Sales of U.S.-grown cut flowers increased in 2023 over 2022, as did the number of small floriculture operations, according to data released last week from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
The 2023 Floriculture Crops Survey, which collects data from U.S. producers of annual and perennial plants, foliage plants, propagative materials and more, found that sales of cut flowers by growers making $100,000 or more, were up 5.1% from 2022.
The data also shows a growing prevalence of smaller floriculture operations. Operations with less than
$100,000 in sales grew from $5,481 in 2022 to $6,955 in 2023, a 27% increase.
Overall sales of U.S. grown floriculture products were flat last year over 2022, with $6.690 billion in total sales. This follows a 4.2% increase in sales from 2021 to 2022.
Cut Flower Sales Up
While 2023 cut flower sales were up nearly $350 million, sales are down from $357 million in 2021. California accounted for 60% of cut flower sales with $211 million (a 3.5% increase).
Marvin Miller, Ph.D., AAF, of Ball Horticultural Company, who analyzes the data annually, says while 2023 cut flower sales look overwhelmingly positive, looking at historical data and factoring in inflation suggests the floral industry saw a correction last year from unusually high pandemic-related sales. The USDA does not have complete survey data prior to 2021 for a more in-depth comparison.
Miller speculates that cut flower sales may be even higher than reported, if it included cut flower sales from small growers. The survey collects sales data from producers with revenue between $10,000 to $99,999 — and sales for these growers increased 24.4% in 2023 — but it does not break down sales by the type of producer in this category.
“Those little people are beating inflation,” Miller says.
Larger growing operations with sales of $100,000 or more did not see such growth. Collectively, their 2023 sales fell by 0.85%.
Number of Producers Grows
The total number of floriculture producers increased by 14.2% (1,267) to 10,216 in 2023.
California overtook Pennsylvania as the state with the most floriculture operations (746), with a 41.3% increase over 2022. Steve Dionne, AAF, executive director of CalFlowers (the California Association of Flower Growers & Shippers), says, like Miller, he has seen a significant increase in small farms.
“They do local distribution, farm-to-table, farmers’ markets — it’s kind of a burgeoning segment of the industry,” Dionne says. “They’re all over Instagram, they’re all over TikTok, and they’re highly engaging. I think it’s a new way for consumers to access the industry.”
At the same time, he has seen large farms closing due to economic or generational changes. This has left a void that hasn’t been filled by other large-scale operations, Dionne says. From 2021 to 2023, floriculture operations with sales of $100,000 or more declined 9.4%. While smaller farms continue to crop up, Dionne says it would take hundreds of smaller growers to replace the production level of one large-scale operation.
Floriculture Sales By State
- Florida, California, and Michigan accounted for 43% of total floriculture sales.
- Illinois and Minnesota saw the greatest floriculture sales increases at 24.8% and 23.3%, respectively.
- Georgia and North Carolina saw the greatest decreases in floriculture sales at 13.4% and 12.4%, respectively.
- Florida saw the greatest increase in cut flower sales with more than $5 million (up 111%), followed by Indiana’s $461,000 (up 84%).
- Oregon reported the highest decrease in cut flower sales, from almost $25 million in 2022 to $18 million in 2023 (26%). Only three other states reported decreased cut flower sales: Pennsylvania (down 3.5%), North Carolina (1.5%), and Hawaii (0.6%).
Top Five States
Floriculture Sales By Category
- Of the 17 flowers categorized in the survey, lisianthus saw the greatest increase in producers with $100,000 or more in sales (21.1%).
- Pompon chrysanthemums saw the greatest decline in producers (28.6%), followed by orchids (26.7%), and proteas (25%).
- Sunflowers reported the highest number of producers (173).
2023 Sale of Floriculture Crops
Read highlights of the USDA survey here. To access the full database, click here. (To search the database, select “survey” from the program category, “crops” from the sector category, “horticulture” from the groups category, and a specific type of crop from the commodity category. Data can be further refined based on location and date. Note that data before 2021 does not represent all 50 states.)
Laurie Herrera is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.