Which State Produces The Most Strawberries In The US?

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Who doesn't love a bright red, juicy, perfectly sweet strawberry? When they're ripe, strawberries are among nature's most wonderful treats. Modern-day farmers prioritize size and color over flavor, so strawberries aren't as sweet as they used to be, but they are still the country's most popular berry, with Americans eating an average of 8 pounds every year, according to World Wildlife. That's a lot of strawberries, but the U.S. (and one state in particular) has no problem producing enough strawberries to feed our fruity cravings. California, with its perpetual sunshine and excellent agricultural capabilities, grows over 91% of the entire nation's strawberry supply. Check this out: The Golden State produced almost 3.25 billion pounds of berries in 2024.

The second-highest strawberry yield comes from Florida, which grew over 369 million pounds during the same year — a seemingly large number that pales in comparison to what its sunny cousin out West provides. With its favorable climate, strawberries can grow year-round in California, whereas they are a seasonal fruit in other parts of the country. With so many strawberries growing at any given time in California, one would assume that farming technology is at its peak in this industry. However, growing strawberries is actually a very delicate business. Due to their fragile nature, strawberries must still be grown and harvested by humans, not machines.

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Strawberries come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. New breeds are released all the time, which has resulted in hundreds of different types (also called cultivars). Some are very small, dark, and sweet, while others can be the size of a human palm. A varietal called Monterey was introduced in 2008 and is the most popular type grown in California. When comparing cultivar production numbers between 1993 and 2023, Camarosa and Albion cultivars make up the majority of strawberries grown, but surprisingly, neither is grown very much today.

California may grow strawberries year-round, but the Sunshine State is particularly known for growing strawberries in the wintertime. Those big, sweet strawberries you cover in chocolate for Valentine's Day? They probably came from Florida. The state's top-grown varietal is called Florida Brilliance and was bred to be shiny, attractive, and pest-resistant. It makes up about 60% of the strawberry crop in Florida. The Medallion cultivar, released in 2020, is now grown in much of the state and is known for being super sweet and aromatic. Florida also produces a lot of pineberries, which some mistake for unripe strawberries. Pineberries are shaped just like strawberries, but are white to pink-tinged when they are ripe with red seeds. Reddit nicknamed them the "LaCroix of strawberries," perhaps on account of their too-subtle flavor, which supposedly has notes of pear, pineapple, and apricot.