Nov 1, 2025
The most common refrain so far this corporate earnings season is that the U.S. economy is increasingly divided between wealthy consumers and everyone else, as reported by Yahoo Finance. While many Americans tighten their belts amid rising costs and a weakening job market, a fortunate few are still spending freely, insulated by a financial cushion of stock market gains and years of rising home values.
The split is having an outsize impact on consumer-facing companies, but those effects are not being felt evenly across brands. McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said the “two-tier economy” was a major factor in the fast-food giant’s decision to revive its “Extra Value Meal” combos last month. “Traffic for lower-income consumers is down double digits,” Kempczinski said. “We needed to step in.” Coca-Cola‘s chief operating officer, Henrique Braun, said the company continued to see “divergency in spending between the income groups” last quarter. “The pressure on middle- and low-end-income consumers is still there.”
A Decades-Long Trend
The U.S. economy has been turning more “K”-shaped for decades, with the high-earner cohort doing better and better while others fall further down the economic ladder. In 1989, the top 10% of U.S. wealth holders already controlled about 61% of the total wealth in the economy, according to Federal Reserve data. Today, it is about 67%.
While inequality has grown throughout this period, its rate of growth has ebbed and risen. Signs of bifurcation blared louder during the first six months of the Covid-19 pandemic, but these signs receded somewhat in the following years, as government stimulus checks and loan-payment forbearance helped boost the fortunes of lower-income households.
Inequality Roars Back
Five years on from the initial pandemic period, worrying signals of inequality are roaring back into view. This time, the cracks appear to be hardening. Average worker pay only barely outpaces inflation, which remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. But the pace of that wage growth is higher for salaried workers than for those paid by the hour, according to data from the Atlanta Federal Reserve.
“While upper-income consumers are doing great and benefiting from the wealth effect of owning their home and having a stock portfolio, anyone renting or who doesn’t own stocks is not,” said Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer at OnePoint BFG Wealth Partners. “At best, their wages are only keeping up. They’re doing a lot of running in place.”
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the sugary soft drink market in the U.S.. Within it, you will discover the latest data on market trends and opportunities by country, consumption, production and price developments, as well as the global trade (imports and exports). The forecast exhibits the market prospects through 2030.
Product coverage:Prodcom 11071930 – Waters, with added sugar, other sweetening matter or flavoured, i.e. soft drinks (including mineral and aerated) Country coverage:Data coverage:Market volume and valuePer Capita consumptionForecast of the market dynamics in the medium termTrade (exports and imports) in the U.S.Export and import pricesMarket trends, drivers and restraintsKey market players and their profilesReasons to buy this report:Take advantage of the latest dataFind deeper insights into current market developmentsDiscover vital success factors affecting the market
This report is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, and wholesalers, as well as for investors, consultants and advisors.
In this report, you can find information that helps you to make informed decisions on the following issues:
How to diversify your business and benefit from new market opportunitiesHow to load your idle production capacityHow to boost your sales on overseas marketsHow to increase your profit marginsHow to make your supply chain more sustainableHow to reduce your production and supply chain costsHow to outsource production to other countriesHow to prepare your business for global expansion
While doing this research, we combine the accumulated expertise of our analysts and the capabilities of artificial intelligence. The AI-based platform, developed by our data scientists, constitutes the key working tool for business analysts, empowering them to discover deep insights and ideas from the marketing data.
1. INTRODUCTION
Making Data-Driven Decisions to Grow Your Business
REPORT DESCRIPTION
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND THE AI PLATFORM
DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
GLOSSARY AND SPECIFIC TERMS
2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A Quick Overview of Market Performance
KEY FINDINGS
MARKET TRENDSThis Chapter is Available Only for the Professional EditionPRO
3. MARKET OVERVIEW
Understanding the Current State of The Market and its Prospects
MARKET SIZE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
MARKET STRUCTURE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
TRADE BALANCE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
MARKET FORECAST TO 2035
4. MOST PROMISING PRODUCTS FOR DIVERSIFICATION
Finding New Products to Diversify Your Business
TOP PRODUCTS TO DIVERSIFY YOUR BUSINESS
BEST-SELLING PRODUCTS
MOST CONSUMED PRODUCTS
MOST TRADED PRODUCTS
MOST PROFITABLE PRODUCTS FOR EXPORTS
5. MOST PROMISING SUPPLYING COUNTRIES
Choosing the Best Countries to Establish Your Sustainable Supply Chain
TOP COUNTRIES TO SOURCE YOUR PRODUCT
TOP PRODUCING COUNTRIES
TOP EXPORTING COUNTRIES
LOW-COST EXPORTING COUNTRIES
6. MOST PROMISING OVERSEAS MARKETS
Choosing the Best Countries to Boost Your Export
TOP OVERSEAS MARKETS FOR EXPORTING YOUR PRODUCT
TOP CONSUMING MARKETS
UNSATURATED MARKETS
TOP IMPORTING MARKETS
MOST PROFITABLE MARKETS
7. PRODUCTION
The Latest Trends and Insights into The Industry
PRODUCTION VOLUME AND VALUE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
8. IMPORTS
The Largest Import Supplying Countries
IMPORTS: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
IMPORTS BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024)
IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024)
9. EXPORTS
The Largest Destinations for Exports
EXPORTS: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024) AND FORECAST (2025–2035)
EXPORTS BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024)
EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2024)
10. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERS
The Largest Producers on The Market and Their Profiles
LIST OF TABLES
Key Findings In 2024
Market Volume, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Market Value: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Per Capita Consumption: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
Imports, In Value Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
Import Prices, By Country, 2012–2024
Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
Exports, In Value Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
Export Prices, By Country, 2012–2024
LIST OF FIGURES
Market Volume, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Market Value: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Market Structure – Domestic Supply vs. Imports, in Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Market Structure – Domestic Supply vs. Imports, in Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Trade Balance, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Trade Balance, In Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Per Capita Consumption: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Market Volume Forecast to 2035
Market Value Forecast to 2035
Market Size and Growth, By Product
Average Per Capita Consumption, By Product
Exports and Growth, By Product
Export Prices and Growth, By Product
Production Volume and Growth
Exports and Growth
Export Prices and Growth
Market Size and Growth
Per Capita Consumption
Imports and Growth
Import Prices
Production, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Production, In Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Imports, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Imports, In Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2024
Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
Imports, In Value Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
Import Prices, By Country, 2012–2024
Exports, In Physical Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Exports, In Value Terms: Historical Data (2012–2024) and Forecast (2025–2035)
Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2024
Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
Exports, In Value Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
Export Prices, By Country, 2012–2024