Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in United States

United States: Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing was 164.80 million hens in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
164.80 million hens
Change on year
down 10.4%
World rank
1st
of 29 countries
All-time high
281.60 million hens
in 2014
All-time low
164.80 million hens
in 2025
Years of data
19
2007–2025

Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in United States, 2007–2025

0100.0M200.0M300.0M2007201620252007: 275.3M hens2008: 270.2M hens2009: 273.1M hens2010: 265.1M hens2011: 266.3M hens2012: 265.5M hens2013: 276.4M hens2014: 281.6M hens2015: 256.1M hens2016: 276.1M hens2017: 275.1M hens2018: 276.1M hens2019: 261.0M hens2020: 235.5M hens2021: 219.4M hens2022: 205.3M hens2023: 197.7M hens2024: 184.0M hens2025: 164.8M hens

Source: European Commission (2026) and other sources – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hens.

Analysis

The most recent figure for laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in United States is 164.80 million hens, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 19 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.4% on the previous year and down 35.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in United States peaked at 281.60 million hens in 2014 and was at its lowest, 164.80 million hens, in 2025.

United States ranks 1st of 29 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 272.87 million hens 270.20 million hens 275.27 million hens 3
2010s 269.93 million hens 256.10 million hens 281.60 million hens 10
2020s 201.12 million hens 164.80 million hens 235.50 million hens 6

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 2 Poland 33.35 million hens compare
  2. 3 Spain 28.24 million hens compare
  3. 4 France 17.58 million hens compare

See the full ranking of 29 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in United States?
Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in United States was 164.80 million hens in 2025, according to European Commission (2026) and other sources – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest laying hens in cages and cage-free housing recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 281.60 million hens in 2014.
What is the lowest laying hens in cages and cage-free housing recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 164.80 million hens in 2025.
How does United States rank for laying hens in cages and cage-free housing?
United States ranks 1st out of 29 countries with data for 2025.
Is laying hens in cages and cage-free housing rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 35.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from European Commission (2026) and other sources – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing
Unit
hens
Source
European Commission (2026) and other sources – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
29 places, 391 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed

Includes battery and enriched cage systems.