Vegetables · 2022 Census of Agriculture
Where is kale grown?
California grows the most kale: 48% of the 18,121 acres harvested in the US in 2022.
Next come South Carolina (9%) and Georgia (6%).
- US total, 2022 Census
- 18,121 acresacres harvested
- Top state
- California48% of total
- Farms reporting, 2022
- 7,743in 50 states
- Counties reporting
- 1,407641 withheld
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. State view: 2022 Census of Agriculture. County view: 2022 Census of Agriculture (acres harvested).
Which state grows the most kale?
California grows the most kale: 48% of the 18,121 acres harvested in the US in 2022. Ranked by the 2022 Census of Agriculture (acres harvested).
Which counties grow the most kale?
From the 2022 Census of Agriculture, which reports kale for 1,407 counties. NASS withholds 641 of those county figures to protect individual farms, so a withheld county could be larger than some listed here.
| County | Acres harvested | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| Ventura County, CA | 2,952 | 16% |
| Monterey County, CA | 1,836 | 10% |
| San Benito County, CA | 1,338 | 7% |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 804 | 4% |
| Imperial County, CA | 733 | 4% |
| Hidalgo County, TX | 670 | 4% |
| Colquitt County, GA | 608 | 3% |
| Salem County, NJ | 498 | 3% |
| Yuma County, AZ | 401 | 2% |
| Cumberland County, NJ | 221 | 1% |
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 205 | 1% |
| Ontario County, NY | 172 | under 1% |
| Payette County, ID | 152 | under 1% |
| Bexar County, TX | 133 | under 1% |
| Atlantic County, NJ | 123 | under 1% |
How has US production of kale changed?
Censuses of Agriculture, 1997 to 2022.
Kale by the numbers
Each note is calculated from USDA NASS data; the source is listed under it.
How concentrated
The top three states, California, South Carolina and Georgia, account for 63% of the acres of kale harvested in the US.
2022 Census of Agriculture
How widespread
Farms in 50 states reported kale in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, 7,743 farms in all.
2022 Census of Agriculture
Top county
Ventura County, California has 16% of the acres of kale harvested in the US, more than any other county.
2022 Census of Agriculture
Census to Census
Acres of kale harvested in the US rose 203% between the 1997 and 2022 Censuses of Agriculture, from 5,978 acres to 18,121 acres.
Censuses of Agriculture, 1997 to 2022
About this data
State and national figures come from the 2022 Census of Agriculture. County figures and the county map come from the 2022 Census of Agriculture, the only source that covers every county. NASS withholds some figures, marked "withheld", to avoid disclosing data for individual farms.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats. Series: GREENS, KALE - ACRES HARVESTED. Data processed 2026-11-06. Methodology.