Background Statistics: Fresh-market Tomatoes

For current coverage of the fresh-market tomato industry, see the ERS bi-monthly newsletter Vegetables and Melons Outlook.

Production and Use

• U.S. fresh-market field-grown tomato planted acreage:
      2005: 131,800 acres (45,200 in Florida)
      2006: 127,900 acres (41,400 in California)
      2007: 124,400 acres (43,000 in California)
  
  
• Farm value of fresh-market field-grown tomato production:
      2005: $1.599 billion ($805 million for Florida)
      2006: $1.619 billion ($551 million for Florida)
      2007: $1.278 billion ($464 million for Florida)
  
  
• U.S. fresh-market field-grown tomato production:
     2005: 3.827 billion pounds (1.554 billion in Florida)
     2006: 3.681 billion pounds (1.348 billion in Florida)
     2007: 3.703 billion pounds (1.455 billion in Florida)
  
  
• Fresh-market field-grown tomato production, top five States, 2004:
       FL – 1.455 billion pounds
       CA – 1.230 billion pounds
       GA – 0.216 billion pounds
       VA – 0.183 billion pounds
       TN – 0.116 billion pounds
  
  
• Spring-season (Apr-June) fresh-market tomato shipments (all-types):
  Share of U.S. market, 2007:
      Florida: 43.8 percent
      California: 4.0 percent
      Other (incl. domestic hothouse): 11.8 percent
      Imports: 40.4 percent
  
  
• U.S. spring season (Apr-June) fresh tomato acreage:
      2005: 27,500 acres
      2006: 28,500 acres
      2007: 27,900 acres
      2008: 24,500 acres
  
  
• U.S. per capita use of fresh-market tomatoes (including hothouse*):
      2005: 20.22 pounds
      2006: 19.94 pounds
      2007: 20.29 pounds
      2008: 20.10 pounds (forecast)
  

U.S. Trade

• U.S. fresh-market tomato imports (field-grown and hothouse):
     2005: 2.098 billion pounds (Jan-Dec)
     2006: 2.188 billion pounds (Jan-Dec)
     2007: 2.361 billion pounds (Jan-Dec)

• U.S. fresh-market tomato imports (all) as percent of domestic use:
     2005: 35.0 percent
     2006: 36.7 percent
     2007: 38.5 percent
  
  
• U.S. fresh-market tomato imports (all) by country, 2007
  Top five sources:
     Mexico— 2,093.3 million pounds (field and hothouse)
     Canada— 246.3 million pounds (virtually all hothouse)
     Netherlands— 11.4 million pounds (hothouse)
     Dominican Republic — 5.8 million pounds (majority hothouse)
     Belgium — 1.2 million pounds (hothouse)

U.S. fresh-market tomato prices

• Farm price for fresh-market field-grown tomatoes:
     2005 average: 41.8 cents per pound
     2006 average: 44.0 cents per pound
     2007 average: 34.5 cents per pound
     April 2008: 47.4 cents per pound
     May 2008: 40.4 cents per pound (preliminary)
  
  
  
• U.S. retail price for fresh-market field-grown tomatoes:
     2005 average: 161.1 cents per pound
     2006 average: 173.2 cents per pound
     2007 average: 164.7 cents per pound
     March 2008: 183.5 cents per pound
     April 2008: 177.3 cents per pound (11 percent above 2003-07 average)  

*ERS estimates suggest that hothouse production accounts for about a tenth of U.S. fresh-market tomato production.

Want More Data and Information?

Tomato Briefing Room

Vegetables and Melons Outlook Report

Vegetables and Melons Yearbook

U.S. Tomato Statistics data product