The U.S. Poultry Industry Just Hit $800 Billion in Economic Impact. Why Are Processing Plants Still Struggling to Staff Up? Can EB3 Visa Workers support the industry?

David C

Oct 28

7 min read

A new study released October 28, 2026 by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), with the National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, and United Egg Producers, finds the U.S. poultry and egg industry now supports 2,319,443 jobs and generates $799.5 billion in economic activity nationally — up 15% in jobs and 20% in economic activity from the group's 2024 study, conducted by the same research firm, John Dunham & Associates. Wages rose even faster: $177.1 billion, up 33% in two years. That kind of growth is a strong signal for anyone selling into or working in the sector — but fast-growing output doesn't automatically mean fast-growing headcount at the plant level, and poultry and meat processing remain among the industries that most consistently report they can't fill every production-line shift from the local labor pool alone. For employers who have already raised wages and still can't keep lines staffed, EB-3 "Other Workers" sponsorship offers a way to bring on a permanent, legally authorized workforce for the ongoing, hard-to-fill roles — not a quick fix for next month, but a structural answer to a structural problem.

What did the new poultry industry economic impact study actually find?

The industry supports 2,319,443 jobs nationwide and generates $799.5 billion in total economic activity, according to the 2026 Poultry and Egg Industry Economic Impact Study, released October 28, 2026 by USPOULTRY in partnership with the National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, and United Egg Producers, and conducted by John Dunham & Associates, an independent economic research firm. The study also found $177.1 billion in wages and $74.5 billion in local, state, and federal government revenue generated by the industry. All four headline figures are up sharply from the group's prior study in 2024: jobs up nearly 307,000 (15%), economic activity up $135.9 billion (20%), wages up $44.4 billion (33%), and government revenue up $20.5 billion (38%).

How does the growth break down by sector — chicken, turkey, and egg?

Chicken remains by far the largest segment: 1,555,821 jobs, $118.7 billion in wages, $532.9 billion in economic activity, and $49.5 billion in government revenue — up roughly 180,000 jobs (13%) and $83.4 billion in economic activity (19%) since 2024, with wages up $27.8 billion (31%) and government revenue up $12.8 billion (35%). Turkey supports roughly 504,000 jobs, $38.5 billion in wages, and $172.5 billion in economic activity, up roughly 80,000 jobs and more than $30 billion in activity, with wages up about $10 billion. Egg production supports roughly 182,000 jobs, $13.9 billion in wages, and $64.9 billion in economic activity, up roughly 18,000 jobs (11%) and $6.7 billion in activity (12%), with wages up $3.4 billion (32%). Every segment grew on every measure — this isn't one sub-sector carrying the headline number.

If the industry is growing this fast, why do processing plants still report labor shortages?

Because economic output and headcount don't move in lockstep, and poultry processing in particular depends on steady, full-time staffing for physically demanding, continuous-shift production-line work that's historically hard to fill locally at the pace plants are expanding. Rising wages — up 33% industry-wide in two years, faster than jobs (15%) or even total economic activity (20%) — are themselves a signal of a tight labor market: employers are bidding up pay to compete for the same limited local pool rather than easily finding new workers at prevailing rates. A plant that's running near capacity, adding lines, or expanding shifts to capture its share of that $799.5 billion in economic activity still needs bodies on the floor, and local recruiting alone often can't keep pace with growth this fast.

Which poultry and egg processing roles typically qualify for EB-3 sponsorship?

Most production-line and processing roles — line workers, deboners, graders, packers, and general plant labor — typically qualify under the EB-3 "Other Workers" subcategory, which covers full-time, permanent jobs requiring less than two years of training or experience. Roles requiring more specialized skills or a longer training period, such as maintenance technicians or quality-control supervisors, may instead fall under EB-3 Skilled Worker. Either way, the position needs a defined Department of Labor occupational (SOC) code and must be an ongoing, permanent role — which fits plant-floor processing work well, since these are year-round production needs rather than a seasonal surge.

How long does EB-3 sponsorship take for a poultry or egg processing role in 2026?

Plan on a multi-year process, driven mostly by the visa queue rather than paperwork. The sequence starts with a Prevailing Wage Determination — the National Prevailing Wage Center was processing roughly June 2026 filings as of its most recent posted update — followed by PERM Labor Certification, averaging 336 calendar days for DOL analyst review (flag.dol.gov, data through August 2026; this figure has held steady for several months, likely reflecting a reporting lag of a couple of months rather than a true plateau). Then comes the I-140 petition, with a 3.7-month national median for regular processing in FY2026 (secondary source: Grape Law Firm, citing USCIS data). After that is the visa queue itself. Under the November 2026 Visa Bulletin — still the most current bulletin as of this writing — EB-3 Other Workers final action dates stand at June 1, 2022 for most countries and Mexico, January 1, 2022 for the Philippines, January 22, 2014 for India, and October 1, 2019 for China, all of which retrogressed (moved backward) from the September/October 2026 bulletins. Taken together, PERM processing time plus the current visa-bulletin wait adds up to a multi-year timeline for most Other Workers cases — worth planning around now, while the industry's hiring need is this visible, rather than treating it as a quick fix for an open shift next month.

What does EB-3 sponsorship cost a poultry or egg processing employer?

No SeaBreezee per-worker recruiting fee. The employer's actual out-of-pocket cost is the DOL-required PERM recruitment advertising, typically $500–$2,000 per campaign — not per worker, so one campaign can support sponsoring more than one worker in the same job classification — plus the DOL-determined prevailing wage for the role and location. Workers, not employers, separately pay SeaBreezee's own settling-in fees, such as housing search and document-prep support.

Does SeaBreezee file the PERM and I-140 paperwork?

No. Independent immigration attorneys prepare and file each worker's PERM, I-140, and consular or adjustment documents and represent the employer and worker before DOL, USCIS, and the consulate. SeaBreezee is a facilitator — it coordinates the process and collects the documents and information the attorney needs; it is not a law firm.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many jobs does the U.S. poultry industry support? 2,319,443 jobs nationwide, according to the 2026 Poultry and Egg Industry Economic Impact Study (USPOULTRY, National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, and United Egg Producers, released October 28, 2026, conducted by John Dunham & Associates) — up nearly 307,000 jobs (15%) from the group's 2024 study.

How much economic activity does the poultry industry generate? $799.5 billion, up $135.9 billion (20%) since 2024. The industry also generated $177.1 billion in wages (up 33%) and $74.5 billion in government revenue (up 38%) over the same period.

Which poultry and egg processing jobs qualify for EB-3 sponsorship? Most production-line roles — line workers, deboners, graders, packers, general plant labor — typically qualify under EB-3 "Other Workers" (under two years of required training or experience). More specialized or technical roles may qualify under EB-3 Skilled Worker instead.

How long does EB-3 sponsorship take for a processing-plant role? A multi-year process for most countries: a several-month Prevailing Wage Determination queue, a 336-day average PERM analyst review, a 3.7-month median I-140 processing time, and then a visa-queue wait set by the current Visa Bulletin and the worker's country of birth.

What does EB-3 sponsorship cost the employer? No SeaBreezee per-worker fee. The real employer cost is DOL-required PERM recruitment advertising, typically $500–$2,000 per campaign (not per worker), plus the DOL-set prevailing wage.

Does SeaBreezee file the PERM and I-140 paperwork? No. Independent immigration attorneys prepare and file each worker's PERM, I-140, and consular or adjustment documents and represent the employer before DOL, USCIS, and the consulate. SeaBreezee is a facilitator — it coordinates the process; it is not a law firm.

Sources & Data

U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), with the National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, and United Egg Producers, 2026 Poultry and Egg Industry Economic Impact Study, conducted by John Dunham & Associates, released October 28, 2026 — as reported by Morning Ag Clips, "U.S. Poultry Industry Supports 2.3 Million Jobs, Generates Nearly $800 Billion in Economic Activity" — total jobs, economic activity, wages, government revenue, sector-by-sector breakdown, and growth since the 2024 study
MEAT+POULTRY, "US poultry industry supports job growth, boosts economic activity" — trade-press coverage of the same October 28, 2026 study release
U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, Economic Data — confirms the current headline study figures (2,319,443 jobs; $799.5 billion economic activity; $74.5 billion in taxes); note the page also displays older 2024-study figures elsewhere on the same page that have not yet been fully updated to match the new release — see Notes for David
U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification, Processing Times, data as of October 5, 2026 (August 2026 determinations) — PERM Labor Certification analyst review (336 calendar days) and Prevailing Wage Determination queue (processing June 2026 filings as of September 30, 2026)
USCIS processing-time data as reported by Grape Law Firm, I-140 Processing Time in 2026 — 3.7-month national median for regular I-140 processing, FY2026 data (secondary source)
U.S. Department of State, Visa Bulletin for November 2026 — EB-3 Other Workers Final Action Dates (Chart A), by country; confirmed still the current bulletin as of October 28, 2026, with no December 2026 bulletin yet published
SeaBreezee internal billing data (verified September 30, 2026) — PERM recruitment-advertising campaigns typically $500–$2,000 per campaign

Growing production, but can't find enough people to run the line? Email SeaBreezee at info@seabreezee.com for a no-cost employer consultation on EB-3 sponsorship for poultry and egg processing roles.