U.S. Honey Output Rose 11% In 2023
WASHINGTON - Mar 15/24 - SNS -- Honey production in the United States totaled 139 million pounds last year, up 11% from 2022, according to the USDA.
There were 2.51 million colonies producing honey in 2023, down 6% from 2022. Yield per colony averaged 55.2 pounds, up 17% from 2022. Colonies which produced honey in more than one State were counted in each State where the honey was produced. Therefore, at the United States level yield per colony may be understated, but total production would not be impacted. Colonies were not included if honey was not harvested.
Producer honey stocks were 44.0 million pounds on December 15, 2023, up 90% from a year earlier. Stocks held by producers exclude those held under the commodity loan program.
United States honey prices decreased 16% during 2023 to $2.52 per pound, compared to $3.01 per pound in 2022. United States and State level prices reflect the portions of honey sold through cooperatives, private, and retail channels. Prices for each color class are derived by weighting the quantities sold for each marketing channel. Prices for the 2022 crop reflect honey sold in 2022 and 2023. Some 2022 crop honey was sold in 2023, which caused some revisions to the 2022 crop prices.
Colonies, Yield, Production, Stocks, Price, and Value - States and United States: 2022
[Colonies which produced honey in more than one State were counted in each State]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Honey : Yield : : : Average : Value
State : producing : per : Production : Stocks : price per : of
: colonies 1/ : colony : :December 15 2/ : pound 3/ :production 4/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: 1,000 pounds ---- 1,000 pounds ---- dollars 1,000 dollars
:
Alabama ..............: 10 40 400 84 4.80 1,920
Arizona ..............: 23 45 1,035 476 2.70 2,795
Arkansas .............: 20 56 1,120 426 2.70 3,024
California ...........: 305 38 11,590 811 2.69 31,177
Colorado .............: 31 42 1,302 339 3.35 4,362
Florida ..............: 210 35 7,350 368 3.27 24,035
Georgia ..............: 103 32 3,296 99 3.08 10,152
Idaho ................: 94 29 2,726 627 2.73 7,442
Illinois .............: 10 47 470 141 6.27 2,947
:
Indiana ..............: 9 63 567 261 4.74 2,688
Iowa .................: 48 51 2,448 710 3.06 7,491
Kansas ...............: 6 62 372 167 4.34 1,614
Kentucky .............: 7 36 252 68 6.12 1,542
Louisiana ............: 42 61 2,562 359 2.96 7,584
Maine ................: 10 23 230 64 6.40 1,472
Michigan .............: 82 41 3,362 706 3.04 10,220
Minnesota ............: 102 51 5,202 728 2.79 14,514
Mississippi ..........: 21 95 1,995 60 3.20 6,384
Missouri .............: 8 41 328 151 5.23 1,715
:
Montana ..............: 123 61 7,503 2,176 2.64 19,808
Nebraska .............: 34 44 1,496 598 2.89 4,323
New Jersey ...........: 16 39 624 62 4.26 2,658
New York .............: 54 53 2,862 916 3.82 10,933
North Carolina .......: 13 39 507 198 6.93 3,514
North Dakota .........: 520 60 31,200 4,680 2.60 81,120
Ohio .................: 19 66 1,254 464 3.52 4,414
Oregon ...............: 92 37 3,404 1,191 3.27 11,131
Pennsylvania .........: 23 46 1,058 487 5.59 5,914
South Carolina .......: 13 39 507 91 5.00 2,535
:
South Dakota .........: 185 39 7,215 2,814 2.57 18,543
Tennessee ............: 9 47 423 102 5.65 2,390
Texas ................: 157 53 8,321 166 3.27 27,210
Utah .................: 26 46 1,196 120 3.00 3,588
Vermont ..............: 6 47 282 121 6.75 1,904
Virginia .............: 7 38 266 45 7.94 2,112
Washington ...........: 86 32 2,752 660 3.18 8,751
West Virginia ........: 7 39 273 98 5.91 1,613
Wisconsin ............: 53 55 2,915 816 3.22 9,386
Wyoming ..............: 30 45 1,350 230 2.65 3,578
:
Other States 5/ 6/ ...: 53 63 3,316 501 4.03 13,363
:
United States 6/ 7/ ..: 2,667 47.0 125,331 23,181 3.01 377,246
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1/ Honey producing colonies are the maximum number of colonies from which honey was harvested during the
year. It is possible to harvest honey from colonies which did not survive the entire year.
2/ Stocks held by producers.
3/ Average price per pound based on expanded sales.
4/ Value of production is equal to production multiplied by average price per pound.
5/ Includes data for States not published in this table.
6/ Due to rounding, total colonies multiplied by total yield may not exactly equal production.
7/ United States value of production will not equal summation of States.
Colonies, Yield, Production, Stocks, Price, and Value - States and United States: 2023
[Colonies which produced honey in more than one State were counted in each State]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Honey : Yield : : : Average : Value
State : producing : per : Production : Stocks : price per : of
: colonies 1/ : colony : :December 15 2/ : pound 3/ :production 4/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: 1,000 pounds ---- 1,000 pounds ---- dollars 1,000 dollars
:
Alabama ..............: 10 40 400 120 5.45 2,180
Arizona ..............: 34 42 1,428 600 2.23 3,184
Arkansas .............: 19 46 874 131 3.20 2,797
California ...........: 324 42 13,608 5,035 2.27 30,890
Colorado .............: 25 41 1,025 195 3.69 3,782
Florida ..............: 147 32 4,704 706 2.95 13,877
Georgia ..............: 77 33 2,541 152 3.43 8,716
Idaho ................: 92 32 2,944 442 1.63 4,799
Illinois .............: 9 49 441 146 7.05 3,109
:
Indiana ..............: 9 53 477 329 4.34 2,070
Iowa .................: 40 66 2,640 739 2.99 7,894
Kansas ...............: 5 52 260 86 5.41 1,407
Kentucky .............: 10 30 300 84 6.21 1,863
Louisiana ............: 32 45 1,440 101 3.90 5,616
Maine ................: 12 18 216 41 4.46 963
Michigan .............: 70 55 3,850 924 2.84 10,934
Minnesota ............: 106 58 6,148 861 1.99 12,235
Mississippi ..........: 19 42 798 367 3.02 2,410
Missouri .............: 9 43 387 101 4.81 1,861
:
Montana ..............: 114 85 9,690 3,392 2.00 19,380
Nebraska .............: 33 48 1,584 554 2.26 3,580
New Jersey ...........: 15 36 540 54 7.16 3,866
New York .............: 41 58 2,378 761 4.59 10,915
North Carolina .......: 11 44 484 179 6.02 2,914
North Dakota .........: 511 75 38,325 9,198 1.77 67,835
Ohio .................: 20 65 1,300 546 5.23 6,799
Oregon ...............: 90 37 3,330 1,099 2.71 9,024
Pennsylvania .........: 20 55 1,100 638 4.96 5,456
South Carolina .......: 11 52 572 114 4.53 2,591
:
South Dakota .........: 212 87 18,444 12,542 2.02 37,257
Tennessee ............: 12 40 480 77 6.00 2,880
Texas ................: 111 35 3,885 505 3.01 11,694
Utah .................: 24 42 1,008 202 1.92 1,935
Vermont ..............: 6 49 294 76 5.09 1,496
Virginia .............: 5 39 195 82 8.58 1,673
Washington ...........: 83 27 2,241 740 2.71 6,073
West Virginia ........: 6 51 306 177 6.35 1,943
Wisconsin ............: 62 45 2,790 1,004 3.02 8,426
Wyoming ..............: 27 78 2,106 400 1.64 3,454
:
Other States 5/ 6/ ...: 46 66 3,038 516 4.68 14,218
:
United States 6/ 7/ ..: 2,509 55.2 138,571 44,016 2.52 349,199
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1/ Honey producing colonies are the maximum number of colonies from which honey was harvested during the
year. It is possible to harvest honey from colonies which did not survive the entire year.
2/ Stocks held by producers.
3/ Average price per pound based on expanded sales.
4/ Value of production is equal to production multiplied by average price per pound.
5/ Includes data for States not published in this table.
6/ Due to rounding, total colonies multiplied by total yield may not exactly equal production.
7/ United States value of production will not equal summation of States.
Honey Price by Color Class - United States: 2022 and 2023
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: Co-op and private : Retail : All
Color class :-----------------------------------------------------------------------
: 2022 : 2023 : 2022 : 2023 : 2022 : 2023
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: dollars per pound
:
Water white, extra white, white ...: 2.70 1.99 5.57 5.87 2.81 2.09
:
Extra light amber .................: 2.66 2.17 5.62 5.78 2.78 2.33
:
Light amber, amber, dark amber ....: 2.87 2.63 6.09 6.78 3.23 3.20
:
All other honey, area specialties .: 3.41 3.08 7.91 8.51 4.16 4.30
:
All honey .........................: 2.77 2.23 6.02 6.55 3.01 2.52
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Income and Expenditures - United States: 2022 and 2023
[Represents income and expenditures on the total number of
colonies, regardless of whether honey was harvested]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Item : 2022 : 2023
-----------------------------------------------------------------
: 1,000 dollars
:
Income :
Pollination income ..............: 241,042 254,945
Other income 1/ .................: 55,188 57,720
:
Expenditures :
Varroa control and treatment ....: 13,724 15,112
Other colony issues 2/ ..........: 5,096 4,967
Feed 3/ .........................: 44,517 46,868
Foundation ......................: 6,934 5,753
Hives/woodenware ................: 10,835 10,496
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1/ Includes sales of queens, queen cells, beeswax, propolis,
etc.
2/ Includes Nosema, tracheal mites, foulbrood, paralysis,
Kashmir, cloudy wing, etc.
3/ Includes syrup, sugar water, honey, pollen patties, and other
feeds.
Queen, Package, and Nuc Prices Paid - United States:
2022 and 2023
[Represents prices paid on the total number of colonies,
regardless of whether honey was harvested]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Item : 2022 : 2023
-----------------------------------------------------------------
: dollars
:
Queen ...........................: 22 19
Package .........................: 98 91
Nuc .............................: 129 120
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Apiary Workers - United States: 2022 and 2023
[Represents number of paid and unpaid workers that worked with
colonies, regardless of whether honey was harvested]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Item : 2022 : 2023
-----------------------------------------------------------------
: workers
:
Apiary workers ..................: 25,000 25,000
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