A new study released by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) shows corn farming is a major engine for the U.S. economy, generating an estimated $123 billion in total economic output in 2024, with an estimated contribution of $50 billion to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The study, entitled The Economic Value of Corn Farming in the United States for 2024, also shows that corn farming supported over 440,000 jobs and provided $29 billion in wages, strengthening communities in rural America and across the entire nation.

In 2024, corn farmers in the United States grew 14.9 billion bushels of corn for grain valued at $64.7 billion. For the 2024/25 marketing year the United States is the world’s largest producer and exporter of corn. The contribution of corn farming and linkages extended across 506 different industry sectors in all 50 states. Even Hawaii and Alaska benefit from corn farming. The states with the least economic impact from corn are actually Rhode Island and Vermont with $6.4 and 7.3 million in economic output respectively. Not surprisingly, Illinois and Iowa are the top two states, with $18.5 and 19.2 billion.