Whole-grain consumption in the United States averaged 0.84 ounce-equivalent per day among people age 2 and older in 2017–2018. That total includes substantial differences across age, sex, race and ethnicity, household income, and where food was prepared. The estimates below come from dietary recalls and national trend analyses, so they describe populations rather than individual diets.
Contents
- U.S. whole-grain baseline
- Intake by age and sex
- Differences by race and ethnicity
- Household income and poverty status
- Long-run consumption trends
- Food source and school foods
U.S. whole-grain baseline
The What We Eat in America, NHANES 2017–2018 estimates mean whole-grain and refined-grain intake using Food Patterns Equivalents Database grain equivalents. Across U.S. individuals age 2 and older, mean total-grain intake was 6.64 ounce-equivalents per day. Whole grains contributed 0.84 ounce-equivalent, while refined grains contributed 5.79 ounce-equivalents.
The same 2017–2018 estimates put whole-grain intake at 0.85 ounce-equivalent per day for children ages 2–19 and 0.84 for adults age 20 and older. Among adults, the contrast with refined grains was especially large: adults averaged 0.84 ounce-equivalent of whole grains and 5.76 ounce-equivalents of refined grains per day.
Mean intake also differed by sex. Males age 2 and older consumed 0.94 ounce-equivalent per day, compared with 0.75 for females. These are population means, not recommended targets or measures of whether a particular person meets dietary guidance.
Intake by age and sex
The detailed age estimates show that whole-grain consumption did not move in a simple straight line across life stages. In 2017–2018, males ages 2–5 consumed a mean 0.64 ounce-equivalent per day, rising to 0.96 among males ages 6–11 and 0.94 among males ages 12–19. Male adults ages 20–29 averaged 0.57, while males ages 30–39 averaged 1.25. At age 70 and older, the male mean was 1.19 ounce-equivalents per day.
Selected female estimates show a different pattern. Females ages 2–5 averaged 0.75 ounce-equivalent per day, and females ages 12–19 averaged 0.74. Females age 70 and older averaged 0.94 ounce-equivalent. The available age-specific figures therefore include both lower-intake groups, such as males ages 20–29 at 0.57, and higher-intake groups, such as males ages 30–39 at 1.25.
| U.S. group | Mean whole-grain intake, ounce-equivalents per day | Period |
|---|---|---|
| All individuals age 2+ | 0.84 | 2017–2018 |
| Children ages 2–19 | 0.85 | 2017–2018 |
| Adults age 20+ | 0.84 | 2017–2018 |
| Males age 2+ | 0.94 | 2017–2018 |
| Females age 2+ | 0.75 | 2017–2018 |
| Males ages 30–39 | 1.25 | 2017–2018 |
| Males age 70+ | 1.19 | 2017–2018 |
All figures in this section are from What We Eat in America, NHANES 2017–2018.
Differences by race and ethnicity
The 2017–2018 national estimates also show differences by reported race and ethnicity. Among U.S. individuals age 2 and older, non-Hispanic Asian individuals had the highest listed mean at 1.20 ounce-equivalents per day. Non-Hispanic White individuals averaged 0.89, non-Hispanic Black individuals averaged 0.66, and Hispanic individuals averaged 0.65.
The adult estimates were similar in direction but not identical in size. Non-Hispanic White adults age 20 and older consumed a mean 0.89 ounce-equivalent per day. Non-Hispanic Black adults averaged 0.64, while Hispanic adults averaged 0.61.
Age can matter within an ethnicity group as well. Non-Hispanic Asian adolescents ages 12–19 consumed a mean 1.35 ounce-equivalents per day, higher than the 1.20 mean for non-Hispanic Asian individuals age 2 and older. Because these are survey estimates for defined population groups, the differences should not be read as explanations of why intake varies.
Household income and poverty status
Whole-grain intake rose across the household-income categories reported for 2017–2018. Individuals in households earning under $25,000 consumed a mean 0.76 ounce-equivalent per day. The mean was 0.81 for households earning $25,000–$74,999 and 0.91 for households earning at least $75,000.
Age-specific figures add context to the income comparison. In households earning under $25,000, children ages 2–5 consumed a mean 0.60 ounce-equivalent per day, while children ages 6–11 consumed 1.02. In households earning at least $75,000, children ages 2–5 consumed 0.85, and adults age 20 and older consumed 0.90.
The poverty-status estimates show the same general gradient. Individuals below 131% of the federal poverty level consumed a mean 0.72 ounce-equivalent per day. The mean was 0.85 among individuals at 131%–350% of the federal poverty level and 0.92 among those above 350%.
These income and poverty categories are descriptive groupings from the survey. They do not establish that income itself caused the reported differences, and they should not be treated as individual dietary advice.
Long-run consumption trends
The USDA Economic Research Service report, Trends in U.S. Whole-Grain Intakes 1994–2018: The Roles of Age, Food Source, and School Food places the 2017–2018 estimates in a longer historical series. For U.S. individuals age 2 and older, whole-grain intake increased from 0.75 ounce-equivalent per day in 1994–1998 to 0.84 in 2017–2018.
The report also measures whole-grain density, or ounce-equivalents per 1,000 calories. Overall density rose from 0.40 in 1994–1998 to 0.43 in 2017–2018. Among children ages 2–19, density rose from 0.34 to 0.47. Among adults ages 20–64, however, it was 0.38 in 1994–1998 and 0.37 in 2017–2018.
For comparison, the benchmark used by USDA ERS for a 2,000-calorie diet was 1.5 ounce-equivalents per 1,000 calories in the 1994–2018 analysis. The 2017–2018 refined-grain density for U.S. individuals age 2 and older was 2.77 ounce-equivalents per 1,000 calories. The benchmark is a reference used in the report, not a claim that every person consumes 2,000 calories or should interpret the statistics as personalized guidance.
Food source and school foods
Food source was another important part of the historical picture. In 2017–2018, whole-grain density in school food reached 1.04 ounce-equivalents per 1,000 calories, compared with 0.52 for food prepared at home. School-food density was 0.30 in 2011–2012 and 1.15 in 2015–2016, showing that the school estimates varied across survey periods rather than moving upward in every successive period.
Among children eating school food, almost 50% consumed whole grains from school food after 2013–2014, compared with no more than 24% in earlier periods of the 1994–2018 trend. Whole grains accounted for 9.9% of children’s school-food grain intake in 2011–2012, 22.76% in 2013–2014, and 34.2% in 2015–2016.
The CDC NCHS Data Brief, Number 341, covering 2013–2016, reports whole grains as a share of total grain intake among U.S. adults who reported grain consumption. Whole grains contributed 15.8% of total grain intake on a given day. The share was 16.7% for women and 14.8% for men.
The CDC brief also reports differences by ethnicity: whole grains contributed 11.1% of Hispanic adults’ total grain intake and 18.3% of non-Hispanic Asian adults’ total grain intake during 2013–2016. These percentages measure the composition of grain intake among adults reporting grain consumption, so they are not interchangeable with the ounce-equivalent-per-day estimates above.
The USDA estimates are weighted day-1 dietary recalls for individuals age 2 and older and exclude breast-fed children. Ounce-equivalents refer to Food Patterns Equivalents Database grain equivalents. The USDA ERS trend report covers survey periods spanning 1994–2018, while the CDC brief covers 2013–2016. Together, these sources describe survey estimates and analytical benchmarks for specific periods and geographies; they do not independently verify legacy measurements or provide individual dietary recommendations.