DELMARVA -- The Delmarva Chicken Association (DCA) announced that chicken communities across the peninsula generated $4.8 billion in sales in 2024. That number is a 3.4% increase from 2023, according to the DCA.
According to DCA officials, Delmarva's chicken community raised 613 million chickens in 2024. They also produced roughly 4.6 million pounds of chicken product.
In total, chicken companies across the peninsula are estimated to have a direct and induced impact of $17.4 billion on the peninsula, according to the National Chicken Council.
Delmarva chicken companies also spent $1.3 billion on feed ingredients last year, and paid their employees roughly $902 million in wages, according to the DCA.
"Last year, growers and businesses overcame multiple challenges to keep feeding America and the world, including inflation that made energy and farm equipment more expensive and the expense and hard work needed to keep our flocks safe from avian influenza. As a result, Delmarva continues to be a leader in the U.S. chicken industry," DCA Executive Director Holly Porter said.
"As a family farmer, raising chicken is one of the most important things I do in my community," DCA President Mary Lou Brown said. "It's heartening to know the more than 1,200 chicken growers like myself here on Delmarva make this much of an impact on our economy."
According to DCA officials, chicken companies also spent $187 million on improvements to plants, hatcheries, and wastewater treatment systems in 2024, and $392 million in packaging and processing supplies.