Illinois tops U.S. in pumpkin production despite recent decline in value
[November 26, 2025]
By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Despite a recent decline in production value,
Illinois is far and away the leader when it comes to one Thanksgiving
dinner staple.
Nathan Johanning, Commercial Agriculture Educator for the University of
Illinois Extension, said at least 80% of the pumpkin found in stores
comes from Illinois.
“Pumpkins are a major player, given the share that we take in the
marketplace, especially the canned pumpkin,” Johanning told The Center
Square.
Illinois led the nation by producing about 485 million pounds of
pumpkins in 2024, or about as much as the next four leading states
combined.
“It’s a very significant portion that is grown and processed here in
Illinois and goes out to all over the country and, in some cases, even
the world,” Johanning said.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nationwide pumpkin
production in 2024 reached 1.44 billion pounds, just below the yearly
average of 1.58 billion pounds from 2020-2023.
The total value of U.S. pumpkin production grew from $234 million in
2021 to $274 million in 2024, but Illinois saw a 10% decline during the
same period.
Johanning said Illinois farmers overcame challenging weather to produce
a successful harvest this year, noting that it was cold and wet early,
then dry and hot during the summer.
“By the time pumpkin planting season came, the weather had moderated a
little bit from some of the wet spell in May, so planting actually went
through pretty well,” Johanning said. “Some areas did endure some areas
of drought, especially the southern part of the state which is more
where I’m located, we had some drought conditions as we got later into
the summer.”
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Johanning said it helps that pumpkins don’t have to be planted as
early as corn or soybeans.
According to the Census of Agriculture, Illinois had 524 fresh
market pumpkin farms in 2022. Johanning said he has seen more
pumpkin farms pop up every year.
“The agritourism aspect and the support to the local community and
economy that these farms is really significant,” Johanning said,
adding that the industry has generated new farm businesses.
“A lot of times spinoffs from existing farms, they just want to
diversify or maybe have a sibling or a spouse that wants to do
something to contribute and kind of helps man a separate operation
with sometimes only a few acres of the existing farm’s production,”
Johanning explained.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 40th annual
Thanksgiving dinner survey, the national average price for a
30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix increased 0.1% this year to $4.16.
The Illinois Farm Bureau found that the same product’s Illinois
price was slightly higher at $4.24.
The AFBA said the average cost of a classic holiday meal for ten
people decreased to $55.18, a 5% drop from 2024. The Illinois Farm
Bureau found that the average price of the holiday meal for ten in
Illinois is $49.20.
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