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# Graphic: Americans drinking far less milk than in the past
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/graphic-americans-drinking-far-less-milk-than-in-the-past/
- Published: 2020-08-13T18:39:41.000Z
- Updated: 2020-08-13T18:39:41.000Z
- Description: Americans drink much less fluid milk now than decades ago - in about 50 years we've reduced our consumption by 100 pounds per year on average.
- Author: Pramod Acharya, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
- Tags: Agribusiness, Data Harvest, dairy, dairy farmers, TP::Explainer, milk, USDA, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

Americans drink much less fluid milk now than decades ago. [According to USDA data](https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/dairy-data/?ref=investigatemidwest.org) Americans drank, on average, 146 pounds of fluid milk in 2018\. That's 100 pounds *less* than in 1975.

And this was before the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced dairy farmers to dump their milk, [according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel](https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/2020/04/01/coronavirus-forces-dairy-farmers-dump-milk-wisconsin-covid-19/5108609002/?ref=investigatemidwest.org).

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cd/d3/cdd3c059-8898-40b1-bcf7-cb2d3aa89775/content/images/investigatemidwest-org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/milk_consumption_final_pa.jpg)

U.S. milk consumption has declined for decades, and the average American drank about 100 fewer pounds of fluid milk in 2018 than in 1975 — a 40 percent drop.

Readily available milk alternatives and beverage choices have [contributed to decreased milk consumption in the country](https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/jan/06/us-dairy-industry-suffering-americans-consume-less-milk?ref=investigatemidwest.org#:~:text=Read%20more-,The%20amount%20of%20liquid%20milk%20consumed%20per%20capita%20in%20the,farms%20have%20closed%20their%20doors.) and has created fierce competition, according to a 2020 Guardian article.

[A 2013 USDA article noted](https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2013/september/americans-not-drinking-milk-as-often-as-their-parents-did/?ref=investigatemidwest.org): *“Every decade brings a wider selection of beverage choices at supermarkets,* *restaurants, and other food outlets. Soft drinks, sports drinks, bottled water, juice boxes, and other products* *increasingly compete with fluid milk to quench consumers’ thirst.”*

[Non-dairy milk products, such as nut milks, coconut milk, soy milk, have also provided alternatives for](https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2014/june/trends-in-us-per-capita-consumption-of-dairy-products-1970-2012/?ref=investigatemidwest.org) [consumers](https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2014/june/trends-in-us-per-capita-consumption-of-dairy-products-1970-2012/?ref=investigatemidwest.org), according to the USDA.

The decrease of fluid milk consumption has also resulted in numerous bankrupt dairy farms, according to the Guardian.