Wisconsin keeps lead for US cheese production

Get Our Email Newsletter
The companies, people and issues shaping business in Madison and the Capital Region.

Wisconsin continues to dominate the U.S. cheese industry, maintaining its position as the nation’s leading cheese producer in 2023, according to Wisconsin Ag Connection. The state produces 25% of America’s cheese.

Twenty-seven percent of the state’s total cheese production was made up of specialty cheeses, coming in at 942 million pounds — a 13.7-million-pound increase over 2022. Wisconsin has 117 cheese plants, 94 of which produced at least one type of specialty cheese in 2023.

Production from 2022–23 saw a shift in production volumes across cheese types. Feta cheese production went up 12%, and parmesan wheel production increased by 11%, while asiago and romano wheels decreased by 22% and 24%, respectively.

Digital Partners