Shipped Where
Imported, 2025Imported 2025
$1.6 billion$1.6B
vs 2010
1.7× (nominal)
Arrived by shipBy ship
90%
Busiest portTop port
Newark, NJ

The US buys the most cheese from Italy: 23% of $1.6 billion.

France is second at 16%. Parmesan, Gouda, Manchego and friends.

Where US cheese comes from, 2025Where it comes from

Share by value of the $1.6B the US imported, by country of originShare by value, by country of origin

  1. 01Italy$0.38B23.1%
  2. 02France$0.26B15.7%
  3. 03Spain$0.13B7.7%
  4. 04Netherlands$0.12B7.2%
  5. 05Ireland$95.8M5.8%
  6. 06Canada$89.2M5.4%
  7. 07Greece$82.0M5.0%
  8. 08Nicaragua$55.8M3.4%
  9. 09United Kingdom$55.7M3.4%
  10. 10Switzerland$55.0M3.3%
  11. All othersEveryone else combined: $0.33B20.0%

Total US cheese imports by year · $966M in 2010 to $1.6B 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 cheese imports. Gray bar is 2015, colored bar is 2025.Share of US cheese imports. Gray is 2015, color is 2025.

Canada2.1% → 5.4%
Greece2% → 5%
France13% → 16%
Ireland3.4% → 5.8%
Nicaragua1.5% → 3.4%
Netherlands6.9% → 7.2%
Spain7.7% → 7.7%
Italy23% → 23%
United Kingdom5% → 3.4%
Switzerland6.8% → 3.3%
2015 share2025, gained2025, lost

Where it's made

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

Most imported cheese is made in Europe. Italy and France send 39% between them, and Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Greece add another 26%. Canada adds 5%.

0102030405060708
0102030405060708
  1. 01Italy
  2. 02France
  3. 03Spain
  4. 04Netherlands
  5. 05Ireland
  6. 06Canada
  7. 07Greece
  8. 08Nicaragua

Where it lands

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

90% arrives by ship, almost all in containers, mostly through East Coast ports. Most of it enters at Newark (62%). New York follows at 9%.

ABCDEF
ABCDEF
  1. ANewark, NJ $1.02B
  2. BNew York, NY $0.15B
  3. CMiami, FL $66.1M
  4. DChester, PA $51.3M
  5. ELos Angeles, CA $50.7M
  6. FBuffalo-Niagara Falls, NY $34.3M
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 cheese is used.

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

  1. 01New Jersey$0.91B
  2. 02New York$0.22B
  3. 03California$0.10B
  4. 04Florida$96.8M
  5. 05Pennsylvania$93.6M
$100M+$40–100M$10–40M$1–10MUnder $1M

Counted under HS 0406. How we count.