hogs and pigs on farms in the United States on 1 June 2026, down slightly from June 2025 and down slightly from 1 March 2026. The figures come from the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report released on 25 June 2026 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the US Department of Agriculture.

Of the total, 67.8 million were market hogs and 5.88 million were kept for breeding. In the previous quarterly report, released on 26 March 2026, the inventory on 1 March stood at 74.3 million, with 68.4 million market hogs and 5.89 million breeding hogs.

Producers weaned 33.5 million pigs from March to May 2026, up slightly on the same period a year earlier, with an average of 11.87 pigs weaned per litter.

Producers said they intended to have 2.90 million sows farrow between June and August 2026 and 2.89 million between September and November. These intentions are an early signal of how many hogs could reach the market in the months ahead.

Iowa had the largest inventory of any state, at 24.7 million head, followed by Minnesota with 9.30 million and North Carolina with 7.20 million. The same three states led in March, when North Carolina's count was 7.60 million.

According to USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS), hog production is concentrated in the Midwest, above all Iowa and southern Minnesota, and in eastern North Carolina. The number of farms with hogs has fallen by more than 70 percent since 1990, while the remaining operations have grown much larger.

ERS notes that finishing operations raise pigs to slaughter weight over about four months on rations made up mainly of maize and high-protein (48 percent) soybean meal, which ties the size of the herd to demand for both crops. The United States is also a major pork trader: ERS ranks it second in pork exports after the European Union, with 26 percent of world pork exports in 2022.

To compile the June figures NASS surveyed 4,254 operators across the country during the first half of June 2026, collecting responses through its online Respondent Portal, by mail, by telephone and in face-to-face interviews. The March survey covered 4,252 operators. The Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report and other NASS publications are free on the agency's website.

Photo: Tim McCabe, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Sources: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (25 June 2026 and 26 March 2026), USDA Economic Research Service