These Are the States You Can Thank for Your Holiday Turkey Dinner

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Trace One.

Thanksgiving remains one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the United States, with over 90% of Americans observing the tradition each year. For many, it ranks as a favorite holiday, bringing together family and friends around a meal that often centers on one iconic dish: roast turkey.

Yet, few people consider the agricultural effort behind this holiday staple.

Each year, an estimated 46 million turkeys are consumed on Thanksgiving alone, with production largely concentrated in a handful of states. These leading turkey-producing states work hard to support millions of Thanksgiving tables nationwide.

To find which states lead in turkey production, researchers at Trace One — a company specializing in regulatory compliance for the food and beverage industry — analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). For more information, refer to the methodology section at the end.

Read on to take a closer look at the states making the traditional turkey dinner possible.

1. North Carolina

• Turkey production (pounds): 1,020,600,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $572,557,000
• Turkeys raised: 27,000,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 37.8
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 15.5%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 13.5%

2. Minnesota

• Turkey production (pounds): 918,400,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $515,222,000
• Turkeys raised: 32,000,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 28.7
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 14.0%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 16.0%

3. Indiana

• Turkey production (pounds): 848,000,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $475,728,000
• Turkeys raised: 20,000,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 42.4
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 12.9%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 10.0%

4. Arkansas

• Turkey production (pounds): 512,500,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $287,513,000
• Turkeys raised: 25,000,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 20.5
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 7.8%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 12.5%

5. Iowa

• Turkey production (pounds): 504,670,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $283,120,000
• Turkeys raised: 10,900,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 46.3
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 7.7%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 5.5%

6. Virginia

• Turkey production (pounds): 429,930,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $241,191,000
• Turkeys raised: 15,300,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 28.1
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 6.5%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 7.7%

7. Missouri

• Turkey production (pounds): 334,800,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $187,823,000
• Turkeys raised: 15,500,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 21.6
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 5.1%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 7.8%

8. Ohio

• Turkey production (pounds): 273,280,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $153,310,000
• Turkeys raised: 6,400,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 42.7
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 4.2%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 3.2%

9. Pennsylvania

• Turkey production (pounds): 219,450,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $123,111,000
• Turkeys raised: 7,700,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 28.5
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 3.3%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 3.9%

10. Michigan

• Turkey production (pounds): 198,720,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $111,482,000
• Turkeys raised: 4,600,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 43.2
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 3.0%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 2.3%

11. California

• Turkey production (pounds): 167,440,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $93,934,000
• Turkeys raised: 5,200,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 32.2
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 2.5%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 2.6%

12. South Dakota

• Turkey production (pounds): 128,520,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $72,100,000
• Turkeys raised: 2,800,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 45.9
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 2.0%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 1.4%

13. West Virginia

• Turkey production (pounds): 126,750,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $71,107,000
• Turkeys raised: 3,900,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 32.5
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 1.9%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 2.0%

14. Other States

• Turkey production (pounds): 892,544,000
• Turkey production value (dollars): $500,718,000
• Turkeys raised: 23,700,000
• Average turkey size (pounds): 37.7
• Share of U.S. turkey production: 13.6%
• Share of U.S. turkeys raised: 11.9%

Annual Turkey Production by State

More than 86% of U.S. turkey production takes place in just 13 states, with North Carolina and Minnesota leading as the top producers. Together, these two states contribute nearly 30% of the nation’s total turkey output.

North Carolina ranks first, accounting for 15.5% of turkeys by weight, driven in part by a larger average bird size of 37.8 pounds. Minnesota, where turkeys tend to be smaller, ranks second in production weight at 14% but raises the largest number of turkeys overall, accounting for 16% of the nation’s total birds.

Outside of North Carolina and Minnesota, Indiana is a major producer, contributing 12.9% of U.S. turkey production by weight, followed by Arkansas at 7.8% and Iowa at 7.7%.

In general, turkey production is largely concentrated along or east of the Mississippi River, although California stands out as a notable exception.

Methodology

The data used in this report is from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. To determine the top states for turkey production, researchers at Trace One ranked states based on 2024 total turkey production measured in pounds.

Researchers also included the total value of turkey production (the total market value at the point of sale from producers), the total number of turkeys raised, and the average turkey size in pounds for each state.

The average turkey size was calculated by dividing total production in pounds by the total number of turkeys raised. Note that these figures are higher than “ready-to-cook” weights, which exclude parts that are removed during processing.

Only states with available data from the USDA were included in the analysis.