BRIE-LIEVE IT! In 2024, Wisconsin was behind 25% of the United States's total cheese production. If Wisconsin were its own country, that would make it the No. 4 cheese producer in the world. (Photos courtesy WisconsinCheese.com)

A report released at the tail-end of 2024 by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics put statistical proof behind a fact we already knew: The dairy industry is a powerhouse (and its products oh-so yummy).

According to "The Contribution of Agriculture to the Wisconsin Economy" report – which worked with the most recent comprehensive data, from 2022 –  dairy generates almost half of the state’s annual industrial agricultural revenue, making the dairy industry the single largest contributor to  Wisconsin’s agriculture.

Despite milk price challenges and pandemic-related impacts, 2022 data shows the dairy industry has an economic impact of $52.8 billion. That’s a 16% increase since 2017.

“The $52.8 billion economic impact is comparable to some of the largest global companies. For example, Nike and American Airlines each have annual revenues of about $50 billion,” the report states. “Wisconsin’s dairy industry is on par with these recognizable brands in terms of economic impact, making it a true powerhouse in comparison.”

While the report noted a decline in total agricultural employment data, the sector still supports over 350,000 jobs. The dairy industry specifically supports over 120,000 jobs.

Wisconsin Cheese recently shared dairy farm stats from as recent as June 2025, reporting a total 5,234 dairy herds in the state and over 1.2 million dairy cows. Those cows are responsible for the 2.70 billion pounds of total milk production that month. (That’s almost 250 gallons per cow!)

While Wisconsin may come in at the No. 2 spot for milk production in the U.S. – only behind California – the badger state still takes the crown for cheese production. Wisconsin Cheese's January 2025 data also broke down cheese production by variety, revealing the top cheese varieties made in Wisconsin: Mozzarella (30.8%) and cheddar (20.1%).

According to the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Wisconsin contributed a whopping 25% of the nation’s total cheese output in 2024. With numbers like that, if it were a country, Wisconsin would rank fourth in the world in cheese production (behind the U.S., Germany, and France).

Eating cheese in Wisconsin never felt so good.

You can read the full "The Contribution of Agriculture to the Wisconsin Economy" report online.