Pumpkin production is widely dispersed throughout the United States, with crop conditions varying by region. All States produce some pumpkins, but six States produce most of them. According to the most recent USDA, Census of Agriculture, in 2022, about 45 percent of pumpkin acres were harvested in the top six pumpkin-producing States, measured by pumpkin weight. Every year, USDA surveys top pumpkin-producing States and publishes the data the following year.
In 2023, Illinois maintained its leading position in pumpkin acreage, harvesting more than twice as many pumpkin acres as any of the other top States, at 15,400 acres. In the same year—California, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Washington—each harvested between 2,800 and 6,500 acres.
Illinois harvests the largest share of pumpkin acreage among all States and an even larger share of processing acres. The most recent available data indicate that almost 70 percent of pumpkin acres in Illinois are devoted to varieties destined for pie filling or other processing uses—compared with about 3 percent in Pennsylvania and even less in Washington, Indiana, and California. This difference in the type of pumpkin most commonly grown in Illinois helps to explain differences in yield and price between Illinois and other top States.
Yields vary substantially among States and over years within a State, depending on pumpkin varieties and growing conditions. On average for the period 2021–23, rounded to the nearest five thousand, Illinois grows about 40,000 pounds per acre (predominantly pie varieties for processing into products like pumpkin puree). California grows about 30,000 pounds per acre on average, Indiana and Washington about 25,000, Michigan about 20,000, and Pennsylvania about 15,000 pounds per acre. Yield can vary each year, rounded to the nearest hundred—from as much as 10,500 pounds per acre in the case of Washington from 2022 to 2023—to as little as 1,000 pounds per acre in the case of Indiana from 2021 to 2022.
In 2023, farmers in the top six pumpkin-producing States harvested more than 1.2 billion pounds of pumpkins combined. Leading in pumpkin acreage harvested and yield, Illinois produced about 690 million pounds in 2023, more than the other 5 most productive States combined. California and Indiana each produced about 150 million pounds—while Pennsylvania produced about 90 million pounds and Michigan produced about 80 million pounds. Washington's production dropped 42 percent from 2022 to 2023, falling to about 50 million pounds.
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