Stat of the Week: U.S. horticulture operations report $5.34 billion in sales of nursery stock

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service released the 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties report, the only source of detailed production and sales data for floriculture, nursery and specialty crops for the entire United States.

The data show that horticulture operations sold a total of $18.3 billion in floriculture, nursery and specialty crops in 2024.

Created by Katie McDaniel

Horticultural sales in 2024 compared to 2019, the previous most recent report, all show an increase in sales and number of operations due to the addition of mushroom and hemp grown under protection in the latest Census of Horticultural Specialties. The number of horticulture operations in the United States totaled 23,060. 

The top commodities in U.S. horticulture sales in 2024, and compared to 2019, were:

• Nursery stock, $5.34 billion, up 17%
• Annual bedding/garden plants, $2.67 billion, up 19%
• Sod, sprigs and plugs, $1.70 billion, up 34%
• Potted flowering plants, $1.29 billion, up 7%
• Potted herbaceous perennials, $1.36 billion, up 47%
• Propagative horticultural materials, bareroot and unfinished plant materials, $780 million, up 8%
• Food crops under protection, $1.01 billion, up 44%

Click here to read more key findings from the 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties report.