29 Great Pizza Consumption Statistics

The world’s most favorite pie isn’t apple or lemon meringue. It’s a pizza and there are places in the world where people are very obsessed with this food item. Eating pizza is especially prevalent in the United States, where it is ranked as the 4th most craved food item.

The annual amount of pizza sales in the United States contributes $38 billion worth of revenues to the food industry.

Pizza Consumption

Everyone is eating pizza today. Pizza stores are even selling pizzas that have gluten free crusts to reach out to niche spending habits and health trends. Because the toppings can be so varied, crust levels can be thin or thick, and one can even put barbecue sauce on a pizza and call it good, there’s no denying the love of pizza in the world today.

• In the United States, an estimated 3 billion pizzas are sold every year.
• The number of slices of pizza that are sold, on average, in every second in the US: 350.
• 46. That’s the number of pizza slices that the average American is going to eat over the course of the next 12 months.
• 93% of Americans will eat pizza at least once in the next 30 days.
• The average American eats 23 pounds of pizza every year.
• The Super Bowl is the most popular pizza day of the year. 70% of those who watch the NFL Championship will eat at least one slice of pizza during the game.
• Americans consume 251.7 million pounds of pepperoni every year, with much of that being on pizzas. 36% of all pizza orders in the US are for a pepperoni pizza.
• 70,000. That’s the number of pizzerias that are operating in the United States right now. 1 in 4 of those pizzerias is a Domino’s, Pizza Hut, or Papa John’s.
• 17% of all restaurants in the United States are pizzerias. More than 10% of all the country’s pizzerias are found in New York City.
• In a typical pizza-eating session, an adult consumes 744 calories.
• About 1 in 8 Americans eats pizza any given day.

In the United States, pizza is definitely king when it comes to a quick meal. It hits a number of the food groups, depending on the toppings of course, and can provide someone the chance to cure some hunger pangs in a complete way. When compared to potato chips and other snacks that load up calorie counts, pizza seems like a pretty healthy option. Just like any other food, however, the consumption of pizza can be abused and may lead to health concerns in the future for those who eat it heavily. If someone primarily eats pepperoni pizza, then there aren’t any vegetables going into their diet. Sorry folks – tomato sauce is a fruit serving at best.

Pizza Eating Starts Early and Lasts a Lifetime

• 13% of the U.S. population aged 2 years and over will consume pizza on any given day. That means about 1 in 8 people today are going to eat pizza.
• Children between the ages of 6-19 are the most likely to eat pizza. 51% of girls in this age demographic will eat at least once slice of pizza.
• On the day it is consumed, pizza will provide someone with 25% of their total daily energy.
• 33% of a person’s daily salt intake comes from their consumption of pizza when it happens.
• Dinner is the most popular time in the US to eat pizza. Children are more likely than adults to eat pizza at lunch.
• The percentage of senior adults over the age of 60 who will eat at least once slice of pizza today: less than 6%.
• Almost 10% of pizza consumption occurred at a snacking occasion instead of at a meal.
• 59%. That’s the percentage of pizza consumption that occurs within the home.

If you grew up in the American public school system, then one of the days you looked forward to at lunch was pizza day. It was difficult for the cafeteria at school to mess up the pizza, so you knew that you were going to have a pretty great lunch. That tradition has continued on into adulthood, but the transition has been to look forward to a dinner pizza instead of a lunch pizza. With chains like Papa Murphy’s allowing people to take a fresh pizza home and bake it in their own oven, it is easy to see why 2% of pizza consumption occurs at breakfast. Grab a slice out of the fridge, go about your morning routine, and you feel full.

How Deep Is The Obsession With Pizza?

• 1 in 6 men between the ages of two and 39 ate pizza for breakfast, lunch, or dinner today.
• Per capita consumption of cheese is up 41% since 1995.
• On a typical day when pizza is consumed, it will account for 39% of that person’s daily intake of saturated fat.
• Anchorage, AK is home to the highest grossing independent pizzeria in the nation, with annual sales of $6 million.
• The largest pizza ever made was 122 ft. 8 in. in diameter. It needed 9,920 pounds of flour, 198 pounds of salt, 3,968 pounds of cheese, and 1,984 pounds of tomato puree.
• 6 out of every 10 pizzas sold will have a thin crust. Another 11% of pizzas will have an “extra” thin crust.
• The most popular day of the week to eat pizza: Saturday.
• Topped with 6 varieties of caviar, fresh lobster, creme fraiche, and chives, the 12-inch pizza from Bellissima, called the “Luxury Pizza,” retails at $1,000.00.
• 55. That’s the average number of pizza boxes that a pizzeria uses every day.

Pizza might account for 10% of all food sales, but consider this. In the world today, about 5 billion pizzas are sold every year. There are probably a few extra million pizzas that are made at home from scratch every year as well. More than 60% of all pizza sales happen in the United States. This is why the world says that the US is obsessed with pizza. Why are Americans eating so much pizza? Because it accommodates the faster pace of life that US society demands. If you’re rushing from Point A to Point B and need something to eat, which is healthier? A cheeseburger… or a slice of pizza? This is why pizza sales will continue to be through the roof in the United States.