Backyard Chicken Statistics 2026: Households, City Laws, Eggs and Health Risks

Backyard chickens went from a niche hobby to a mainstream one in under a decade. Egg prices, the pandemic years and a wish to know where food comes from all pushed more families to build a coop. Below are the numbers that matter in 2026: how many people keep chickens, where it is legal, how many eggs you can expect, and the health risks that come with a flock. Every figure links to its source, and we refresh this page as new data comes out.

Key backyard chicken statistics at a glance

How many US households have backyard chickens?

About 11 million US households kept backyard chickens in 2025, according to the American Pet Products Association (via Axios). That is a 28% jump from 2023 (APPA 2025 report) and nearly double the 5.8 million households counted in 2018.

Interest tends to jump when eggs get expensive. Grade A large eggs hit a record $6.23 a dozen in March 2025, then fell to $2.27 by September 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can follow every month on our egg prices tracker.

Where do chickens rank among US pets?

Chickens are now the fourth most popular pet in the US. About 8 million households considered their hens pets in 2024, behind dogs, cats and freshwater fish, according to APPA figures reported by Straight Arrow News.

Why do people keep backyard chickens?

Fresh eggs are the number one reason, according to a Heritage Acres Market survey of backyard keepers. The same survey turned up a few habits that surprise new keepers:

• 58% of flocks have a rooster or plan to get one.
• Almost 80% of coops have no heat in winter.
• The Easter Egger is the most popular breed, and blue is the favorite egg color.
• Hawks are the most common predator, and hens pooping in nest boxes is the most common complaint.

Other reasons come up again and again: kids learning where food comes from, compost for the garden, natural bug control and simply enjoying the birds. Our chicken breeds chart compares 21 breeds by eggs, color and hardiness if you are picking your first flock.

Can you keep chickens in city limits?

In most big cities, yes. We read the municipal codes for the 50 largest US cities in October 2026. 46 of the 50 allow backyard hens on a typical home lot. Only Philadelphia, Fresno, Virginia Beach and Bakersfield keep them off ordinary residential lots.

That lines up with an older national study in Public Health Reports, which found 93% of the 150 most populated US cities allow chickens in some form. Rules for your own street can still be stricter because of HOA covenants. Check your city in Coop Ready, our free city rule finder and coop planner.

How many eggs does a backyard hen lay?

A backyard hen lays about 200 to 300 eggs a year depending on her breed, according to Farm Aid. Production peaks in the first two years and then slowly declines. Six good layers can fill a family’s fridge with well over 100 dozen eggs a year at their peak.

For breed by breed numbers and what it really costs to produce a dozen, see our egg production and cost statistics and our cost of keeping chickens breakdown.

How common is Salmonella from backyard chickens?

More common than most new keepers expect. The 2026 outbreak linked to backyard poultry sickened 1,253 people in 46 states and Puerto Rico, with 256 hospitalized and two deaths. It was the second largest backyard poultry outbreak CDC has recorded, behind 2020, and one in five patients was a child under 5 (CDC via Food Safety News).

Most sick people bought chicks or ducklings at farm supply stores, and the outbreak strains were traced to eight hatcheries. CDC’s advice is simple: wash your hands after touching birds, eggs or coop gear, keep shoes for the coop outside, and do not let children under 5 handle chicks or ducklings (CDC guidance).

How many backyard flocks have had bird flu?

From February 2022 to September 1, 2026, USDA confirmed highly pathogenic bird flu in 2,243 flocks, and 1,211 of them were backyard flocks. More than 208 million birds were affected in total, almost all of them on commercial farms (USDA APHIS via WSDA). Cases climb every fall and spring as wild ducks and geese migrate.

Our bird flu tracker follows new backyard and commercial cases each month, along with what it means for egg prices and how to protect your own flock.

Which states produce the most eggs?

Iowa ranks first with 13.5 billion eggs in 2025, about 13% of the US total, followed by Ohio at 11.1 billion and Indiana at 10.7 billion (USDA NASS). The US produced 105 billion eggs in 2025, down 4% from 2024 as bird flu cut the laying flock. By September 1, 2026, the flock had recovered to 384 million table egg layers (USDA NASS).

Which states raise the most chickens for meat?

Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina and Mississippi raise the most broiler chickens, according to the National Chicken Council. Georgia leads with about 1.32 billion broilers in 2025 (USDA). The US raised almost 9.4 billion broilers in 2025, about 25 million a day, and Americans ate 104.3 pounds of chicken per person.

Which country eats the most chicken?

Israel eats the most poultry per person at 64.4 kg a year, with the United States second at 51.0 kg, according to OECD data for 2020. Poultry is projected to make up half of all meat eaten worldwide by 2029 (OECD and FAO).

How many chickens are there in the world?

There are more than 23.7 billion chickens alive worldwide at any time, according to Statista. Mainland China has the most at over 5.27 billion, and the US ranks third with 504.5 million. People eat about 65 billion chickens a year, as The New York Times reported.

Why does biosecurity matter for small flocks?

Disease moves between backyard and commercial birds in both directions. More than 1.2 million chickens died or were euthanized in California during a Newcastle disease outbreak from 2018 to 2020 that is believed to have started in backyard flocks (CDFA). CDC estimates Salmonella causes 1.35 million US infections a year. Washing hands, quarantining new birds and keeping wild birds away protects your family and your neighbors’ flocks too.

Frequently asked questions