Which U.S. State Produces The Most Peanuts?

Peanuts are a popular legume crop grown mainly for their edible seeds, per Healthline. They are native to South America and are now widely grown in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. WebMD says peanuts are a rich source of protein and they can prevent heart disease and reduce your risk of heart attacks. Peanuts are used in a variety of food products, including peanut butter, oil, and roasted peanuts, and they can be added to many recipes.

According to the American Peanut Council, there were 47 million metric tons of peanuts produced in 2020, and while you may think that peanuts are only grown in countries like Brazil or Nigeria, you'd be wrong. The council says that China is the world's largest producer, and the U.S. is the fourth largest producer. Peanuts are grown in many states in the U.S., but one state rises above the rest as the one that grows the most peanuts, accounting for nearly half of all peanuts grown in the country.

Georgia is the leading state for peanut production, per the Virginia-Carolinas Peanuts. The peach state produces about 42% of all peanuts grown in the U.S., more than 650,000 acres, according to the Georgia Farm Bureau, every year. That translates to around 3.3 billion pounds of peanuts, the University of Georgia says. The next four top peanut-producing states are Alabama, Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, respectively.

Alabama grows around 180,000 acres of peanuts a year, according to the Alabama Peanut Producers, or 3,400 pounds per acre, bringing them in as the second most peanut-producing state. Per the Texas Farm Bureau, Texas typically produces between 170,000 to 190,000 acres of peanuts each year. In 2020, the Lonestar state produced 8% of the peanuts grown in the country, yielding about 2,900 pounds per acre. In Florida, farmers grow 185,000 acres of peanuts each year, per Florida Agriculture in the Classroom, producing about the same amount of peanuts per acre as Texas, tying these two states for third place. In North Carolina, 113,000 acres of peanuts are grown annually, according to North Carolina State University. They produce about 4,350 pounds of peanuts per acre.

Per the National Peanut Board, only 13 states in the U.S. grow peanuts — the five listed above and Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Virginia. After the top five states already discuss, Virginia-Carolinas Peanuts says that South Carolina, Mississippi, Virginia, Oklahoma, and New Mexico produce the most peanuts out of the remaining states. Louisiana, Missouri, and Arkansas are considered minor peanut growers. The peanut-growing states are grouped into three regions, according to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center.

The first is the Southeast Region. which includes Georgia-Florida-Alabama-Mississippi-Arkansas. Then there's the Southwest region, consisting of Texas-Oklahoma-New Mexico. Finally, there is the Virginia-Carolina region, which includes Virginia-North Carolina-South Carolina. About 68% of all peanuts grown in the U.S. are grown in the Southeast region, per the National Peanut Board. Then, the Virginia/Carolina area grows 13% of all peanuts, and the Southwest region produces about 18% of all peanuts in the U.S.