The Peanut Dominance: Georgia’s Groundnut Glory
Georgia isn’t just the leading peanut producer in the United States – it’s a total powerhouse that makes every other state look like they’re playing in the minor leagues. In 2024, Georgia growers expanded their peanut acreage from 775,000 acres to 850,000 acres, representing 47% of total U.S. planted acres. Accounting for more than 50 percent of all U.S. peanut production, Georgia produced the most peanuts of any State, with a 2022 peanut crop estimated at 2.9 billion pounds. Think about that for a second – over half of all American peanuts come from just one state. The U.S. is the fourth-largest peanut-producing country in the world, after China, India, and Nigeria. Despite obstacles like hurricanes, the U.S. peanut production forecast for 2024 is 2.95 million metric tons, an increase of 10.8% compared to 2023, marking the third-largest peanut production in U.S. history. It’s like Georgia decided to corner the market on America’s favorite legume (yes, peanuts are technically legumes, not nuts).
Alabama’s Peanut Pride: The Underdog Runner-Up
Alabama’s nearly 559 million pounds produced in 2022, a little over 10% of U.S. peanut production, ranks second in the nation with Georgia taking the top spot. Houston County topped the scales with 89,640,000 pounds of peanuts produced in 2023. Geneva County produced 65,750,000 pounds. While Georgia gets all the attention, Alabama quietly churns out serious peanut numbers. Alabama saw 17% decreases in their yields in 2023 due to drought conditions. Pecans are the official state nut of Alabama, and peaches are the state’s official tree fruit. But let’s be real – when you think Alabama agriculture, you’re thinking peanuts first, official state symbols second.
California’s Nut Empire: The Golden State’s Quad Crown
California’s nut-growing region is so crucial to the state’s economy that it has four official State Nuts: almond, walnut, pistachio, and pecan. California grows eight out of ten almonds eaten in the world, 99% of the commercial walnuts in the United States (and 75% of the world’s supply), and 98% of the pistachios in the United States. According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service, almonds were ranked 16th on the list of top commodities based on receipts in 2016 with over $5 billion, with the majority of almonds grown in California. Almonds are a $4 billion dollar industry, with 2.1 billion pounds of almonds produced in 2016. Currently, the U.S. nut industry is concentrated in California, with the Golden State leading the nation in tree-nut production, cultivating millions of tons each year, especially for walnuts, pistachios, and pecans. When California decided to dominate the nut game, they didn’t mess around – they went all in on everything.
Missouri’s Black Walnut Heritage: The Show-Me State’s Native Treasure
Missouri designated the nut of the eastern black walnut tree as the official state nut in 1990, also called American walnut. The black walnut is native to eastern North America, growing mostly alongside rivers, and is a deciduous tree with grey-black, deeply furrowed bark and is considered very high quality wood. Black walnuts are used in ice cream, baked goods and candies, while the nut shell provides a soft, gritty abrasive used in metal cleaning and polishing and oil well drilling. Black Walnut, a rapidly growing tree common in the state, is most common in moist bottomlands and open fields, and its beautiful, fine-grained, chocolate-brown, relatively lightweight heartwood is the ultimate choice for making solid wood furniture. The norton is the state grape of Missouri, and the eastern black walnut is the state tree nut. Unlike other states that import their favorite nuts, Missouri keeps it local with their homegrown black walnut champion.
Oregon’s Hazelnut Monopoly: The Pacific Northwest’s Nutty Secret
The state nut of Oregon is the hazelnut, and Oregon produces 99% of the country’s hazelnuts. Hazelnuts, a favorite in various sweets and candies, are grown primarily in Oregon. During the 19th century, hazelnuts were introduced to Oregon. Hazelnuts get bonus points for being so wonderful with chocolate and for giving the world Nutella. Fun fact: no one has ever actually eaten a raw hazelnut probably, because first you have to crack the hard shell without crushing the nut, and then you need to peel the bitter skin, though hazelnuts are good and especially nutty. Oregon essentially owns the American hazelnut market – it’s like they have a monopoly on the ingredient that makes your favorite chocolate spread possible.
Texas’s Peanut Comeback: The Lone Star State’s Agricultural Diversification
Despite early predictions for a third consecutive drought-limited crop, Texas saw 236,000 acres planted to peanuts in 2024, up 14,000 acres from 2023, with the largest majority, 46%, of the acreage planted to Spanish peanuts, followed by runner, Virginia and Valencia. The number of acres going to Spanish is increasing because the price is higher, as runner peanuts are mostly for peanut butter while Spanish peanuts go into the food market. The U.S. Department of Agriculture prices for 2023-2024 were $538 per ton on average, with USDA forecasting a price of $510 per ton on average next season. The largest growing regions in Texas are West Texas around Gaines and Yoakum counties, as well as some in the Rolling Plains and some acres in Central Texas, with growers in South Texas adding 10,000 acres to the state’s peanut acres. Texas is among the major peanut producing states, following Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Virginia, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Texas proves that everything really is bigger in Texas – including their agricultural ambitions.
Florida’s Peanut Struggles: The Sunshine State’s Weather Woes
Florida’s peanut production in 2022 was 554 million pounds, following closely behind Alabama’s 559 million pounds. The decline in yield is primarily attributed to the impact of Hurricane Helene on peanut farms in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Florida saw 17% decreases in their yields in 2023 due to drought conditions. About 1.8 million acres of peanuts were planted in the U.S., with Georgia, Florida and Alabama responsible for about 1.2 million acres. The leading peanut-producing states include Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas, benefiting from a combination of favorable climate conditions, fertile soils, and well-established agricultural infrastructure. Florida’s peanut industry is like that friend who keeps getting knocked down but keeps getting back up – hurricanes, droughts, and natural disasters can’t seem to keep them out of the game completely.
North Carolina’s Peanut Resilience: The Tar Heel State’s Steady Production
North Carolina’s production was pegged at 510 million pounds in 2022, a 3-percent increase from 2021. The USDA reported that the U.S. peanut crop in 2022 was 13% smaller than in 2021 due to lower acreage and yields, with smaller crops estimated in all U.S. states except for North Carolina. North Carolina is among the leading peanut-producing states along with Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Texas. While other states were struggling with weather and market conditions, North Carolina managed to actually increase their peanut production. Peanuts are grown in states like Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. North Carolina is like that steady, reliable friend who always shows up when you need them – not the flashiest, but consistently dependable.
The Walnut States: California’s Tree Nut Dominance
Walnuts are another leading nut, with the 2014 walnut crop amounting to 565,000 tons, mostly grown in California, with a crop value of $1.8 billion. China consumes half of the worldwide output of walnuts which is far above its production capacity, importing walnuts from the United States to meet domestic consumption, with the United States being the second largest consumer followed by Iran, France, Japan, and Germany. According to Nut Health, English walnuts were brought to Southern California by the 1800s, and almonds fared better in California’s drier inland areas. Roasted or even just chopped up, walnuts are great in a wide range of things, from a healthy dish like a salad to sweets like cookies and brownies, and you’d miss walnuts more than you’d know. Walnuts are linked to multiple health benefits and have an impressive nutrient profile, which are an especially good source of copper and manganese, and may boost heart and brain health. California doesn’t just grow walnuts – they’ve basically cornered the market and turned it into an export empire.
The Pistachio Powerhouse: California’s Green Gold Rush
Pistachios are another favorite nut, with U.S. pistachio production in 2014 being 460 million pounds, for a total crop value of $1.6 billion, with most pistachios grown in California, though Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Utah grow about 2 percent of the country’s pistachio crop. California produces 98 percent of the pistachios in the United States and is the second largest producer worldwide, with the first California commercial crop harvested in 1976, totaling 1.5 million pounds from 4,350 acres, and California now has more than 250,000 acres planted throughout 22 counties producing over 550 million pounds of pistachios per year. In the 1900s, pistachios took root in New Mexico. The only downside to pistachios is that you have to either work for hours to eat like 15 of them, or you have to pay through the nose for a bag of them. These vibrant nuts are packed with nutrients but lower in calories and fat than many other nuts. California turned pistachios from a Middle Eastern delicacy into an American snack food obsession.
These nuts tell the story of American agriculture – from Georgia’s peanut dynasty to California’s tree nut empire. Each state found its niche, whether it’s Missouri’s native black walnuts or Oregon’s hazelnut monopoly. The revenue of the global nuts market is projected to exhibit steady growth over the coming decade at a CAGR of 5.7%, with the market’s revenue estimated at USD 63.2 billion in 2023, expected to rise to USD 66.8 billion in 2024 and USD 70.6 billion in 2025. Who knew that something as simple as cracking open a shell could reveal so much about America’s agricultural identity?
