United States

Department

of Agriculture

www.ers.usda.gov

Electronic Outlook Report from the Economic Research Service

FTS 305-01

August 2003

Characteristics of U.S.

Orange Consumption

Abstract

U.S. per capita consumption of oranges has grown slowly since the 1960s, although the

orange remains the number one fruit consumed (total fresh and processed uses).

Consumption patterns appear to vary by demographic and economic characteristics.

Northeast consumers show the strongest preference for orange juice, and those in the

West for fresh oranges compared with consumers elsewhere. Consumers in the Midwest

and the South consume less of all orange products. Hispanics and people of "other"

races (including Asians) have the highest orange consumption of all racial/ethnic groups.

Consumers classified as high-income favor orange juice, while those in the low-income

group have the highest per capita consumption of orange drink. Males consume a greater

share of all orange products than females.

Keywords: Orange, juice, drink, consumption, per capita use, distribution, regions,

racial/ethnic background, income, age.

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge assistance from Gary Lucier and the reviews of

Agnes Perez, Daniel Pick, and Joy Harwood of ERS; John Love of the World

Agricultural Outlook Board; Bill Martinet of Sunkist; and Mark Brown of the Florida

Department of Citrus. Excellent support was provided by the editor, Tom McDonald,

and by the designers, Juanita Tibbs and Wynnice Pointer-Napper.

About the Authors

Susan Pollack is an economist with the Market and Trade Economics Division and

Biing-Hwan Lin and Jane Allshouse are economists with the Food and Rural Economics

Division, all in USDA’s Economic Research Service.

Susan L. Pollack, Biing-Hwan Lin,

and Jane Allshouse
The orange is a favorite fruit among Americans. It has

consistently ranked as the third most consumed fresh

fruit behind bananas and apples. As a juice, it ranks

number one. On average, Americans consume 21⁄2

times more orange juice annually than its nearest competitor, apple juice.

Despite its continued popularity, consumption of fresh

oranges has declined over the past several decades,

giving way to other fruit and juices. According to the

per capita disappearance data compiled by the U.S.

Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Economic

Research Service (ERS), fresh orange consumption

declined 36 percent between 1959/60 and 2000/01

(table 1). Fresh consumption appears to have peaked in

the 1950s and 1960s, when production was growing

and consumers relied heavily on fresh products for

most of their fruit consumption. In 1959/60, consumption averaged about 19 pounds per person annually.

After declining in the 1970s through the early 1990s to

about 12 pounds annually, fresh orange consumption

now appears to be making a comeback. Americans are

increasing their consumption of fresh oranges, along

with other fresh fruit and vegetables, as a means to a

healthy diet. Also, bigger crops in recent years have

made fresh oranges more available and less expensive,

further driving up demand. Along with bigger crops,

increased imports of oranges and tangerines, especially

clementines, have increased supplies and alternatives

available to consumers.

Orange juice has been a driving force behind increased

orange consumption over the past half century, and is

partially the reason behind the decline in consumption

of fresh oranges. Consumers substitute orange juice

for fresh orange consumption and receive many of the

same benefits. The growing demand for orange juice

over the past 50 years was spurred by its convenience

over fresh use and its year-round availability. As juice

consumption rose, the demand for oranges increased

due to the greater quantity of fruit needed to make a

single serving of orange juice versus eating one fresh

orange. (On average, it takes 1 pound of oranges to

make one 8-ounce glass of single-strength orange

juice.) Processed orange production has grown about

2 percent per year since the 1960s. 

Juice consumption took off in the mid-1940s with the

introduction of frozen concentrated orange juice

(FCOJ). Peak usage occurred in 1997/98 as a result of

a record crop in Florida, where most of the juice is

produced. The growing popularity of not-from-concentrate orange juice since the mid-1990s has helped

maintain strong demand for orange juice as the popularity of FCOJ has declined.

2 Economic Research Service, USDA

Oranges Are the Most Consumed Fruit in America

Table 1—U.S. per capita consumption, oranges and tangerines, select years

Year Fresh market Juice Total

Oranges Tangerines Oranges Tangerines Oranges Tangerines

—Pounds, fresh weight equivalent—

1959/60 19.3 1.1 67.5 0.2 86.8 1.3

1964/65 16.4 1.3 50.2 0.2 66.6 1.5

1969/70 16.2 2.2 67.4 1.2 83.6 3.4

1974/75 15.9 2.6 78.3 1.6 94.2 4.2

1979/80 14.3 2.2 81.0 2.9 95.3 5.1

1984/85 11.6 1.5 78.4 1.4 90.0 2.9

1989/90 12.4 1.3 72.0 1.1 84.3 2.4

1994/95 11.8 2.0 69.5 1.3 81.3 3.2

1995/96 12.6 2.2 77.5 1.2 90.1 3.4

1996/97 13.9 2.5 74.1 2.0 88.0 4.5

1997/98 14.6 2.2 81.9 1.5 96.5 3.6

1998/99 9.4 2.2 76.6 1.2 85.0 3.4

1999/00 11.7 2.8 71.4 1.6 83.1 4.5

2000/01 12.3 2.6 74.1 1.2 86.4 3.9

Source: Economic Research Service, USDA.
Per capita consumption of oranges has grown slowly

since the 1960s. Occasional declines in consumption

are usually associated with weather-reduced crops.

Oranges have often been associated with their beneficial health attributes, especially as a source of vitamin

C. More recently, the fruit has also gained publicity

because it contains folic acid, an important nutrient for

pregnant woman to help prevent birth defects. The

orange juice industry has used the endorsements of the

American Cancer Society, the American Heart

Association, and the March of Dimes to help promote

its product.

While the ERS disappearance data have for many

years provided estimates of per capita use of oranges,

those data cannot answer questions such as who consumes oranges, how much they consume, and in what

product form. With the use of the Continuing Survey

of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII)1 data, consumption patterns and information about market distribution of fresh and processed oranges can be obtained.

Following a discussion of the data, the next sections

will describe the distribution of fresh and processed

oranges by food source, region of the country, ethnic

background, income class, and age and sex.

Economic Research Service, USDA 3

1U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service,

2000. Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals 1994-96

and 1998. CD-ROM.
ERS has estimated the disappearance of individual

types of fruit for a long time, with data series available

in the Fruit and Tree Nuts Yearbook going back to the

1970s. The data provide an approximate level of annual per capita consumption. Per capita consumption is

calculated by aggregating utilized production and

imports and subtracting out exports. What remains is

considered to be domestic consumption. That data can

then be expressed on a per capita basis by dividing by

the U.S. population. With this method, we are able to

get an idea of trends in consumption, and an estimate

of how much of a specific fruit a person consumes on

average. This data, however, cannot tell us anything

about the demographics of consumption, who consumes most of the commodity, and where it is being

consumed.

Recently, ERS began using survey data from the 1994-

96 and 1998 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by

Individuals (CSFII), conducted by USDA's

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to get at such

demographic and economic information. This article

uses the CSFII data to show consumption by location,

race, age, and place of consumption for fresh and

processed oranges and tangerines as well as for different orange and tangerine products—fresh, juice, drink,

and other processed products. Juice contains 100 percent juice (may be blended with other juices), while

drink contains 10 percent or less juice. "Other" is a

catch-all category that includes canned and frozen sections, sorbets, frozen fruit bars, sherbets, jellies and

jams, baby foods, candies, peel, and flavorings. 

By using the disappearance data along with the CSFII,

per capita consumption in pounds can be estimated for

fresh and juice.2 A lack of disappearance data for

drink and other orange products does not allow us to

calculate separate consumption data for these products.

For simplicity, the term orange will be used to include

both orange and tangerine consumption. Tangerine

consumption is very small relative to orange and the

data mostly reflect orange use. Data referring to per

capita consumption in pounds refers only to oranges.

USDA has conducted periodic surveys of household

and individual food consumption in the United States

since the 1930s (see box, p. 5). The most recent surveys, the 1994-96 and 1998 CSFII, provide the basis

for this article. Each year, the 1994-96 data set comprises a nationally representative sample of non-institutionalized persons residing in 50 States and

Washington, DC. The 1998 CSFII was a supplemental

survey to the 1994-96 CSFII. The supplemental survey

focused entirely on children (see the box for more

detail).

In the CSFII, two nonconsecutive days of dietary data

for individuals of all ages were collected 3 to 10 days

apart through in-person interviews using 24-hour

recalls. The 1994-96 CSFII data set includes information on the food and nutrient intakes of 15,303 individuals, while the 1998 CSFII data set includes 5,559

children up to 9 years of age.

The respondents provided a list of food consumed as

well as information on where, when, and how much of

each food was eaten. Standardized probes were used to

collect details on food descriptions and amounts of

food eaten. The location where the food was purchased was coded into several categories. For each

respondent, economic, social, and demographic characteristics were also collected. 

4 Economic Research Service, USDA

Data and Methodology

2The term “juice” includes all processed orange products. Juice

accounts for 99 percent of all the processed products.
Economic Research Service, USDA 5

USDA collects and compiles two major data sets on food

consumption in the United States, the Supply and Utilization

or food disappearance data, compiled by the Economic

Research Service, and the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes

by Individuals, compiled by the Agricultural Research

Service. Both data sets are key components of ongoing

Federal efforts to monitor the nutritional health and dietary

status of the U.S. population. They were mandated by

Congress under the National Nutrition Monitoring and

Related Research Act of 1990. When used together, they provide a comprehensive picture of the Nation's eating habits.

Food Supply and Utilization Data, also known as food disappearance data, measure the flow of raw and semiprocessed food commodities through the U.S. marketing

system. They are a direct measure of neither actual consumption nor of the quantity of food actually ingested. The

total amount available for domestic consumption is estimated as the residual after exports and year-end inventories are

subtracted from the sum of production, beginning inventories, and imports. The use of conversion factors allows for

some subsequent processing, trimming, spoilage, and

shrinkage in the distribution system. However, the estimates

also include residual uses for which data are not available

(such as miscellaneous non-food uses and changes in retail

and consumer stocks).

With data back to the early- to mid-1900s for most commodities, the food disappearance data are useful as indicators of trends over time. The data are most commonly used

to measure the average level of food consumption in the

country, to show year-to-year changes in consumption of

major foods, to calculate the approximate nutrient content

of the food supply, to establish long-term consumption

trends, and to permit statistical analyses of effects of prices

and income on food consumption. Because they include

spoilage and waste accumulated through the marketing system and in the home, the data typically overstate actual

consumption. A 1997 ERS study suggests that such losses

may exceed 25 percent of the edible food supply.

Food disappearance data reflect the amount of major food

commodities entering the market, regardless of their final

use. Final product forms and consumption locations are not

usually known, and little or no data exist on supplies of further processed products. In short, relatively good information exists for many food ingredients, but not for foods as

actually eaten. For example, the food disappearance data

provide an estimate of the annual per capita consumption of

processed oranges but provide little information on consumption by product form (slices, canned); where the products were marketed (supermarket, school, restaurant, food

manufacturer); how they were consumed (in frozen

desserts, in salads); how they were prepared (canned or part

of another frozen product); or the socioeconomic characteristics of the consumer who ultimately ate the food.

Survey data used in this paper are taken from USDA's

Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII),

1994-96 and 1998. The 1998 CSFII is a child-oriented survey, supplemental to the 1994-96 CSFII, which is a national

representative sample. The 1998 CSFII adds intake data

from 5,559 children birth through age 9 years to the intake

data collected in 1994-96. The CSFII measures foods actually eaten by individuals. The survey records food intake

over a specific period of time (two non-consecutive days in

1994-96 using 24-hour dietary recalls). The survey collects

demographic information, such as household size, income,

race, age, and sex, and information on where a food was

purchased, how it was prepared, and where it was eaten, in

addition to food-intake data. The CSFII provides information for use in policy formation, regulation, program planning and evaluation, education, and research. For example,

data from recent surveys have been used to evaluate the

impact of food fortification on nutrient intakes, to estimate

exposure to pesticide residues and other contaminants from

foods, and to target nutrition assistance and education programs to those who need them most. The data are particularly valuable for measuring the effect of socioeconomic

and demographic characteristics on food consumption.

In this study, we also make use of the Food Commodity

Intake Database (FCID) from the Environmental Protection

Agency. FCID contains human food consumption data

expressed in terms of agricultural food commodities on

5,831 different foods and beverages people of different ages

reported eating in 1994-96 and 1998. FCID provides the

edible amount of agricultural food commodities contained

in each food reported eaten in CSFII, so that we can convert food in CSFII into agricultural commodities that we

report as the different categories: fresh, juice, drink, and

other processed products.

The 1994-96 CSFII data include a sample weight for each

respondent, indicating the number of people the sample

represents. The share of an orange product by location, for

example, can be estimated by calculating the weighted-sum

of the product consumed in each location. Similarly, the

socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the

respondents can be used to estimate the consumption share

of oranges by these characteristics.

USDA Food Consumption Data
Total orange consumption in 2000/01 was 86.4 pounds

per capita, 10 percent below the record high of 96.5

pounds set in 1997/98 (table 1). The 2000/01 consumption translates into 12.3 pounds of fresh and 5.19

gallons of juice, which is equivalent to 74.1 pounds of

oranges, fresh equivalent. Total per capita tangerine

consumption was 3.9 pounds in 2000/01, 2.6 pounds

were consumed fresh and 1.2 pounds, fresh equivalent,

of processed tangerine products. On any given day

(with oranges and tangerines together), 5 percent of

Americans will consume a fresh orange, 21 percent

will consume orange juice, 8 percent orange drink, and

2 percent other orange products.

Valued at $1.7 billion in 2000 and accounting for 16

percent of fruit and tree nut cash receipts, U.S. orange

production is second in value only to grapes. The

United States is the world's second-largest orange producer after Brazil. Together, the two countries account

for over half of world production. The United States

produces only about 60 percent of the quantity produced in Brazil. U.S. production has grown rapidly

over the past decade, increasing 49 percent between

1990/91 and 2000/01.

Processing accounts for about 80 percent of orange

use, with fresh use accounting for the remainder. Most

processed oranges go to making juice. Florida

accounted for almost 80 percent of orange production

in 2000/01 and is the dominant orange-processing

State. In 2000/01, 74 percent of Florida's processing

crop went to making frozen concentrated orange juice,

22 percent to chilled juice (mostly not-from-concentrate), and 3 percent to other processed products such

as sections and salads, canned juice, and blend.

Byproducts of juice making can also be used for

human consumption, such as essences from the skin

used for flavoring. The remainder of the processed

orange is usually made into feed pellets for livestock.

6 Economic Research Service, USDA

Orange Use and Markets
In our analysis, the "at home" and "away from home"

delineation is based on where a food was obtained or

prepared, not where it was consumed. Food at home is

generally obtained at a retail store such as a supermarket, grocery store, or convenience store. Food away

from home is generally purchased from a foodservice

establishment, but can also be obtained in such places

as school cafeterias, community feeding programs, and

child/adult care centers.

Both home and away-from-home food can be consumed

at home or away from home. For example, a bagged

lunch prepared at home and consumed at school or

work is classified as at-home food. An orange juice purchased at a fast-food restaurant and consumed at home

is classified as food away from home.

Fast-food places include self-service establishments

and carryout places; restaurants are places that have

wait staff; and school cafeterias include daycare facilities and summer camps. The survey indicated that on

any given day, 98 percent of the population ate at least

one food at home, and 55 percent of the population ate

at least one food away from home, with 31 percent

visiting fast-food establishments (table 2). The "other"

category is a catchall, including such places as community feeding centers, bars and taverns, vending

machines, etc. The totals may exceed 100 percent

because many consumers eat at home as well as away

from home on any given day.

According to the CSFII survey, between 78 and 92

percent of fresh and processed orange products are

consumed at home, having been purchased at retail

stores (fig. 1). Fresh oranges and orange juice are the

most likely to be consumed at home. Each American

consumes an average of 13.6 pounds of fresh oranges

per year at home (table 3). At-home orange juice consumption accounts for about 64.1 pounds of oranges

per person per year, fresh-weight equivalent. Orange

juice is mostly perceived as a breakfast item and home

is still the most popular place to eat breakfast.

Fast-food establishments are the second most popular

place to purchase other orange products after the retail

level. Orange sections are popular items in salad bars

and in some prepared salads offered by some fast-food

places. The availability of orange sections at these

establishments increases the likelihood that consumers

will eat them. Consumers are more likely to consume

the orange sections that are already present in a salad

or salad bar than to purchase a whole orange at a fastfood establishment or restaurant and have to peel it.

About 2 percent of "other" orange products are consumed in sit-down restaurants and at school.

Schools are the most popular place away from home to

eat fresh oranges. About 5 percent of fresh oranges are

purchased at school, more than half of the fresh

oranges consumed away from home (orange products

brought from home but consumed at school would be

classified as consumed at home). About 40 percent of

the orange juice consumed away from home is purchased at fast-food establishments, likely as part of

breakfast. Orange drink consumption away from home

occurred mostly at other establishments, such as vending machines, followed by fast-food places.

Economic Research Service, USDA 7

Market Share by Location

Figure 1

Orange consumption by eating location

Percent of U.S. total

At home Total Fast

food

Restaurant School Other

0

20

40

60

80

100

Fresh Juice Drink Other 

Away from home
8 Economic Research Service, USDA

Table 2—Distribution of U.S. consumption of fresh and processed oranges and tangerines1

All Other

orange processed

Population products Fresh Juice Drink products2

Percent

Food sources:

Home 97.63 88.5 92.0 88.5 77.5 83.7

Away from home 54.83 11.5 8.0 11.5 22.5 16.3

Fast food 30.83 3.1 0.1 3.2 7.8 10.2

Restaurant 17.33 2.7 0.9 2.8 3.6 2.1

School 6.73 2.7 4.9 2.5 2.2 2.0

Other 12.93 3.0 2.1 2.9 8.9 2.0

Census region:

Northeast 19.6 26.4 21.2 27.1 18.5 14.1

Midwest 23.5 21.8 19.8 21.7 29.7 34.5

South 34.9 30.7 22.7 31.5 27.7 29.7

West 22.0 21.2 36.2 19.8 24.1 21.7

MSA status: 4

Urban 32.0 36.5 34.5 36.7 38.4 26.2

Suburban 46.9 45.8 49.0 45.7 39.9 62.2

Rural 21.1 17.7 16.5 17.7 21.7 11.5

Race/ethnic origin:

White, non-Hispanic 72.6 67.3 61.7 68.1 56.9 82.7

Black, non-Hispanic 12.5 14.3 9.6 14.5 23.0 11.9

Hispanic 10.5 13.0 19.2 12.3 16.6 3.6

Others 4.4 5.4 9.6 5.1 3.5 1.9

Household income as a

percentage of poverty:

0-130 percent 19.0 18.9 19.7 18.7 22.4 13.5

131-350 percent 42.0 39.7 40.5 39.5 43.4 38.5

Greater than 350 percent 39.0 41.5 39.8 41.8 34.1 48.0

Sex and age:

Males, all 48.9 52.9 49.2 53.1 57.3 42.5

Males, under 2 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7 2.8

Males, 2-11 7.4 7.3 6.9 7.1 11.2 17.8

Males, 12-19 5.9 8.0 4.7 8.2 12.0 5.1

Males, 20-39 16.0 18.3 16.0 18.6 18.1 3.6

Males, 40-59 11.6 11.0 11.2 11.0 11.1 11.2

Males, 60 and over 6.7 6.7 8.8 6.7 3.2 2.1

Females, all 51.1 47.1 50.8 46.9 42.7 57.5

Females, under 2 1.5 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.8 1.7

Females, 2-11 7.0 6.5 8.2 6.3 8.5 16.9

Females, 12-19 5.7 6.3 3.1 6.6 7.0 9.0

Females, 20-39 15.9 14.1 11.3 14.3 15.5 16.1

Females, 40-59 12.1 10.3 13.5 10.2 5.3 6.9

Females, 60 and over 8.6 8.6 13.6 8.3 4.6 6.9 1Components may not add vertically due to rounding.

2Includes products such as ice cream, canned and frozen sections, jellies and jams, and baby food.

3Percent of population consuming at least one food at the specific location on any given day.

4MSA = Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 2000. Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, 

1994-96 and 1998. CD-ROM
Economic Research Service, USDA 9

Table 3—Per capita orange consumption, at home/away from home, 2001

Category Total1 Fresh Juice2

Pounds per person

At home 77.13 13.57 64.11

Away from home 10.02 1.17 8.31

Fast food 2.69 0.02 2.32

Other restaurant 2.34 0.13 2.04

School 2.36 0.72 1.84

All others 2.63 0.31 2.11

All sources 87.16 14.74 72.42

1 Fresh and processed may not sum to total due to weighting and rounding of components.

2 Includes all processed products, with juice accounting for about 99 percent of the total.

Source: Derived by ERS using data from the 1994-96 and 1998 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes 

by Individuals. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 2000, and ERS supply and utilization calculations.
Regional preferences appear to play a strong role in

what form oranges are consumed. The Northeast had

the strongest preference for orange products in the

aggregate, with per capita orange consumption averaging 117.27 pounds per year, a third higher than the

national average of 87.16 pounds (table 4). The

Northeast showed the strongest preference for orange

juice, with the share consumed in the region exceeding

the share of the population for that region (fig. 2). The

West showed the strongest preference for fresh

oranges compared with consumers elsewhere. Orange

juice, mostly made from Florida oranges, is sold to a

large extent where incomes and populations are traditionally high, historically to the Northeast. Fresh-market oranges are mostly produced in the West, allowing

for plentiful, inexpensive supplies available for local

consumers. Consumers in the Midwest and the South

consumed the smallest quantities of orange products.

This finding is interesting because of the plentiful supply of fresh oranges in the South, not only in Florida

but also in smaller quantities in other Gulf Coast

States. While people in the West consumed about 24

pounds of fresh oranges per person per year, and people in the Northeast consumed another 16 pounds per

person per year, people in the South consumed only

about 10 pounds per person.

Orange drink consumption was heaviest in the

Midwest where the share of use exceeded the population size. This indicates that people in the Midwest

consumed more orange drink than in any other region.

People in the West were the second biggest orange

drink consumers.

Urban areas (the central city) accounted for about a

third of the U.S. population and they also accounted

for a like amount of orange consumption (fig. 3). On

average, an urbanite consumed 99.5 pounds of oranges

annually, about 14 percent more than the U.S. population in general (table 5). Urban per capita consumption

10 Economic Research Service, USDA

Figure 3

The share of population and orange

consumption by urban/rural location 

Percent of U.S. total

Source: Economic Research Service, USDA.

Population Total Fresh Juice Drink Other 

Urban Suburban Rural

0

20

40

60

80

Orange Use by Region and Urbanization

Table 4—Regional per capita consumption

of oranges, 2001

Region Total1 Fresh Juice2

Pounds per person

Northeast 117.27 15.97 100.21

Midwest 80.75 12.44 66.75

South 76.55 9.60 65.28

West 89.30 24.25 65.05

Total 87.16 14.74 72.42

1Fresh and processed may not sum to total due to weighting

and rounding of components.

2Includes all processed products, with juice accounting for

about 99 percent of the total.

Source: Derived by ERS using data from the 1994-96 and 1998

Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. U.S. Dept. of

Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 2000, and

ERS supply and utilization calculations.

Figure 2

The share of population and orange

consumption by region

Percent of U.S. total

Source: Economic Research Service, USDA.

Fresh Juice Drink Other 

 Northeast Midwest South West

0

10

20

30

40

50

Population Total
of both fresh oranges and juice exceeded the averages

of suburban and rural areas.

Suburban areas (outside the central city) accounted for

the biggest share of orange product usage due to their

greater share of the U.S. population. While suburban

areas’ fresh use exceeded the national average, orange

juice consumption averaged only 70.51 pounds per

person annually, about 97 percent of the national average of 72.42 pounds.

Rural areas have fewer people than urban and suburban areas, and their per capita consumption of orange

products was the lowest. Rural residents had the lowest consumption of both fresh oranges and juice, 11.54

pounds of fresh oranges and 60.61 pounds of juice. On

average, people living in rural areas consumed 72.99

pounds of orange products annually, about 84 percent

of the national average.

Economic Research Service, USDA 11

Table 5—Urban/rural per capita consumption

of oranges, 2001

Metro status Total1 Fresh Juice2

Pounds per person

Urban 99.50 15.87 83.01

Suburban 85.12 15.40 70.51

Rural 72.99 11.54 60.61

Total 87.16 14.74 72.42

1Fresh and processed may not sum to total due to

weighting and rounding of components.

2Includes all processed products, with juice accounting

for about 99 percent of the total.

Source: Derived by ERS using data from the 1994-96 and 1998

Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. U.S. Dept. of

Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 2000, and

ERS supply and utilization calculations.
Economic Research Service, USDA 12

Hispanics and people of “other” races (including

Asians) have the highest orange consumption of all

racial/ethnic groups. On average, individuals in the

"other" race group consumed an average of 116.56

pounds fresh and processed oranges annually and

Hispanics consumed 111.72 pounds of fresh and

processed oranges per person annually (table 6). In

comparison, non-Hispanic blacks consumed an average of 95.07 pounds annually and whites consumed

only 80.47 pounds annually. On any given day, 38 percent of Hispanics and blacks, 36 percent of "others,"

and 30 percent of whites consumed an orange product.

Hispanics, "other" racial/ethnic groups, and blacks

consumed about a quarter more orange juice than

whites. On average, Hispanics consumed an equivalent

of 84.84 pounds per person per year of oranges in the

form of juice. Their consumption was almost the same

as for those in the "other" racial/ethnic group, who

averaged 84.44 pound per person and just slightly

higher than for blacks who averaged 83.78 pounds per

person per year. Whites, however, lagged behind all

other racial/ethnic categories, consuming an average of

67.94 pounds per year.

People in the "other" racial/ethnic category were the

biggest consumers of fresh oranges. On average, they

consumed 32.13 pounds of oranges per person per

year, over 21⁄2 times more than whites and almost 3

times more than blacks. Hispanics consumed 26.88

pounds of fresh oranges per person per year. While

Hispanic consumption was less than "others," they still

consumed more than the national average of 14.74

pounds per person.

Although whites, as a whole, consumed the biggest

proportion of orange drink, blacks drank more on a per

capita basis than any racial/ethnic group (fig. 4).

Hispanics are also big drink consumers, relative to

their population size. Orange-flavored drinks and soda

are popular in many Latin American countries and

immigrants are likely to seek out these products after

settling in the United States. While the quantity of

drink consumption cannot be calculated with the available data, we do know that on a given day, 12 percent

of Hispanics consume orange drink and 21 percent

consume juice. (These categories are not mutually

exclusive, a person may consume both on a single

day.) For blacks, 15 percent consume orange drink on

any one day and 23 percent consume juice. The gap

between orange drink and juice is wider for both

whites and “others.” These data indicate that whites

and "others" consumed more servings of orange juice

than of orange drink.

Racial/ethnic Makeup of Orange Consumers

Figure 4

The share of population and orange

consumption by racial/ethnic group

Percent of U.S. total

Source: Economic Research Service, USDA.

Population Total Fresh Juice Drink Other 

 White Black Hispanic Others

0

20

40

60

80

100

Table 6—Per capita consumption of oranges

by race/ethnicity, 2001

Category Total Fresh1 Juice2

Pounds per person

White 80.47 12.52 67.94

Black 95.07 11.30 83.78

Hispanic 111.72 26.88 84.84

Other 116.56 32.13 84.44

Total 87.16 14.74 72.42

1Fresh and processed may not sum to total due to weighting and

rounding of components.

2Includes all processed products, with juice accounting for about 99

percent of the total.

Source: Derived by ERS using data from the 1994-96 and 1998

Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. U.S. Dept. of

Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 2000, and ERS supply

and utilization calculations.
Economic Research Service, USDA 13

In the CSFII survey, households were classified into

three income groups using the Federal poverty guidelines. As a matter of reference, the Census Bureau

reported that the weighted-average poverty income

threshold for a 4-person household was $15,961 during 1994-98 (derived from the Statistical Abstract of

the United States, 2000). The poverty guideline was

developed by the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services to implement the Federal food programs. Some Federal food programs, such as the Food

Stamp Program, use 130 percent of the poverty level

to determine eligibility for participation and, in this

article, that percentage is used as the top end of the

low-income category. About 19 percent of the households fell into this low-income category (up to 130

percent of the poverty level). Another 42 percent fell

into the middle-income category of between 130 and

350 percent of the poverty level, and 39 percent of the

households were high income, with incomes exceeding

350 percent of the poverty level.

There are some distinct preferences for orange products by income. Orange juice and "other" orange products are clearly favored by the high-income group,

which has the highest per capita consumption as well

as market shares for these products (table 7 and fig. 5).

Orange drink per capita consumption, on the other

hand, is inversely related to income, with the lowincome group having the biggest share of consumption

on a per person basis (the share of drink consumed by

those in the low-income group exceeds the share of the

population in that group). However, per capita consumption of fresh oranges does not vary greatly among

the three income groups. The middle-income group

has the largest share of fresh orange and orange drink

markets due to its large population base.

Per capita consumption of fresh oranges and orange

juice by the low-income group is likely increased

through USDA's nutrition programs. USDA's Special

Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants,

and Children (WIC) is designed to improve the health

of low-income (less than 186 percent of the poverty

level) nutritionally at-risk infants, children, and pregnant, postpartum, and breast-feeding women. The WIC

program provides food packages for children 1 to 5

years old, and the packages include fruit and vegetable

juice. WIC has been shown to contribute to higher

consumption of vitamin C among low-income children, likely through the increased consumption of

orange juice.

Orange Use and Income

Table 7—Per capita consumption of oranges by

income class, 2001

Percent of

poverty level Total1 Fresh Juice2

Pounds per person

Under 130 86.52 15.13 70.46

percent

131 to 350 82.37 14.26 68.44

percent

Over 350 92.64 15.05 77.66

percent

All households 87.16 14.74 72.42

1Fresh and processed may not sum to total due to weighting and

rounding of components.

2Includes all processed products, with juice accounting for about 99

percent of the total.

Source: Derived by ERS using data from the 1994-96 and 1998

Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. U.S. Dept. of

Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 2000, and ERS supply

and utilization calculations.

Figure 5

The share of population and orange

consumption by income level

Percent of U.S. total

Source: Economic Research Service, USDA.

Population Fresh Juice Drink Other 

0-130 130-350 > 350

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Percent of poverty level
14 Economic Research Service, USDA

Males consume a greater share of all orange products

than females (figs. 6 and 7). While males make up 49

percent of the population, they account for about 53

percent of total orange consumption. Females account

for 51 percent of the total population and account for 47

percent of total consumption. On any given day, however, the portion of the general population consuming

each orange product does not differ greatly by sex.

Among males, those in the 20- to 39-year group

accounted for the biggest proportion of the population

and accounted for the biggest share of fresh, juice, and

drink consumption. On a per capita basis, however,

they consumed an average of 98.72 pounds (freshweight equivalent) of oranges annually, less than males

in the 12- to 19-year group (table 8). Much of that

consumption came from orange juice, of which they

consumed an annual average of 83.96 pounds. Males

in the 12- to 19-year age group averaged 112.08

pounds of orange consumption annually, with 100.41

pounds in the form of orange juice. On average, males

consumed 93.5 pounds per capita of oranges per year.

Males 60 and over had the heaviest fresh orange consumption, averaging 19.29 pounds a year, much higher

than the average for all males at 14.82 pounds.

Female orange consumption generally mirrored that of

males, but at lower quantities. The group of females

with the greatest consumption of oranges, however,

was those 60 and over. They averaged 92.75 pounds of

oranges per capita annually, with a higher usage of

fresh oranges than any other age group. This group of

women ate more fresh oranges, averaging 23.28

pounds annually, than any other age group, female or

male. Females in the 12- to 19-year group were the

second leading consumers of orange products, averaging 91.87 pounds per capita annually. Most of their

consumption was from juice.

Consumption of Orange Products by Sex and Age

Figure 6

The share of population and orange

consumption for males, by age

Percent of U.S. total

Source: Economic Research Service, USDA.

Population Fresh Juice Drink Other 

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

All Under 2 2-11 12-19 20-39 40-59 60 and 

over

Figure 7

The share of population and orange

consumption for females, by age

Percent of U.S. total

Source: Economic Research Service, USDA.

Population Fresh Juice Drink Other 

All Under 2 2-11 12-19 20-39 40-59 60 and 

over

0

10

20

30

40

50

60
Economic Research Service, USDA 15

Table 8—Per capita consumption of oranges, by age/sex, 2001

Age/sex Total1 Fresh Juice2

Pounds per person

Male, all 93.50 14.82 78.69

Male, under 2 86.25 14.28 71.97

Male, 2-11 83.70 13.82 69.88

Male, 12-19 112.08 11.67 100.41

Male, 20-39 98.72 14.76 83.96

Male, 40-59 83.00 14.26 68.74

Male, 60 and over 91.28 19.29 71.99

Female, all 81.09 14.67 66.43

Female, under 2 74.75 11.99 62.77

Female, 2-11 82.12 17.35 64.77

Female, 12-19 91.87 7.89 83.98

Female, 20-39 75.47 10.43 65.04

Female, 40-59 77.26 16.45 60.81

Female, 60 and over 92.75 23.28 69.47

Total 87.16 14.74 72.42

Total,under 2 80.69 13.17 67.52

Total, 2-11 82.93 15.54 67.39

Total, 12-19 102.15 9.81 92.34

Total, 20-39 87.13 12.60 74.53

Total, 40-59 80.07 15.37 64.69

Total, 60 and over 92.11 21.53 70.58

1Fresh and processed may not sum to total due to weighting and rounding of components.

2Includes all processed products, with juice accounting for about 99 percent of the total.

Source: Derived by ERS using data from the 1994-96 and 1998 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals.

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 2000, and ERS supply and utilization calculations.
16 Economic Research Service, USDA

The disappearance data produced by ERS show that

oranges are one of the most popular fruit consumed in

the United States. Fresh oranges are among the top five

fresh fruits Americans eat, and orange juice is the number one juice. Demand for fresh oranges remains steady

and orange juice demand remains strong, although it has

fallen since its peak demand in 1997/98.

This article goes one step further than the usual analysis

of consumption. By using the CSFII database, the proportion of total consumption of fresh oranges, orange

juice, orange drink, and other orange products can be

determined by demographic and economic groups.

Where these products are consumed can also be determined using this database. Following is a summary of

the major findings.

All orange products were most frequently consumed

at home. For away-from-home locations, schools led

in consumption of fresh oranges; orange juice consumption was relatively evenly distributed among

all away-from-home establishments with fast-food

restaurants having a slight edge. Away-from-home

orange drink consumption was the highest at fastfood establishments and in places such as community feeding centers, taverns, and vending machines,

while fast-food establishments topped the list for

consumption of other orange products.

On a per capita basis, Northeasterners consumed the

most oranges in all forms, followed by consumers in

the West. Southerners and Midwesterners reported

lower overall orange consumption. Those in the West

had the highest consumption of fresh oranges, while

those in the Northeast drank the most orange juice.

Urban Americans consumed more total orange products (per capita) than those living in the suburbs or

rural areas. Suburbanites appeared to have a

stronger preference for fresh oranges over other

orange products, while rural Americans appeared to

prefer orange drink.

While whites consumed the largest percentage of all

orange products due to their larger share of the U.S.

population, consumption on an individual basis is different. "Other" ethnic groups and Hispanics consumed the most fresh oranges per capita. Likewise,

per capita consumption of orange juice is greater for

Hispanics, “others,” and blacks than for whites.

Blacks, followed by Hispanics, consumed the most

orange drink per capita, and whites had the greatest

per capita consumption of other orange products.

Individuals in all income groups consumed about

the same amount of fresh oranges on a per capita

basis. High-income individuals consumed the most

orange juice, followed by those in the low-income

category. Orange drink topped the orange products

consumed by those in the middle-income group,

although the low-income group drank more orange

drink on a per capita basis. Those in the highincome group consumed more "other" orange products than either of the other two income groups.

Males consumed more orange products than females

except for products in the "other" category. Seniors

(those 60 and over) consumed the largest amount of

fresh oranges, on a per capita basis. Males 12 to 19

years old consumed the most orange juice on any

given day. Females were bigger consumers of

"other" orange products than fresh, juice, or drink.

Orange products such as sections, jams (marmalade), sorbets, flavoring in entrees, etc. topped all

other forms of orange consumption for females.

Women 60 and over had the highest per capita

orange consumption among females.

Conclusions
Lucier, Gary. Factors Affecting U.S. Mushroom

Consumption, VGS 295-01. United States

Department of Agriculture, Economic Research

Service. March 2003.

Pollack, Susan. “Oranges: The Most Consumed Fruit

in America.” Commodity Highlight in Fruit and

Tree Nuts Outlook. FTS-296. United States

Department of Agriculture, Economic Research

Service. Jan. 2002. 

Pollack, Susan (coord.). Fruit and Tree Nuts Situation

and Outlook Yearbook. FTS-2002. United States

Department of Agriculture, Economic Research

Service. October 2002. 

Perez, Agnes. “Fruit and Tree Nuts Briefing Room.”

United States Department of Agriculture, Economic

Research Service. 2002.

(http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FruitAndTreeNuts)

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research

Service. “1994-96 Continuing Survey of Food

Intake by Individuals and 1994-96 Diet and Health

Knowlege Survey.” 1998. CD-ROM available from

National Technical Information Service,

Springfield, VA. 

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

Statistical Abstract of the United States. December

2000. 

Economic Research Service, USDA 17

References