Economic Research Service

Name

Economic Research Service

Legal name

Economic Research Service

Website

https://ers.usda.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Agricultural Economics Research

NAICS

Administration of Economic Programs (9261), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Administration of Public Health Programs (923120)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS) & Farm ERPs (AFAAAFAA)

Keywords

• Agricultural economics research
• Food market analysis
• Farm economy data
• Rural development research
• Nutrition assistance analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Appropriation: ERS is funded through Congressional appropriations as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. All publications, data products, and resources are provided free of charge to the public as a government agency.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Economic Research Service (ERS) is the primary economics research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It conducts and disseminates economic research, data products, outlook reports, and policy analysis covering agriculture, food, nutrition assistance, rural America, and natural resources. All publications, datasets, and interactive tools are provided free of charge to the public.

Product overview

The Economic Research Service (ERS) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture agency that operates as a unified data and research platform. It provides access to a comprehensive portfolio of data products, publications, and interactive visualization tools. The core offerings include Amber Waves Magazine (monthly publication), Charts of Note, and multiple data products such as the Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System, Oil Crops Yearbook, and State Fact Sheets. ERS also provides interactive tools including Food Access Research Atlas, Food Environment Atlas, and Data Visualizations via Tableau Public. The agency publishes ongoing Research Reports and Outlook Reports covering agricultural commodities, food markets, international trade, and rural economy. All content is publicly accessible through downloadable files (XLS, CSV, PDF) and web-based queryable applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Amber Waves: The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America - a monthly online magazine showcasing ERS research and analysis on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America.

Products and services

• Amber Waves Magazine Monthly online magazine showcasing ERS research and analysis on economic and policy issues related to agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America. All editorial content is in the public domain.
• Charts of Note Daily/regular fast facts on U.S. agriculture presented as charts and visual summaries.
• Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials A set of 70 charts and maps providing basics on food, farming, and rural America.
• Food Access Research Atlas Mapping tool to describe food access using several options, allowing users to create maps of community food access characteristics.
• Food Environment Atlas Interactive tool to map community access to affordable, healthy food.
• State Fact Sheets Provides information on population, income, poverty, food security, education, employment, farm characteristics, farm financial indicators, top commodities, and agricultural exports for all U.S. states.
• Food Price Outlook Food price data and forecasts changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) for food.
• Vegetables and Pulses Data Comprehensive statistics on fresh and processed vegetables and dry pulses in the United States, as well as some global data.
• Data Visualizations Interactive graphs, charts and maps hosted on Tableau Public for exploring agricultural economics data.
• Research Reports Published papers from ERS covering topics such as farm economy, food safety, nutrition assistance, and international trade.
• Outlook Reports Agricultural outlooks and projections including commodity-specific reports such as Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook, Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook, Wheat Outlook, and others.
• Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System Three distinct data series on food and nutrient availability: food availability data, loss-adjusted food availability data, and nutrient availability data for over 200 commodities.
• Oil Crops Yearbook

Quantifiable outcome

• Comprehensive coverage of food, farming, and rural America through 70+ charts and maps in Charting the Essentials
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RTI InternationalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2017ERS contracted with RTI International to form a panel of academic experts to review technical questions and data gaps in the ERS Loss-Adjusted Food Availability (LAFA) Data Series. The panel recommended approaches and methods to improve the series.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): FAO is the leading international agency producing global agricultural statistics, food security data, and commodity outlooks, comparable to ERS in mission but at a global scale rather than U.S.-only.
• USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA): FSA administers farm programs, commodity support, and farm loans and works closely with ERS research on farm economy topics, making it a comparable USDA organization serving overlapping agricultural stakeholder needs.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): BLS is a federal statistical agency producing labor, price (CPI/PPI), and employment data. Its Food Price Outlook-adjacent consumer price work directly overlaps with ERS's Food Price Outlook product, making it a peer in government statistics delivery.
• Federal Reserve Board - Division of Research & Statistics: The Fed's research division produces economic research, working papers, and data products on the U.S. economy. While focused on monetary policy rather than agriculture, it parallels ERS as a public-sector economics research body.

Direct peers

• Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA): BEA is a U.S. federal statistical agency producing economic data (GDP, industry accounts, regional economics) with a similar mandate to produce objective, publicly available economic research and data products.
• USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS): FAS is the USDA's foreign agriculture agency producing global market intelligence, trade data, and commodity outlooks that overlap directly with ERS's Market and Trade Economics Division output.
• Congressional Research Service (CRS): CRS provides nonpartisan policy analysis and research to Congress, comparable to ERS's mandate to provide objective economic research informing federal policy decisions on agriculture, food, and rural America.
• USDA Office of the Chief Economist (OCE): OCE provides economic analysis and outlook reports directly to the Secretary of Agriculture, overlapping with ERS on commodity outlooks, baseline projections, and policy-relevant economic research.
• USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS): NASS is the USDA's official statistical agency for U.S. agriculture, providing surveys, Census of Agriculture, and crop/livestock production data. Like ERS, it is a USDA agency producing publicly available agricultural data products for policymakers and the public.

Regional players

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC): AAFC is the Canadian federal department producing agricultural economic research, market information, and farm income data, serving as the closest international peer to ERS in scope and mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/USDA_ERS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usda-economic-research-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Economic Research Service