1

Vegetable Production 

A $16.9 billion industry in 2012, up $2.2 billion since 2007.

United States Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

www.agcensus.usda.gov

(800)727-9540

ACH12-32/October 2015

Highlights

Vegetable sales (including melons, potatoes, and sweet potatoes) amounted 

to $16.9 billion in 2012, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture. This 

represented 4.3 percent of the $395 billion in U.S. agriculture sales that year. It 

was an increase of $2.2 billion or 15 percent since 2007. The number of farms 

growing vegetables increased, but acreage for vegetables as a whole declined 

from 4.7 million acres in 2007 to 4.5 million acres in 2012. Acreage declined for 

most vegetable commodities but increased for some. 

Ten states 

accounted for 

77 percent U.S. 

vegetable sales 

in 2012, with 

California alone 

accounting for 

38 percent. 

Four of the top 

five vegetableproducing 

counties are in 

California, with 

Monterey County 

accounting for

10 percent of total 

sales. (Fig. 1)

Fresh Market and Processing Vegetables

Farms produce vegetables for the fresh market and for processing, which 

refers to altering the commodity by heat, pressure, or freezing. Some farms 

produce for both markets, others specialize in one or the other. In 2012, there 

were 65,814 farms that grew fresh market vegetables and 13,072 farms that 

produced vegetables for processing.

With 1.2 million harvested acres, California had by far the largest area devoted 

to production of both fresh market and processing vegetables, followed by 

Idaho, Washington, Wisconsin, Florida, Minnesota, Michigan, Oregon, 

New York, and Arizona. (Fig. 2) The top states in fresh market acreage were 

California (which alone accounted for 32 percent of fresh market acres), 

Top States in Sales

($ millions)

California 6,327.8

Florida 1,349.0

Washington 1,064.1

Idaho 967.5

Arizona 764.1

Wisconsin 555.4

Oregon 492.1

Texas 474.9

Michigan 462.7

North Carolina 435.0

Top Counties in Sales

($ millions)

Monterey, CA 1,677.1

Fresno, CA 726.9

Imperial, CA 702.4

Yuma, AZ 579.1

Santa Barbara, CA 455.9

Fig. 1

Vegetable Sales as Percent of Agriculture Sales, by County, 2012

< 1

1 - 4

5 - 9

10 - 24

25 +

U.S. = 4.3

percent

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.
2 USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Farm and Producer Characteristics

Compared to all U.S. farms, operations specializing in 

vegetable production on average have fewer acres but 

higher sales. Just under half had sales of less than $10,000 

a year.

Vegetable

Farms, 2012

All

Farms, 2012

Average size of operation (acres) 191 434

Average value of sales $388,793 $187,097

Average expenditures $318,643 $155,947

Average net cash farm income $80,698 $43,750

% of farms with sales < $ 10,000 49% 54%

Principal operators of vegetable farms are on average 

younger than principal farm operators overall, more likely 

to be female, and more likely to be a minority race or of 

Hispanic origin. (Table 1)

Table 1

Vegetable Producers: Key Characteristics, 2012

(principal operators of farms specializing in vegetable production)a

2007 2012 All Farms

2012

percent

Gender

Male 83 80 86

Female 17 20 14

Age

Under 45 years 19 20 16

45 to 64 years 55 53 51

65 years and older 26 27 33

Race/Ethnicity

White (non-Hispanic) 81 80 92

Minorityb 19 20 8

Worked some days off the farm

Yes 63 61 61

No 37 39 39

Percent of income from farming

< 25% 68 68 70

25% to 49% 8 8 8

50% to 74% 9 9 9

75% to 100% 15 15 13

Average Age (years) 55.9 55.9 58.3 a

More than half its sales come from vegetables. b

Includes Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, Asian Pacific Islander, and multi-race.

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.

followed by Florida, Idaho, Arizona, and Washington. 

The top states in harvested acres of vegetables used 

for processing are California, Washington, Wisconsin, 

Minnesota, and Idaho.

Fig. 2

Top States in Vegetable Harvested Acres, 2012

(fresh market and processing shares)

Fresh Market

Processing

Arizona 130,345

New York 135,997

Oregon 148,915

Michigan 158,661

Minnesota 227,641

Florida 251,011

Wisconsin 288,528

Washington 351,639

Idaho 369,480

California 1,175,249

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.

Major Crops

The five largest fresh market crops in terms of acreage

are potatoes, lettuce, sweet corn, watermelon, and tomatoes. Potatoes, sweet corn, and tomatoes are also among 

the top processing 

crops, along with 

snap beans and 

green peas.

The acreage devoted to most vegetables with more than 

100,000 harvested 

acres in 2012 stayed 

the same or declined between 2007 

and 2012. Acreage 

increased for lettuce, 

potatoes, and sweet 

potatoes. 

Top Vegetables : Fresh Market and 

Processing 

(thousands of harvested acres)

Potatoes 1,168.2

Sweet corn 572.1

Tomatoes grown in the open 397.7

Lettuce 323.4

Snap beans 266.1

Green peas 192.6

Onions, dry 150.0

Broccoli 128.9

Watermelons 128.2

Sweet potatoes 125.7

Cucumbers and pickles 111.9

Source: USDA NASS, 2012 Census of Agriculture.

To learn more about vegetable production, the 2012 

Census of Agriculture, and how to access national, 

state, and county data, go to:

www.agcensus.usda.gov