A Pumpkin Production Runaway

Fall is in the air or at least the subtle sniff of peanut butter cups and candy corn. So we’re taking some time to have some fun in today’s program with some background and statistics about a staple this time of year: that bright orange gourd known as the pumpkin.

So where does the Sunshine State stand as far as pumpkin production?

From the USDA, pumpkin production is widely dispersed throughout the United States, with crop conditions varying by region. All states produce some pumpkins, but six states produce most of them. According to the most recent Census of Ag, 45 percent of pumpkin acres were harvested in the top six pumpkin-producing States, measured by pumpkin weight.

In 2023, Illinois maintained its leading position in pumpkin acreage, harvesting more than twice as many pumpkin acres as any of the other top states, at 15,400 acres. In the same year, California was right at the 5,000-acre mark.

Yields vary substantially by state and by year. On average for the period 2021–23, rounded to the nearest five thousand, Illinois grows about 40,000 pounds per acre. California grows about 30,000,