The Staggering Amount Of Ice Cream The Average American Consumes A Year

Whether you are having a good day or bad one, a cold dish of ice cream can always warm your heart. Have you ever wondered how those scoops add up over time? According to the International Dairy Foods Association, Americans eat a staggering 18 pounds, or 4 gallons, of ice cream per year. Considering one scoop of ice cream is about a half cup, that's 128 scoops on average per person. 

Ice cream comes in countless flavors and many different forms, from cones to ice cream sandwiches and cakes. You can buy ice cream at grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and theme parks, in specialty ice cream parlors, and out of carts and trucks. With all those options, it's no surprise we consume a lot of it. But Americans aren't the only ones — we all scream for ice cream.

Whether its mochi in Japan or gelato in Italy, ice cream is enjoyed around the world. According to World Population Review, the world's No. 1 consumer per capita is New Zealand, where people eat 28.4 liters annually, or more than 60 pints per person — that equals about 240 scoops each. The United States is second in the ranking, just above Australia, but WPR puts U.S. consumption closer to 5 gallons per person, which is higher than IDFA stats (but measuring ice cream is no easy feat). The exact amount may differ due to weight versus volume, and the average annual consumption for Americans has actually been declining since the 1990s, according to the USDA.

The common theme to ice cream in the United States is family, according to the IDFA figures. Families are the No. 1 customer at local ice cream shops across the United States. In terms of nostalgia, the majority of ice cream producers have been in business more than 50 years, and many are still family owned. On top of that, the ice cream industry supports thousands of families, with 26,704 direct jobs generating $1.9 billion in wages.

Many of our childhood memories are linked to ice cream. When an IDFA survey asked about what feels the most American, the majority of respondents talked about ice cream trucks venturing through neighborhoods, a tradition that began with the founder of Breyers ice cream in 1866. The ice cream nostalgia is also evident in survey responses for flavors and toppings. Respondents ranked the top three ice cream flavors as the traditional favorites of chocolate, butter pecan, and vanilla. Hot fudge is the highest rated ice cream topping, with whipped cream coming in second. 

While the average American eats eight pounds less ice cream these days than they did in the year 2000, according to the USDA, the market is still growing, both in the U.S. and abroad. The IDFA cites an estimated industry growth of 80% over the next decade, which means we can expect family-centered ice cream memories for years to come.