Vegetables · NASS annual estimates, 2025
Where is watermelon grown?
Georgia grows the most watermelon: 21% of the 3.9 billion pounds grown in the ten states NASS surveyed in 2025.
Next come Florida (21%) and California (13%).
- Surveyed states, 2025
- 3.9 billion poundstotal of the 10 states NASS surveys
- Top state
- Georgia21% of total
- Farms reporting, 2022
- 12,460in 50 states
- Farm value, 2025
- $741 millionvalue of production
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. State view: NASS annual estimates, 2025. County view: 2022 Census of Agriculture (acres harvested).
Which state grows the most watermelon?
Georgia grows the most watermelon: 21% of the 3.9 billion pounds grown in the ten states NASS surveyed in 2025. Ranked by NASS's 2025 estimate.
* Rank among states with published figures. A state whose figure is withheld could rank higher.
All states ranked for watermelon, with year-by-year leaders →
NASS's annual estimate for watermelon covers 10 states. In the 2022 Census of Agriculture, those states held at least 84% of US acres harvested.
Which counties grow the most watermelon?
From the 2022 Census of Agriculture, which reports watermelon for 1,965 counties. NASS withholds 821 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo County, TX | 9,334 | 7% |
| Gilchrist County, FL | 5,210 | 4% |
| Knox County, IN | 4,260 | 3% |
| Hendry County, FL | 3,976 | 3% |
| Maricopa County, AZ | 3,166 | 2% |
| Levy County, FL | 3,098 | 2% |
| San Joaquin County, CA | 3,069 | 2% |
| Hardee County, FL | 3,054 | 2% |
| Sampson County, NC | 2,499 | 2% |
| Kern County, CA | 2,408 | 2% |
| Dunklin County, MO | 2,169 | 2% |
| Marion County, FL | 2,150 | 2% |
| Charlotte County, FL | 1,936 | 1% |
| Sumter County, GA | 1,881 | 1% |
| Yuma County, AZ | 1,810 | 1% |
Watermelon by the numbers
Each note is calculated from USDA NASS data; the source is listed under it.
How concentrated
The top three states, Georgia, Florida and California, account for 55% of the watermelon grown in the ten states NASS surveyed.
NASS annual estimates, 2025
How widespread
Farms in 50 states reported watermelon in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, 12,460 farms in all.
2022 Census of Agriculture
Top county
Hidalgo County, Texas has 7% of the acres of watermelon harvested in the US, the most of any county with a published figure.
2022 Census of Agriculture
Farm value
NASS puts the value of US watermelon production in 2025 at $741 million.
NASS annual estimates
Census to Census
Acres of watermelon harvested in the US fell 24% between the 1997 and 2022 Censuses of Agriculture, from 188,547 acres to 142,389 acres.
Censuses of Agriculture, 1997 to 2022
About this data
State and national figures come from NASS's annual estimates (final 2025 figures; in-season forecasts are not used). 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. NASS reports this crop in hundredweight (100 pounds) or 100-pound barrels; we show pounds.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Quick Stats. Series: MELONS, WATERMELON - ACRES HARVESTED; MELONS, WATERMELON - PRODUCTION, MEASURED IN CWT. Data processed 2026-11-06. Methodology.