“Back in May, when dine-in service had been shut down around most of the nation, market research company Sense360 reported that pizzerias had experienced a 5% drop in year-over-year sales while recording a larger per-dollar order increase compared to quick-service and fast-casual competitors—an 11% jump for pizza vs. 9% for quick-service and 8% for fast-casual. Around the same time, a Datassential survey found that 63% of consumers said they were seeking out pizza during the pandemic—comfort food indeed.

“Sales figures from research firm CHD Expert show that pizza sales rebounded as the country reopened for business. Total U.S. pizza industry sales for the period from October 2019 through September 2020 came to $46,247,156,519, a mere 0.20% decline from $46,337,969,390 for October 2018 through September 2019. That’s barely a smidgen of difference.

“And here’s the better news: Total sales for independent pizzerias actually went up by 0.58%, from $18,531,653,876 in the October 2018 to September 2019 period to $18,639,852,788 this year. Sales for the pizza chains didn’t fare quite as well, dropping 0.72%, from last year’s $27,806,315,514 to $27,607,303,732 this year.”

Key Stats

Source: 2012 Economic Census. Note: The U.S. Census Bureau is releasing 2017 Economic Census statistics from September 2019 through 2021.

TableID: EC1272SXSB04, Accommodation and Food Services: Subject Series - Misc Subjects: Principal Menu Type or Specialty for the U.S. and States: 2012, see Establishments with principal menu type of pizza

Note: The table above is a modified view of the original. Most rows and several columns are hidden. Click on the image to see the full table. Once the 2017 stats are released, the table image will be updated.

TableID: EC1272SSSZ5, Accommodation and Food Services: Subject Series - Estab & Firm Size: Summary Statistics by Employment Size of Firms for the U.S.: 2012, showing NAICS 7225154, Bagel shops

Note: The table above is a modified view of the original. Several columns are hidden. Click on the image to see the full table. Once the 2017 stats are released, the table image will be updated.

More Stats

From the Newsroom > Stats for Stories (SFS):

National Fast Food Day: November 16, 2020

Frozen Food Month: March 2020

From Census.gov > Business & Industry > Foreign Trade > U.S. International Trade Data:

USA Trade Online, the Official Source of Trade Statistics. (FREE to all users.)

Note: After you create an account, select options for State Export Data (Origin of Movement) or State Import Data (State of Destination) by Harmonized System (HS) or NAICS. Select State, Measures, Commodity (pizza), Country, or Time for data. For more information, see the Quick Start Guide.