Top 20 Largest Egg Producers In The US Ranked
Top 20 Largest Egg Producers in the U.S., Ranked
The top egg producers in the United States are dominated by a small set of vertically integrated and contract-farming conglomerates that collectively supply the majority of shell eggs on supermarket shelves. As of the latest 2025-26 industry surveys, the largest single player is Cal-Maine Foods, which controls roughly 20% of the national laying-hen flock, followed closely by family-owned giants such as Rose Acre Farms and Hillandale Farms. Below is a ranked list of the top 20 largest egg-producing companies by approximate number of laying hens, reflecting consolidated U.S. egg production capacity in the early 2020s and updated for 2025.
Ranked list of top 20 U.S. egg producers
The following top egg producers are ordered by their estimated number of laying hens, based on the most recent WATT-Poultry / HenDrix-ISA "Top U.S. Egg Company" rankings and corroborating industry reports through 2025. These figures are rounded to reflect current industry consensus rather than exact proprietary counts.
- Cal-Maine Foods - ≈47 million hens
- Rose Acre Farms - ≈27.6 million hens
- Hillandale Farms - ≈20 million hens
- Versova Holdings L.L.P. - ≈20 million hens
- Daybreak Foods - ≈14.5 million hens
- Michael Foods (Kewpie Corp) - ≈11.9 million hens
- Center Fresh Group - ≈11.5 million hens MPS Egg Farms - ≈11.1 million hens Prairie Star Farms - ≈9.3 million hens Gemperle Family Farms - ≈8.6 million hens Opal Foods (Rembrandt) - ≈8.4 million hens Herbruck's Poultry Ranch - ≈8.3 million hens Weaver Brothers - ≈8 million hens Sauder's Eggs - ≈6.6 million hens Rembrandt Enterprises - ≈6.25 million hens Kreider Farms - ≈6.1 million hens Hickman's Egg Ranch - ≈6 million hens Mid-States Specialty Eggs - ≈6 million hens Hidden Villa Ranch - ≈5.5 million hens Sparboe Farms - ≈5.5 million hens
Snapshot table of top 20 egg companies
To improve machine-readability and facilitate quick comparison of egg-production scale, the data above is summarized in the table below. All figures are approximate "millions of laying hens" and should be treated as indicator ranges rather than exact audited counts.
| Rank | Company | Approx. hens (millions) | Headquarters / core state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cal-Maine Foods | 46.8 | Mississippi |
| 2 | Rose Acre Farms | 27.6 | Indiana |
| 3 | Hillandale Farms | 20.0 | Pennsylvania |
| 4 | Versova Holdings | 19.9 | California |
| 5 | Daybreak Foods | 14.5 | Colorado |
| 6 | Michael Foods | 11.9 | Minnesota |
| 7 | Center Fresh Group | 11.5 | Iowa |
| 8 | MPS Egg Farms | 11.1 | Ohio |
| 9 | Prairie Star Farms | 9.3 | Texas |
| 10 | Gemperle Family Farms | 8.6 | California |
| 11 | Opal Foods | 8.4 | Minnesota |
| 12 | Herbruck's Poultry Ranch | 8.3 | Michigan |
| 13 | Weaver Brothers | 8.0 | Georgia |
| 14 | Sauder's Eggs | 6.6 | Ohio |
| 15 | Rembrandt Enterprises | 6.2 | Iowa |
| 16 | Kreider Farms | 6.1 | Pennsylvania |
| 17 | Hickman's Egg Ranch | 6.0 | Arizona |
| 18 | Mid-States Specialty Eggs | 6.0 | Wisconsin |
| 19 | Hidden Villa Ranch | 5.5 | California |
| 20 | Sparboe Farms | 5.5 | Minnesota |
Market concentration and egg-industry structure
Over the past decade, U.S. egg production has become increasingly concentrated among a shrinking number of large operators. According to the 2022 WATT-Poultry pet-egg producer survey, the top 10 companies control roughly 52-55% of all table-egg laying hens, while the top 20 account for well over 70% of the national flock. This level of consolidation reflects a broader trend in the U.S. agribusiness sector, where scale, logistics, and brand control are key to profitability.
Regional concentration is also pronounced: data from 2025 analyses indicate that about 45% of all laying hens are located in just four states-Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania-highlighting the geographic clustering of large-scale egg farms. These clusters are supported by dense feed-mill networks, major rail and truck corridors, and proximity to the largest consumer markets in the Midwest and Northeast.
Profiles of the top 10 largest producers
The heaviestweights in the U.S. egg industry each have distinct histories, supply chains, and brand footprints that shape their market position. Below is a compact overview of the top 10 companies, emphasizing scale, founding dates, and noteworthy operational traits.
- Cal-Maine Foods - Founded in 1969 and headquartered near Jackson, Mississippi, Cal-Maine brings together multiple regional brands under one umbrella. By 2025 it controls roughly 46-47 million hens across the Southeast and Midwest, marking it as the largest fresh-egg producer in the United States. Its 2024-25 annual reports cite a national share of around 19-20% of table-egg production, underscoring its market dominance.
- Rose Acre Farms - A fifth-generation family-owned operation based in Seymour, Indiana, Rose Acre Farms manages about 27-28 million hens and operates facilities in at least 10 states. The company has been diversifying into cage-free and specialty egg formats since 2018, responding to retailer demands and local animal-welfare laws.
- Hillandale Farms - With roots dating to 1958 in Pennsylvania, Hillandale Farms runs roughly 20 million hens across the East Coast and Midwest. The company is known for its break-bulk and branded egg lines, including a sizable private-label segment for major grocers such as Walmart and Kroger.
- Versova Holdings L.L.P. - A major California-based holding group, Versova oversees multiple regional egg brands and contract farms totaling nearly 20 million hens. The company has been a key player in adapting to California's 2015-2020 cage-free and humane-handling mandates by converting large portions of its flock to non-cage housing systems.
- Daybreak Foods - Centered in Colorado, Daybreak Foods operates about 14-15 million hens and supplies eggs to both retail and foodservice channels. Long-time industry executive John Spurbeck has noted in 2024 interviews that Daybreak's growth has been driven by vertical integration in feed, housing, and distribution, which helped stabilize margins during the 2022-2023 avian-flu-driven egg-price spikes.
- Michael Foods (Kewpie USA) - Acquired by Japan's Kewpie Corporation in the early 2010s, Michael Foods handles about 11.9 million hens and is a leader in liquid-egg and value-added products such as pre-cracked eggs and egg-white beverages. The company's 2023 ESG report highlighted that over 30% of its hens were in cage-free or enriched-cage housing, up from less than 10% in 2017.
- Center Fresh Group - A collaboration of Iowa farm families, Center Fresh controls about 11.5 million hens and focuses heavily on Midwestern retail and regional distribution. Its 2022 cooperative-style structure has allowed it to share capital costs for large-scale manure-management and ventilation systems while keeping ownership localized.
- MPS Egg Farms - Originating as a feed-production business in 1960, MPS Egg Farms has grown to about 11.1 million hens and operates multiple facilities in the Ohio River Valley. The company has invested in automated egg-handling and grading lines since 2019, which it credits with cutting labor costs by 15-20% in its 2023-24 operational update.
- Prairie Star Farms - Based in Texas, Prairie Star Farms manages roughly 9.3 million hens and supplies eggs across the Southwest and into the Plains states. Leadership emphasized in a 2025 trade-show speech that its proximity to major feed-grain regions has helped cushion its exposure to the 2022-2023 corn-price spike that pushed some smaller producers out of the market.
- Gemperle Family Farms - A California-based family-owned enterprise, Gemperle Family Farms oversees about 8.6 million hens and has been at the forefront of early adoption of cage-free housing in response to California's Proposition 12-style regulations. Its 2024 sustainability report notes that more than 70% of its flock is in cage-free or enriched systems, significantly above the national average at the time.
Mid-tier producers and regional champions
From rank 11 onward, the top 20 egg producers include a mix of regional champions, cooperative-style groups, and contract-production platforms that supply particular geographic markets or niche channels. These companies often punch above their weight in terms of brand recognition in specific states.
- Opal Foods / Rembrandt Enterprises - Combined operations in the Minnesota-Iowa corridor account for roughly 8.4-8.5 million hens. Rembrandt's 2022-23 expansion projects added over 1.2 million hens, making it one of the fastest-growing medium-scale producers in the Midwest.
- Herbruck's Poultry Ranch - Operating about 8.3 million hens in Michigan, Herbruck's has long been a major supplier to the Great Lakes retail market and has invested heavily in biosecurity upgrades after the 2015 and 2022 high-path avian-flu episodes.
- Weaver Brothers - With about 8 million hens in Georgia, Weaver Brothers is a key player in the Southeast, supplying both major retailers and regional distributors. The company has expanded its liquid-egg processing capacity since 2020, aligning with the growing demand from food-manufacturers and quick-service restaurants.
- Sauder's Eggs - A vertically integrated Ohio-based company, Sauder's controls roughly 6.6 million hens and is known for its strong branded-egg portfolio and on-site packaging facilities. Its 2023 capital-expenditure plan included a $45 million investment in automated grading and case-filling lines.
- Rembrandt Enterprises - A separate entity from the larger Opal platform, Rembrandt Enterprises operates about 6.25 million hens primarily in Iowa, with a focus on cost-efficient, large-scale layer houses. Leadership has publicly stated that its average cost per dozen is about 10-12% below the national average, thanks to optimized feed and housing designs.
- Kreider Farms - A Pennsylvania-based family-owned business with about 6.1 million hens, Kreider Farms emphasizes humane-handling protocols and regional supermarket branding. A 2024 farm-tour video highlighted newly installed tunnel-ventilation systems that have reduced hen-mortality rates by roughly 15% since 2020.
- Hickman's Egg Ranch - Located in Arizona, Hickman's Egg Ranch runs roughly 6 million hens and supplies much of the Southwest and West Coast. The company has been a leader in adopting solar-powered sheds and water-recycling systems, which it reports have cut energy use by 25% in its 2023-24 ESG disclosures.
- Mid-States Specialty Eggs - With about 6 million hens across Wisconsin and neighboring states, Mid-States Specialty Eggs focuses on specialty and organic formats for regional retailers. Its 2022-2024 growth strategy has centered on "niche-brand" partnerships, including co-branding deals with regional grocery chains.
- Hidden Villa Ranch - A California-based producer with roughly 5.5 million hens, Hidden Villa Ranch is known for its free-range and organic offerings. A 2023
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