The U.S. Poultry & Egg Assn. (USPOULTRY), National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation and United Egg Producers have made available the results of an updated economic impact study that highlights the positive effects the poultry industry has on jobs, wages and federal and state revenue in the U.S.

“We are pleased to be able to provide this valuable tool across the industry that demonstrates the positive economic impact the poultry industry has on our nation and communities,” USPOULTRY president John Starkey said.

As a dynamic and integral part of the national economy, the 6,344 firms that raise or convert poultry and eggs into products in the U.S. poultry industry provide 1.682 million jobs, $96 billion in wages, $441.15 billion in economic activity and $34 billion in government revenue, according to the study.

The industry also was found to provide good jobs that pay an annual average of $57,499 in wages and benefits per employee. “In today's economy, every job is important. In fact, in the United States, the unemployment rate has reached 4.91%. This means that there are 7.84 million people trying to find jobs across the country,” the report noted.

The industry also generates sizeable tax revenues. Nationally, the industry and its employees pay about $16.31 billion in federal taxes and $7.83 billion in state and local taxes.

According to the study, from farming to manufacturing to trucking to retailing, the poultry industry has a supplier and induced economic impact of $267.6 billion.

The study breaks down poultry into three subcategories: chicken, turkey and eggs.

According to the findings, the chicken industry provides 1.196 million jobs, $68 billion in wages, $313.12 billion in economic activity and $24.14 billion in government revenue.

The turkey industry provides 374,600 jobs, $21.3 billion in wages, $97.46 billion in economic activity and $7.5 billion in government revenue.

The egg industry provides 81,515 jobs, $4.99 billion in wages, $22.77 billion in economic activity and $1.78 billion in government revenue.

The data are hosted on interactive websites that can be viewed collectively or by individual product and then sorted nationally or by state, congressional district, state house district, state senate district or county. More information about the U.S. poultry industry's economic impact can be found at www.poultryfeedsamerica.org, www.chickenfeedsamerica.org, www.turkeyfeedsamerica.org and www.eggsfeedamerica.org.

The economic impact study was funded by USPOULTRY and was conducted by John Dunham & Associates based in New York City.