The U.S. State That Produces The Most Broccoli

Broccoli has acquired an unnecessarily bad wrap in American mainstream culture. There's hardly a dinner table in the entire nation where a parent hasn't had to coax their child into taking a few bites of the oft-dread green veggie. They may offer the broccoli with a certain sauce on the side. Alternatively, they could transmogrify an eating utensil into an airplane or a locomotive and send it hurtling toward their child's mouth.

Though it's understandable why a child may take issue with the veggie's powerful flavor, broccoli really deserves more respect in American cuisine. Roasted broccoli is an easy-to-make and delicious side, and let's not forget about the delicious dishes that center around it, like beef and broccoli.

Though it may not be a choice food for children, broccoli does have a lot of supporters. A Green Giant survey of over 5,000 citizens revealed that broccoli is actually America's favorite vegetable, even beating out the ever-popular corn. The same Green Giant survey tells us that 29 out of the 50 states put broccoli in the Number one spot. SO now it's clear that the green vegetable is popular, but where specifically does the bulk of our nation's broccoli come from?

In 2021, the average American ate a little over five pounds of broccoli, per Statista. Obviously, this means that there's quite a bit of demand for it. Fortunately, America's farmers are more than up to the challenge, in particular, Californian farmers.

According to the USDA, the United States produced just under 2 billion pounds of broccoli in 2019. The same USDA report informs us that the state that churned out the vast majority of that impressive sum was none other than sunny California, which produced nearly 1.8 billion pounds. This means that the state produced a staggering 90% of the total national yield.

The impressive amount of broccoli translated into a pretty penny for the state of California. The national production value of broccoli was $851 million in 2019. A California Department of Food and Agriculture review explains that broccoli brought the state $786 million that year.

According to Colorado State University's Food Source Information, as of 2014, the United States produced more broccoli than all but two nations. Atlas Big explains that the two leading producers of broccoli are China and India, in that order. As such, California's massive contribution to the national output plays an important role in the vegetable's global distribution.

Nearly 40% of California's broccoli is produced in Monterey County, per See California. Monterey County is located near the center of the California coastline, and as such, has the perfect moderate temperature for broccoli to thrive. The broccoli growing season in that region lasts nearly the whole year.

See California also tells us that the unofficial Broccoli Capital of the World was once thought to be Greenfield, California. Unfortunately, the town no longer celebrates its annual broccoli festival, and the road sign that once proudly announced the city's passion for the vegetable has faded.