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Vegetable Farming in the US - Market Research Report (2015-2030)

Vaughan Immerwahr Vaughan Immerwahr New York, United States Last Updated: March 2025 NAICS 11120

Revenue

$32.9bn

2025

$32.9bn

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

$X.Xbn

Employees

153k

Businesses

39,346

Wages

$X.Xbn

Vegetable Farming in the US industry analysis

The vegetable and melon farming industry has seen strong revenue growth during the current period, primarily propelled by elevated vegetable prices. Following the dramatic price surge in 2021 and 2022, driven by supply chain disruptions and reduced global crop stocks, vegetable prices have started to moderate but remain above pre-pandemic levels. This stability in elevated prices continues to boost industry revenue, although input costs are imposing significant pressure on profit. The costs of fertilizers, exacerbated by geopolitical tensions such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, pose ongoing challenges for farmers. Labor costs also remain a persistent concern, notably within the specialty crop sector. The potential of high tariffs, impacting trade with core international partners, China, Mexico and Canada, has fostered further uncertainty across supply chains, potentially inflating costs for essential inputs. Despite revenue growth, export markets have struggled as competition from large producers like Brazil continues to expand. Overall, industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 3.8% to reach an expected $32.9 after an increase of 2.2% in 2025.

Trends and Insights

  • Americans are consuming fewer fruits and vegetables, reducing demand for many industry product segments. This decline persists despite healthy eating campaigns.
  • Most vegetables are sold in fresh markets, with an increasing portion going to processing. This shift reflects changing consumer preferences for pre-prepared and processed vegetable products.
  • Regions with more consistent weather and milder winters are home to more farms. California's size has allowed it to lead vegetable farming in the US.
  • Production costs are a key competitive factor. Farmers with lower costs can invest in better machinery or technology to further improve efficiency.

Access hundreds of data points and trends

  • Market estimates from 2015-2030
  • Critical performance data and rankings
  • Detailed analysis of competitive forces and the external environment
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Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2015-2030)

Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 3.8 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $32.9bn in 2025.

Trends and Insights

Rising vegetable prices cool after 2022 peak, but remain elevated

  • Vegetable prices surged dramatically in 2022, with the USDA reporting the highest annual fresh vegetable price index increase since an 11% expansion in 1998. This spike was primarily driven by reduced crop yields and supply chain disruptions, leading to higher industry revenue despite declining consumption.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Vegetable Farming in the US
Revenue (2015-2030)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2025-2030)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

Vegetable and melon prices are projected to rise amid mixed input cost trends

  • The USDA Economic Research Service projects vegetable and melon cash receipts to increase by $1.3 billion (4.6 percent) in 2025 alongside prices. This increase comes despite forecasts of lower crude oil prices, with the EIA predicting Brent crude oil prices to average $74 per barrel in 2025, down from $81 in 2024. Lower oil prices decrease the cost of operating farm machinery and other agricultural functions, and these lower costs typically allow vegetable farmers to reduce their own prices.

Biggest companies in the Vegetable Farming in the US

Company
Market Share (%)
2025
Revenue ($short_0)
2025
Profit ($short_0)
2025
Profit Margin (%)
2025

There are no companies that hold a large enough market share in the Vegetable Farming in the US industry for IBISWorld to include in this product.

Products & Services Segmentation

Vegetable Farming in the US
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Tomatoes, Potatoes and Corn. Tomatoes is the largest segment of the Vegetable Farming in the US.

Trends and Insights

Lettuce drives significant revenue as the leading leafy green in the US, but wilts under the hot summer sun

  • Lettuce is a primary player in the US vegetable industry, crucial for its large contribution to fresh produce sales. It's a favorite in salads and sandwiches, making it the most consumed leafy green in the country.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

This industry consists of farmers engaged in growing and harvesting vegetables and melons in open fields and in greenhouses. This includes a wide range of produce, such as broccoli, lettuce, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and watermelons.

What's included in this industry?

Dry beansBroccoliTomatoesPotatoesCornLettuceOnions

Companies

Purchase this report to view all major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

COOPERATIVEGENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM)CHECKOFFPRECISION AGRICULTUREFRESH-MARKET PRODUCTIONORGANIC FARMINGAGROCHEMICALSCROP YIELD

Industry Code

NAICS 2017

NAICS 111130 - Vegetable Farming in the US

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

Americans are consuming fewer fruits and vegetables, reducing demand for many industry product segments. This decline persists despite healthy eating campaigns.

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Employees, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Businesses, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Profit, including historical (2015-2025)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
  • How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

Most vegetables are sold in fresh markets, with an increasing portion going to processing. This shift reflects changing consumer preferences for pre-prepared and processed ve...

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets
  • International Trade

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2025
  • Product innovation level
  • Total imports, level and trend
  • Total exports, level and trend
  • Trade Balance

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2025
  • Major market segmentation in 2025
  • International trade, including imports by country and exports by country

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services
  • Recent trends in import and export volumes, country of origin or destination, and expected future trends

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

Regions with more consistent weather and milder winters are home to more farms. California's size has allowed it to lead vegetable farming in the US.

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each state
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2025

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each state in 2025
  • Number and share of revenue each state accounts for in 2025
  • Number and share of wages each state accounts for in 2025
  • Number and share of employees in each state in 2025

Detailed analysis

  • Geographic spread of the industry across North America, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

Production costs are a key competitive factor. Farmers with lower costs can invest in better machinery or technology to further improve efficiency.

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2020-2025
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

Detailed analysis

  • Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
  • Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
  • Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
  • Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
  • Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
  • Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
  • Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
  • Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
  • Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.

Companies

Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.

Analyst insights

Due to the segmented nature of this industry, there are no major players. Most players are small, local farms that serve an immediate area, leading to high fragmentation in t...

In this chapter

  • Market Share Concentration
  • Companies
  • Company Spotlights

Charts

  • Industry market share by company in 2021 through 2025
  • Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2025

Detailed analysis

    External Environment

    Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

    Analyst insights

    Vegetable yield is highly sensitive to climate fluctuations. Warmer growing season temperatures mean greater crop water requirements, which can potentially impact yield and p...

    In this chapter

    • External Drivers
    • Regulation & Policy
    • Assistance

    Key metrics

    • Regulation & policy level and trend
    • Assistance level and trend

    Charts

    • Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2015-2030) 
    • Assistance historical data and forecast (2015-2030) 

    Detailed analysis

    • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
    • Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
    • Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.

    Financial Benchmarks

    View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

    Analyst insights

    Farmers are dependent on a great deal of manual labor to harvest vegetables. Mechanization, part-time labor, seasonal workers and family farms with no wage expenses reduce th...

    In this chapter

    • Cost Structure
    • Financial Ratios
    • Key Ratios

    Key metrics

    • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
    • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
    • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
    • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

    Charts

    • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2025
    • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2025
    • Investment vs. share of economy

    Data tables

    • Industry Multiples (2018-2023)
    • Industry Tax Structure (2018-2023)
    • Income Statement (2018-2023)
    • Balance Sheet (2018-2023)
    • Liquidity Ratios (2018-2023)
    • Coverage Ratios (2018-2023)
    • Leverage Ratios  (2018-2023)
    • Operating Ratios (2018-2023)
    • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2015-2030)
    • Revenue per Employee (2015-2030)
    • Revenue per Enterprise (2015-2030)
    • Employees per Establishment (2015-2030)
    • Employees per Enterprise (2015-2030)
    • Average Wage (2015-2030)
    • Wages/Revenue (2015-2030)
    • Establishments per Enterprise (2015-2030)
    • IVA/Revenue (2015-2030)
    • Imports/Demand (2015-2030)
    • Exports/Revenue (2015-2030)

    Detailed analysis

    • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

    Key Statistics

    Industry Data

    Data Tables

    Including values and annual change:

    • Revenue (2015-2030)
    • IVA (2015-2030)
    • Establishments (2015-2030)
    • Enterprises (2015-2030)
    • Employment (2015-2030)
    • Exports (2015-2030)
    • Imports (2015-2030)
    • Wages (2015-2030)

    Top Questions Answered

    Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

    What is the market size of the Vegetable Farming in the US industry in United States in 2025?

    The market size of the Vegetable Farming in the US industry in United States is $32.9bn in 2025.

    How many businesses are there in the Vegetable Farming in the US industry in 2025?

    There are 39,346 businesses in the Vegetable Farming in the US industry in United States, which has declined at a CAGR of 0.2 % between 2020 and 2025.

    Has the Vegetable Farming in the US industry in United States grown or declined over the past 5 years?

    The market size of the Vegetable Farming in the US industry in United States has been growing at a CAGR of 3.8 % between 2020 and 2025.

    What is the forecast growth of the Vegetable Farming in the US industry in United States over the next 5 years?

    Over the next five years, the Vegetable Farming in the US industry in United States is expected to grow.

    What does the Vegetable Farming in the US in United States include?

    Dry beans and Broccoli are part of the Vegetable Farming in the US industry.

    How competitive is the Vegetable Farming in the US industry in United States?

    The level of competition is moderate and steady in the Vegetable Farming in the US industry in United States.

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    Methodology

    How are IBISWorld reports created?

    IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

    Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

    IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

    What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

    Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

    Key data sources in the US include: 

    • US Census Bureau
    • US Bureau of Labor Statistics
    • US International Trade Commission

    Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

    These sources include:

    • Industry and trade associations
    • Industry federations or regulators
    • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

    Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

    How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

    IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

    IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

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