farm-to-door data report

The state of raw milk in America.

9,221 raw-milk sources mapped across every state and measured against the law. The complete 2026 picture.

Download the data Raw milk laws by state

By Omar Dadabhoy, founder of farm-to-door · Published 2026-06-11 · Data refreshed 2026-07-20

This is the first complete state-by-state map of how available raw milk actually is in the United States. farm-to-door maintains a directory of US farms; 9,221 of them sell raw milk or raw dairy, counted as raw-milk sources: working farms, licensed dairies, and their listed pickup points (counting rule below). This report counts those sources in every state, measures them against population, and overlays the legal status of each state. Free to use with attribution.

9,221 raw milk sources

across 51 states and DC, 2.71 per 100k Americans.

Download the data (CSV)

Where raw milk is legal, state by state

Color shows the current consumer status of raw milk for human consumption. 16 states allow retail sales, 5 allow herd shares only, and 9 ban it for human consumption or allow pet food only.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNWIMINYMAORNVWYSDIAILINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDERIAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
  • Retail legal 16
  • On-farm / direct 17
  • Herd-share only 5
  • Restricted 4
  • Pet food only 5
  • Banned 4

The raw milk capital of America: sources per capita

Raw counts favor big states, so this ranks states by raw-milk sources per 100,000 residents. By that measure Vermont leads the country with 26.23 sources per 100k residents. Bars are colored by legal status: the most available states are also, mostly, the ones where raw milk is legal to sell.

Vermont26.23Maine15.8New Hampshire13.06Wyoming11.75Idaho8.05Colorado7.22Montana7.21Arkansas7.06District of Columbia6.98Virginia6.24Missouri6.1Pennsylvania5.1Alaska5North Dakota4.77Oregon4.54

Three things the data shows

Every state: raw milk sources and legal status

StateLegal statusRaw milk sourcesPer 100k
CaliforniaRetail legal6991.77
PennsylvaniaRetail legal6675.1
VirginiaPet food only5506.24
FloridaPet food only4772.04
ColoradoHerd-share only4307.22
MissouriRetail legal3816.1
New YorkOn-farm only3491.76
TexasOn-farm only3401.09
WashingtonRetail legal3214.03
IndianaPet food only2663.84
TennesseeHerd-share only2623.63
OhioHerd-share only2402.02
MichiganHerd-share only2352.32
MaineRetail legal22215.8
ArkansasOn-farm only2187.06
North CarolinaHerd-share only2131.93
GeorgiaOn-farm only2091.87
MarylandIllegal1963.13
OregonRestricted1944.54
New HampshireRetail legal18413.06
New JerseyPet food only1711.8
VermontOn-farm only17026.23
South CarolinaRetail legal1622.96
IdahoRetail legal1618.05
OklahomaOn-farm only1463.57
MinnesotaOn-farm only1422.45
KentuckyRestricted1362.96
ArizonaRetail legal1301.71
KansasOn-farm only1234.14
MassachusettsOn-farm only1161.63
ConnecticutRetail legal1092.97
IllinoisOn-farm only990.78
IowaOn-farm only882.72
WisconsinOn-farm only831.39
MontanaOn-farm only827.21
AlabamaIllegal761.47
UtahRetail legal752.14
WyomingRetail legal6911.75
NebraskaOn-farm only673.34
LouisianaPet food only581.26
District of ColumbiaIllegal496.98
New MexicoRetail legal391.83
North DakotaOn-farm only384.77
West VirginiaRetail legal382.15
AlaskaRetail legal375
MississippiRestricted351.19
DelawareOn-farm only272.57
South DakotaOn-farm only222.38
Rhode IslandRestricted90.81
HawaiiIllegal60.41
NevadaRetail legal50.15

For reporters and researchers

Every figure here is free to cite and reproduce with a link to farm-to-door.com. The downloadable files carry the same per-state counts, per-capita rates, and legal classifications.

Need a specific cut (a single state, a metro, raw goat vs cow, herd-share supply)? Email omar@farm-to-door.com and we will pull it.

Methodology

A raw-milk source is one directory record tagged raw-milk. Most records are working farms or licensed dairies; a farm's separate pickup locations can appear as their own records when the underlying source lists them that way, so this counts raw-milk supply points, not unique farm businesses.

Per-capita figures use 2024 US Census state population estimates. States with fewer than 3 raw-milk farms are omitted from the per-capita ranking only.

Legal tier is the current consumer status of raw milk for human consumption, classified from the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Laws change often; verify with the state Department of Agriculture.

As of 2026-06-21. This is a directory snapshot, not a promise that every farm is open, stocked, or delivering to a given ZIP. Confirm details with each farm.

Sources

Laws change often; verify current rules with the state Department of Agriculture before buying or selling.

Revision history

State counts and the downloadable files refresh with each directory rebuild; the current data snapshot is 2026-07-20.

Frequently asked questions

How many farms sell raw milk in the US?

As of 2026-06-21, the farm-to-door directory lists 9,221 raw-milk sources (working farms, licensed dairies, and their listed pickup points) across all 50 states and DC, about 2.71 per 100,000 residents.

Which state has the most raw milk farms per capita?

Vermont, with 26.23 raw-milk sources per 100,000 residents (170 sources). The full per-capita ranking is in this report.

How many states allow raw milk sales?

16 states allow retail raw milk in licensed stores, 5 allow herd shares only, and 9 ban it for human consumption or allow pet-food sales only. The rest allow on-farm or direct sales. See the raw milk laws by state page for each state.

Can I use this data?

Yes. Every figure is free to cite and reproduce with a link to farm-to-door.com. A CSV and JSON of the full dataset are linked on this page.

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