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Vegetable Consumption Statistics: U.S. Intake by Demographic Group

U.S. vegetable consumption statistics from NHANES and BRFSS, covering daily intake, vegetable subgroups, age, sex, race, income and state variation.

November 12, 2026 10 min read recipes2all.com Editorial Team

Contents

Vegetable consumption statistics: U.S. adult intake on a given day

Vegetable consumption statistics describe more than one kind of measure. In the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated whether adults reported eating vegetables on a particular recalled day. Separately, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Patterns Equivalents Database (FPED) tables estimate mean amounts in cup equivalents from day 1 dietary recalls. A percentage reporting any vegetables and a mean cup-equivalent amount are not interchangeable: one records whether a category appeared that day, while the other estimates an amount across individuals.

For August 2021–August 2023, 93.3% of U.S. adults aged 20 and older consumed any vegetables on a given day, according to NHANES day 1 recall. The estimate was based on a sample of 4,798 adults, with a 95% confidence interval of 92.4%–94.2%. The measure indicates how common vegetable consumption was on the recalled day; it does not say how much each person ate or describe every day of the period. CDC, Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023, Table 2

The USDA FPED table offers a quantity measure for the same broad period. Adults aged 20 and older averaged 1.45 cup equivalents of total vegetables per individual on day 1. In that table, total vegetables excludes beans, peas, and lentils. Its subgroup estimates provide further detail: 0.43 cup equivalents were starchy vegetables, 0.33 were red and orange vegetables, 0.17 were dark green vegetables, and 0.51 were classified as other vegetables. These are mean amounts, not proportions of people who consumed each group. USDA ARS, Food Patterns Equivalents Intakes from Food: Mean Amounts Consumed per Individual, by Male/Female and Age, Table 1b

USDA vegetable measure, adults aged 20 and olderMean cup equivalents per individual
Total vegetables†1.45
Total starchy0.43
Total red and orange0.33
Dark green0.17
Other0.51

† The USDA table’s total vegetables measure excludes beans, peas, and lentils. The estimates describe weighted day 1 dietary intake during August 2021–August 2023. USDA ARS, Table 1b

The CDC report also uses its own vegetable categories to estimate the share of adults consuming each on a given day. Those percentages complement the USDA amounts but should not be combined as though they were the same statistic. The distinction matters when interpreting subgroup patterns: a category can be reported by many people without its mean amount being the largest, and the amount estimates use a different presentation from the CDC prevalence figures. CDC, Table 2; USDA ARS, Table 1b

Vegetable consumption statistics by sex and vegetable subgroup

CDC estimates for adults aged 20 and older show how often broad vegetable groups appeared on a recalled day in August 2021–August 2023. Red and orange vegetables were consumed by 76.7% of adults, and other vegetables by 77.1%. Starchy vegetables were reported by 50.6%, while dark green vegetables were reported by 37.9%. Each estimate concerns whether a respondent consumed that type on a given day; the values do not rank how much was eaten. For all four figures, the CDC table reports a sample size of 4,798 for the total adult group. CDC, Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Adults, Table 2

Vegetable categoryAdults consuming category on a given day
Other77.1%
Red and orange76.7%
Starchy50.6%
Dark green37.9%

The percentages come from NHANES day 1 recall for U.S. adults aged 20 and older during August 2021–August 2023. They are reported as separate category estimates, not as mutually exclusive shares that should add to 100%. CDC, Table 2

The CDC table is organized by vegetable type and sex and includes estimates for men and women. The checked observations here provide the total adult figures above, rather than sex-specific estimates, so the table does not support a comparison of male and female prevalence. USDA’s adult subgroup amounts likewise provide the total adult row used in the preceding section. Keeping the scope of each statistic explicit avoids reading a general adult estimate as a sex comparison. CDC, Table 2; USDA ARS, Table 1b

Vegetable consumption statistics by age

USDA’s age-and-sex table gives mean total vegetable intake for males and females in age bands. These are cup equivalents per individual from weighted day 1 dietary intake in August 2021–August 2023. The total vegetables measure excludes beans, peas, and lentils. Among males, the observed age-band means were 0.67 cup equivalents for ages 2–5, 0.76 for ages 6–11, and 1.04 for ages 12–19. For adult male age groups, the estimates were 1.47 at ages 20–29, 1.41 at 30–39, 1.43 at 40–49, and 1.55 at 50–59. USDA ARS, Food Patterns Equivalents Intakes from Food: Mean Amounts Consumed per Individual, by Male/Female and Age, Table 1b

Males by ageMean total vegetables, cup equivalents per individual
2–50.67
6–110.76
12–191.04
20–291.47
30–391.41
40–491.43
50–591.55
60–691.72
70 and over1.52

The values are USDA weighted day 1 intake means for August 2021–August 2023; all use the table’s total vegetables definition, which excludes beans, peas, and lentils. They are distinct age-specific estimates, not a record of changes within the same individuals over time. USDA ARS, Table 1b

For females, the corresponding means were 0.68 cup equivalents at ages 2–5, 0.81 at ages 6–11, and 1.03 at ages 12–19. In the adult age groups with checked values, female means were 1.45 at ages 20–29, 1.48 at 30–39, and 1.35 at 40–49. The estimates use the same unit, period, recall basis, and exclusion for total vegetables as the male figures. USDA ARS, Table 1b

Females by ageMean total vegetables, cup equivalents per individual
2–50.68
6–110.81
12–191.03
20–291.45
30–391.48
40–491.35

These results describe separate population age groups in a survey period. They do not establish why estimated amounts differ by age, and the day 1 recall basis should remain part of any interpretation. USDA ARS, Table 1b

Vegetable consumption statistics by race and ethnicity

USDA FPED estimates for August 2021–August 2023 report mean total vegetable intake by race and ethnicity, in cup equivalents per individual. Among people aged 2 and over, the estimates were 1.36 for non-Hispanic White people, 1.17 for non-Hispanic Black people, 1.76 for non-Hispanic Asian people, and 1.18 for Hispanic people. The population scope is not limited to adults. The table excludes other or multiracial and missing race or ethnicity, and total vegetables excludes beans, peas, and lentils. USDA ARS, Food Patterns Equivalents Intakes from Food: Mean Amounts Consumed per Individual, by Race/Ethnicity and Age, Table 2b

Among adults aged 20 and over, mean total vegetable intake was 1.48 cup equivalents for non-Hispanic White adults, 1.27 for non-Hispanic Black adults, 2.05 for non-Hispanic Asian adults, and 1.35 for Hispanic adults. These are weighted day 1 intake estimates for the same survey period. The table’s age-2-and-over and adult rows answer different population questions and should be kept separate. USDA ARS, Table 2b

Race or ethnicityAge 2 and overAge 20 and over
Non-Hispanic White1.361.48
Non-Hispanic Black1.171.27
Non-Hispanic Asian1.762.05
Hispanic1.181.35

Mean total vegetable intake in cup equivalents per individual, USDA weighted day 1 recall, August 2021–August 2023. The table’s total vegetables definition excludes beans, peas, and lentils; race and ethnicity coverage excludes other or multiracial and missing entries. USDA ARS, Table 2b

The figures are descriptive means for the listed groups. They do not show the distribution of individual intake within a group, nor do they explain differences. The age scope, recall measure, and listed classification groups are essential context for comparing these values. USDA ARS, Table 2b

Vegetable consumption statistics by family income

The CDC adult report divides family income into categories based on the federal poverty level (FPL). For adults aged 20 and older in August 2021–August 2023, the share reporting any vegetables on a given day was 88.5% among those below 130% FPL, 93.0% among those at 130%–349% FPL, and 95.9% among those at 350% or more FPL. These are CDC prevalence estimates from NHANES day 1 recall, not mean amounts. The underlying sample sizes were 872, 1,596, and 1,775, respectively. CDC, Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Adults, Table 4

CDC family-income categoryAdults consuming any vegetables on a given day
Less than 130% FPL88.5%
130%–349% FPL93.0%
350% or more FPL95.9%

The CDC estimates concern adults aged 20 and older during August 2021–August 2023. “Any vegetables” means consumption on a given day, and the income bands are the CDC report’s categories. CDC, Table 4

The table also reports subgroup prevalence by income. Dark green vegetables were consumed on a given day by 29.3% of adults below 130% FPL, 35.9% of those at 130%–349% FPL, and 42.3% of those at 350% or more FPL. Red and orange vegetables were reported by 69.2%, 75.0%, and 82.0% across those same categories. The figures measure the share consuming each category, not quantities eaten. CDC, Table 4

USDA provides a separate income comparison of mean total vegetable amounts for adults aged 20 and over. In its August 2021–August 2023 day 1 recall table, adults in the under-131%-poverty category averaged 1.15 cup equivalents per individual; those in the 131–350% poverty category averaged 1.39; and those over 350% poverty averaged 1.68. USDA’s labels and cutoffs differ from the CDC categories. They should not be treated as equivalent income bands. The USDA total vegetables measure also excludes beans, peas, and lentils. USDA ARS, Food Patterns Equivalents Intakes from Food: Mean Amounts Consumed per Individual, by Family Income as % of Poverty Level and Age, Table 4b

The CDC and USDA patterns are based on different outcomes: same-day category prevalence versus average cup-equivalent amounts. Both describe survey estimates and do not establish what accounts for differences among income groups. CDC, Table 4; USDA ARS, Table 4b

Vegetable consumption statistics across U.S. states and demographics

A separate state-level view comes from CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) analysis of 2019 data. It estimates both reported daily frequency and the share meeting federal intake recommendations. In the analytic sample of adults aged 18 and older from 49 states and the District of Columbia, the median reported vegetable intake frequency was 1.6 times per day. The national estimated prevalence meeting vegetable recommendations was 10.0%, with a 95% confidence interval of 8.8%–11.3%. New Jersey was excluded from the analysis. CDC, Adults Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Intake Recommendations — United States, 2019, Table 1

State results varied. Vermont had the highest reported state percentage meeting vegetable recommendations, at 16.0%, while Kentucky had the lowest, at 5.6%. These are 2019 modeled estimates, not measurements of current-year intake. Median reported frequency ranged from 1.5 times per day in Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, and New Mexico to 1.9 times per day in Maine and Vermont. The frequency measure and recommendation prevalence are distinct outcomes. CDC, 2019 BRFSS analysis, Table 1 and accompanying text

The BRFSS analysis also reports national recommendation prevalence by demographic categories. In 2019, 12.4% of women met federal vegetable recommendations, compared with 7.6% of men. By age, 12.5% of adults aged 51 and older met recommendations, compared with 7.1% of adults aged 18–30. By race and ethnicity, the national estimate was 6.9% for non-Hispanic Black adults and 10.1% for non-Hispanic White adults. CDC, 2019 BRFSS analysis, Table 3

Income-to-poverty ratio (IPR) categories in the same analysis showed 6.8% of adults below 1.25 meeting vegetable recommendations, compared with 12.2% of adults above 3.49. These BRFSS findings use modeled prevalence of meeting recommendations, rather than the NHANES same-day recall measure or USDA mean cup equivalents. The datasets therefore provide complementary descriptions, not directly interchangeable estimates. CDC, 2019 BRFSS analysis, Table 3

BRFSS figures are from 2019 and should be read as historical estimates. CDC identifies self-report, measurement error in the intake algorithm, nonresponse, and missing income or other data as limitations. The analysis covered 49 states and DC, with New Jersey excluded; its state and demographic estimates do not represent a direct dietary recall for each person. CDC, 2019 BRFSS analysis

Sources

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