USA: Processors Used 286 Million cwt of Potatoes in 2025, Up 5%

US processors used more potatoes in 2025. They took 286 million cwt of raw potatoes, up 5% from 2024. The data come from the annual potato summary of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), released on 25 September 2026.

That volume is about 13 million tonnes. It equals roughly 68% of the national crop of 418 million cwt.

Frozen products lead the growth

Frozen french fries and other frozen products used 173 million cwt. That is 6% more than in 2024. Frozen products took about 60% of all processing volume.

Other outlets moved in different directions:

• Chips and shoestrings: 58.3 million cwt, up 5%.
• Dehydrated products: 42.1 million cwt, down 1%.

Fresh and seed

Table-stock sales grew too. They reached 101 million cwt, up 2% from 99.3 million cwt.

Seed sales fell 8% to 18.7 million cwt. This matches the lower planted area for 2026.

Shrinkage and loss were estimated at 25.6 million cwt, down 2%.

Three states supply most raw material

Idaho, Washington and Oregon are the main processing states. Together they grew about 257 million cwt in 2025. Idaho produced 139.95 million cwt, Washington 91.04 million cwt and Oregon 26.04 million cwt.

Context

Total production fell 1% in 2025. Processing still grew, so processors took a larger share of the crop. The value of all potato sales fell 9% to $4.21 billion. The average price was $10.80 per cwt.

Why it matters

The data show strong demand from fry and chip plants in 2025. Frozen products alone used about 7.8 million tonnes of potatoes. This demand supports contract acreage in Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

At the same time, seed sales and plantings are falling. If processing demand stays high, the smaller 2026 area may leave less room for fresh markets. Processors may need to compete harder for raw material under contract.

Photo: A salty snacks factory in Sderot, Israel (not the United States) (illustrative). Nizzan Cohen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0