Shipped Where
Imported, 2025Imported 2025
$477 million$477M
vs 2010
7.7× (nominal)
Arrived by shipBy ship
91%
Busiest portTop port
Chester, PA

The US buys the most butter from Ireland: 42% of $477 million.

New Zealand is a close second at 33%. Butter and other dairy fats.

Where US butter comes from, 2025Where it comes from

Share by value of the $477M the US imported, by country of originShare by value, by country of origin

  1. 01Ireland$203M42.5%
  2. 02New Zealand$159M33.3%
  3. 03France$29.1M6.1%
  4. 04Mexico$24.7M5.2%
  5. 05India$19.2M4.0%
  6. 06Canada$12.1M2.5%
  7. 07Argentina$8.7M1.8%
  8. 08Germany$3.7M0.8%
  9. 09Netherlands$2.6M0.5%
  10. 10Australia$2.2M0.5%
  11. All othersEveryone else combined: $13.2M2.8%

Total US butter imports by year · $61.6M in 2010 to $477M in 2025Replay the ranking year by year, 2010 to 2025

2025Press play to replay the ranking

Then and now: 2015 vs 2025Then and now

Each country's share of US butter imports. Gray bar is 2015, colored bar is 2025.Share of US butter imports. Gray is 2015, color is 2025.

Ireland30% → 42%
New Zealand22% → 33%
India0.7% → 4%
Argentina0.3% → 1.8%
Canada2.2% → 2.5%
Netherlands0.3% → 0.5%
Germany3.8% → 0.8%
Australia3.8% → 0.5%
France12% → 6.1%
Mexico17% → 5.2%
2015 share2025, gained2025, lost

Where it's made

Bigger circle = more value, 2025. Numbers match the list.

Most imported butter is made in Europe. Ireland and France send 49% between them. New Zealand sends 33% from Oceania.

0102030405060708
0102030405060708
  1. 01Ireland
  2. 02New Zealand
  3. 03France
  4. 04Mexico
  5. 05India
  6. 06Canada
  7. 07Argentina
  8. 08Germany

Where it lands

US port where it entered, 2025. Letters match the list.

91% arrives by ship, almost all in containers, mostly through East and West Coast ports. Chester takes 18%. Philadelphia and Newark follow at 15% and 12%.

ABCDEF
ABCDEF
  1. AChester, PA $83.8M
  2. BPhiladelphia, PA $69.6M
  3. CNewark, NJ $56.1M
  4. DLos Angeles, CA $47.6M
  5. ECharleston, SC $43.9M
  6. FLong Beach, CA $30.3M
More detail: states listed on entry paperworkMore detail: states on paperwork

This is the destination written on customs forms, often a warehouse or distributor near the port. It is not where the butter is used.

Two states are listed for over $100M each, and they mirror the top ports.

  1. 01Pennsylvania$152M
  2. 02California$105M
  3. 03New Jersey$54.1M
  4. 04South Carolina$43.3M
  5. 05Maine$30.0M
$100M+$40–100M$10–40M$1–10MUnder $1M

Counted under HS 0405. How we count.