Ripe tomatoes on plant sitting just above the soil.

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Tomatoes pop up in so many different places in the typical American diet. From sauces and condiments like ketchup and homemade marinara to sandwich toppings to juicy, flavorful salad fillings, the average American ate about 20 pounds of them in 2023 (per Agricultural Marketing Resource Center) — that's roughly 60 medium-sized tomatoes per person per year. However, few take the time to consider where all of those tomatoes actually come from. Although many U.S. states grow the fruit, one stands far, far above the rest: California.

According to the California Tomato Growers Association, the 2025 season produced 10.2 million tons of tomatoes for processing (which accounts for 95% of California's production), equivalent to 20.4 billion pounds, a gargantuan harvest that dwarfs all other states. In contrast, second-place Florida (which grows mostly fresh tomatoes versus processed) grows a still massive, but comparatively small, 8.64 million pounds, as of 2025 per the USDA.

Even within California, tomato growing is fairly concentrated, with 66% grown in the top five counties, primarily Yolo, Kings, San Joaquin, Merced, and Fresno counties in the north-central part of the state (as of 2024 per the USDA). These excel even beyond other California locales in providing the conditions under which tomatoes thrive: Warm but not overly hot temperatures and productive sandy or loamy soil. It also avoids the heavy rainy conditions that can cause a variety of growth issues in some wetter climates.

Tomato production is big in the US, but comparatively small globally

Farm workers harvesting green tomatoes and tossing buckets-full in large bin.

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In terms of overall agricultural output and monetary value, USDA figures (via FarmProgress) show California far ahead of Midwestern Corn Belt states, such as Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois, in total agriculture sales, even beating out the big state of Texas. California's Department of Food and Agriculture reported almonds and grapes brought in the most money among non-animal products, with lettuce, strawberries, and pistachios rounding out the top five. Tomatoes came in sixth, valued at $1.64 billion in 2024.

As impressive as California's farmers are, they can't hold a candle to the country that produces the most tomatoes: China. China produces somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 billion pounds per year, about six times California's output, according to UN statistics (via AtlasBig). On the other hand, World Bank data shows Mexico earns a spot as the world's top fresh tomato exporter (as of 2021) by a wide margin, as the vast majority of China's harvest is enjoyed domestically.

So, don't spend too much time wondering about the origin of your produce the next time you're making one of our best recipes for tomatoes. Unless you have reason to believe otherwise, there's a good chance the tomatoes in your products began its life under the California sun.