About This Statistic
This statistic shows strawberry production in the United States in 2016, by state. In that year, the production of strawberries in California amounted to about 28.78 million cwt.
The strawberry producing industry in the United States - additional information
The garden strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa), is a plant cultivated worldwide for its usually red, sweet and aromatic fruit. The strawberries’ distinct flavor makes them popular in all forms: fresh, frozen, canned, as part of food and drink recipes, but also as a widely-used artificial flavoring in cosmetics or perfumes. However, due to the fact that they are sensitive to weather and thrive only under certain climate conditions, worldwide strawberry production is relatively low compared to other fruit crops, such as bananas, which are easier to maintain and produce fruit year-round. In 2014, the global strawberry production reached some 8.1 million metric tons, while the worldwide banana production exceeded 106 million metric tons.
With an annual strawberry production of 1.5 million tons of in 2015, the United States is the leader of the global strawberry market, accounting for a third of the total world’s production. Favorable climate conditions make the state of California the largest producer of strawberries in the United States. In 2015, 27.9 million hundredweight of strawberries were produced in California, considerably more than the second ranked, Florida, with 2.44 million hundredweight.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, berries, including strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cranberries, are the fifth most popular fruit consumed in the United States, after bananas, citrus fruits, apples and watermelons. As of 2014, the per capita consumption of fresh berries in the United States stood at 9.3 pounds per year. Annually, Americans eat over 120 pounds of fresh fruit per capita.
