By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist

The U.S. food and agriculture sectors continue to drive the nation’s economy, supporting jobs, wages and economic output across every state—including Texas.

According to the 2025 Feeding the Economy report, the U.S. food and agriculture sectors support 24 million jobs, representing 15% of total U.S. employment.

Together, these jobs contribute over $9.5 trillion to the national economy, accounting for nearly one-fifth of the total U.S. economic activity.

The annual report has analyzed the direct and indirect economic contributions of these essential sectors for the past nine years.

The work of farmers, ranchers, agricultural laborers, food scientists, food inspectors, factory workers, truck drivers, grocery store employees and countless others brings food grown on U.S. farms and ranches to grocery store shelves, restaurants and dinner tables.

“The report highlight the impact agriculture has on the nation and state of Texas,” said Brant Wilbourn, Texas Farm Bureau associate director of Commodity and Regulatory Activities. “Agriculture is the foundation of our lives. The roles farmers and ranchers play are clearly reflected in the data.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the agricultural sector has grown nearly 25%, and more than 1 million jobs have been added since 2020.

“Farmers and ranchers are resilient,” Wilbourn said. “Despite inflation and supply chain disruptions, they keep growing and raising food for the nation. The Feeding the Economy Report reflects that resilience.”

In Texas, agriculture’s economic footprint is equally significant.

Over 4.4 million Texans work in jobs connected to agriculture, earning a combined $246.26 billion in wages. Of those, nearly 2.3 million are directly employed in agriculture, totaling $84.46 billion in wages.

Texas agriculture generates nearly $868 billion in total economic output, contributes $15.3 billion in exports and accounts for $94.9 billion in taxes.

View the full report.