According to Statista, Americans consume an average of about 225 pounds of meat per person annually. Even with the increasingly popular choice of vegan and vegetarian diets, that number is not expected to go down any time soon, which is good news for this state that is a significant contributor of chicken and pork in the U.S.

The state of Iowa produces more pork than any other, but Statista shows that it raises almost three times as much as its closest competitors, Minnesota and North Carolina. Statista's most recent data shows that approximately 23 million pigs are being raised in Iowa at any one time, and while some of these are breeding stock, most are destined for our tables in some form.

In addition to pork, a Statista post shows that farmers are raising over 60 million chickens in Iowa at any given time. Not all these chickens are for meat — a high percentage are likely utilized for egg production, as Iowa also produces almost 17% of all eggs consumed in the country.