GRAPHIC: Meat And Poultry Production Workers Make Up Largest Share Of US Food And Beverage Workforce

By  Suzanne Behnke

There are roughly 520,000 workers who help put packages of chicken breasts, pork and ground beef on grocery store shelves.

Within the U.S. manufacturing sector, food and beverage manufacturing employees make up the biggest share — 15.4%, according to the most recent federal data.

In 2021, 30.6% of that 1.7 million contributed to meat and poultry production, according to the most recent federal data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (This number includes nonproduction workers, too.)

“These employees helped to transform raw agricultural materials into food products for intermediate use or final consumption,” the report said.