Honey ISSN: 1949-1492 Released March 14, 2025, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). United States Honey Production Down 4 Percent in 2024 United States honey production in 2024 totaled 134 million pounds, down 4 percent from 2023. There were 2.60 million colonies producing honey in 2024, up 3 percent from 2023. Yield per colony averaged 51.7 pounds, down 6 percent from 2023. 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 43.4 million pounds on December 15, 2024, down 2 percent from a year earlier. Stocks held by producers exclude those held under the commodity loan program. Honey Prices Up 5 Percent in 2024 United States honey prices increased 5 percent during 2024 to $2.69 per pound, compared to $2.55 per pound in 2023. 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 2023 crop reflect honey sold in 2023 and 2024. Some 2023 crop honey was sold in 2024, which caused some revisions to the 2023 crop prices. Price Paid per Queen was 18 Dollars in 2024 The average prices paid in 2024 for honey bee queens, packages, and nucs were $18, $89, and $109, respectively. Pollination income for 2024 was $226 million, down 11 percent from 2023. Other income from honey bees in 2024 was $51.3 million, down 11 percent from 2023. These estimates, along with expenditure and apiary worker information, can be found on page 4 of this report. 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 5.52 2,208 Arizona ..............: 34 42 1,428 600 2.28 3,256 Arkansas .............: 19 46 874 131 3.09 2,701 California ...........: 325 42 13,650 5,051 2.29 31,259 Colorado .............: 25 41 1,025 195 3.18 3,260 Florida ..............: 147 32 4,704 706 3.00 14,112 Georgia ..............: 77 33 2,541 152 3.45 8,766 Idaho ................: 92 32 2,944 442 1.84 5,417 Illinois .............: 9 49 441 146 7.15 3,153 : Indiana ..............: 9 53 477 329 4.31 2,056 Iowa .................: 40 66 2,640 739 3.05 8,052 Kansas ...............: 5 52 260 86 5.49 1,427 Kentucky .............: 10 30 300 84 6.44 1,932 Louisiana ............: 51 45 2,295 161 3.88 8,905 Maine ................: 12 18 216 41 5.11 1,104 Michigan .............: 70 55 3,850 924 3.10 11,935 Minnesota ............: 106 58 6,148 861 2.02 12,419 Mississippi ..........: 25 42 1,050 483 3.23 3,392 Missouri .............: 9 43 387 101 4.96 1,920 : Montana ..............: 114 85 9,690 3,392 2.01 19,477 Nebraska .............: 33 48 1,584 554 2.35 3,722 New Jersey ...........: 15 36 540 54 7.46 4,028 New York .............: 41 58 2,378 761 4.63 11,010 North Carolina .......: 11 44 484 179 6.52 3,156 North Dakota .........: 510 75 38,250 9,180 1.78 68,085 Ohio .................: 20 65 1,300 546 4.36 5,668 Oregon ...............: 90 37 3,330 1,099 2.75 9,158 Pennsylvania .........: 20 55 1,100 638 5.38 5,918 South Carolina .......: 11 52 572 114 4.62 2,643 : South Dakota .........: 210 87 18,270 12,424 1.95 35,627 Tennessee ............: 12 40 480 77 4.78 2,294 Texas ................: 111 35 3,885 505 3.18 12,354 Utah .................: 24 42 1,008 202 2.03 2,046 Vermont ..............: 6 49 294 76 4.39 1,291 Virginia .............: 5 39 195 82 9.49 1,851 Washington ...........: 83 27 2,241 740 2.53 5,670 West Virginia ........: 6 51 306 177 5.69 1,741 Wisconsin ............: 62 45 2,790 1,004 3.49 9,737 Wyoming ..............: 27 78 2,106 400 1.63 3,433 : Other States 5/ 6/ ...: 46 66 3,038 516 5.15 15,646 : United States 6/ 7/ ..: 2,532 55.1 139,471 44,072 2.55 355,651 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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: 2024 [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 : California ...........: 310 43 13,330 3,466 2.46 32,792 Florida ..............: 124 33 4,092 532 2.80 11,458 Georgia ..............: 64 29 1,856 204 3.36 6,236 Idaho ................: 114 22 2,508 351 2.06 5,166 Iowa .................: 41 67 2,747 577 3.81 10,466 Louisiana ............: 68 50 3,400 1,156 2.67 9,078 Michigan .............: 82 61 5,002 850 3.04 15,206 Minnesota ............: 127 54 6,858 3,360 1.85 12,687 Mississippi ..........: 29 80 2,320 278 3.47 8,050 Montana ..............: 142 71 10,082 2,521 2.06 20,769 : New York .............: 52 53 2,756 965 5.88 16,205 North Carolina .......: 15 40 600 168 6.25 3,750 North Dakota .........: 490 74 36,260 10,515 1.86 67,444 Ohio .................: 22 57 1,254 715 6.08 7,624 Oregon ...............: 84 34 2,856 800 2.71 7,740 Pennsylvania .........: 23 52 1,196 502 6.60 7,894 South Dakota .........: 250 53 13,250 8,745 2.84 37,630 Texas ................: 89 46 4,094 2,252 2.24 9,171 Washington ...........: 72 30 2,160 626 2.71 5,854 Wisconsin ............: 57 44 2,508 1,104 3.53 8,853 : Other States 5/ 6/ ...: 342 45 15,264 3,707 4.18 63,804 : United States 6/ 7/ ..: 2,597 51.7 134,393 43,394 2.69 361,517 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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: 2023 and 2024 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Co-op and private : Retail : All Color class :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : dollars per pound : Water white, extra white, white ...: 2.04 2.12 5.24 5.32 2.12 2.26 : Extra light amber .................: 2.23 2.13 5.36 4.51 2.40 2.36 : Light amber, amber, dark amber ....: 2.62 2.50 6.56 6.22 3.28 3.20 : All other honey, area specialties .: 3.10 3.49 8.72 7.84 4.58 4.77 : All honey .........................: 2.24 2.27 6.24 5.74 2.55 2.69 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Income and Expenditures - United States: 2023 and 2024 [Represents income and expenditures on the total number of colonies, regardless of whether honey was harvested] ----------------------------------------------------------------- Item : 2023 : 2024 ----------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 dollars : Income : Pollination income ..............: 254,945 225,785 Other income 1/ .................: 57,720 51,260 : Expenditures : Varroa control and treatment ....: 15,112 16,584 Other colony issues 2/ ..........: 4,267 4,285 Feed 3/ .........................: 46,868 45,423 Foundation ......................: 5,753 6,280 Hives/woodenware ................: 10,496 12,684 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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: 2023 and 2024 [Represents prices paid on the total number of colonies, regardless of whether honey was harvested] ----------------------------------------------------------------- Item : 2023 : 2024 ----------------------------------------------------------------- : dollars : Queen ...........................: 19 18 Package .........................: 91 89 Nuc .............................: 120 109 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Apiary Workers - United States: 2023 and 2024 [Represents number of paid and unpaid workers that worked with colonies, regardless of whether honey was harvested] ----------------------------------------------------------------- Item : 2023 : 2024 ----------------------------------------------------------------- : workers : Apiary workers ..................: 25,000 26,000 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Statistical Methodology Survey Procedures: Data for honey producing operations are collected from a stratified sample of all known operations with at least 5 honey bee colonies that also meet USDA's definition of a farm. To qualify as a farm, an operation must be any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the year. NASS Regional Field Offices maintain a list of all known operations and use known sources of operations to update their lists. All sampled operations are mailed a questionnaire and given adequate time to respond by mail or electronic data reporting (EDR). Those that do not respond by mail or EDR are telephoned or possibly enumerated in person. Prices are collected by color class and marketing channel from operations with five or more colonies. Estimation Procedures: Sound statistical methodology is employed to derive the estimates from reported data. All data are analyzed for unusual values. Data from each operation are compared to their own past operating profile and to trends from similar operations. Data for missing operations were estimated based on similar operations or historical data. State offices prepare these estimates by using a combination of survey indications and historic trends. Prices for each color class are derived by weighting the quantities sold for each marketing channel. Individual State estimates are reviewed by the Agricultural Statistics Board for reasonableness. Revision Policy: The previous year's estimates are subject to revision when current year's estimates are made. Revisions are the result of late reports or corrected data. Price revisions can be the result of additional sales reported the following year. Estimates will also be reviewed after data from the 5-year Census of Agriculture are available. No revisions will be made after that date. Reliability: Since all operations are not included in the sample, survey estimates are subject to sampling variability. Survey results are also subject to non-sampling errors such as omissions, duplication, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. While these errors cannot be measured directly, they are minimized through strict quality controls in the data collection process and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. To assist in evaluating the reliability of the estimates in this report, the "Root Mean Square Error" is shown for selected items in the following table. The "Root Mean Square Error" is a statistical measure based on past performance and is computed using the differences between first and final estimates. The "Root Mean Square Error" for honey producing colonies over the past 10 years is 0.4 percent. This means that chances are 1 out of 3 that the final estimate will not be above or below the current estimate of 2.60 million colonies by more than 0.4 percent. Chances are 9 out of 10 that the difference will not exceed 0.8 percent. Reliability of Honey Estimates [Based on data for the previous ten years] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Root mean : 90 percent : Difference between first and latest estimate : square error : confidence : : : : : : : level :------------------------------------------------------------- Item : : : : : : Years : : : : : :------------------------------- : : : Average :Smallest : Largest : Below latest : Above latest -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent percent --------- 1,000 -------- ----- number ---- : Honey producing colonies .....: 0.4 0.8 7 - 25 7 - : Honey production .............: 0.5 0.9 479 - 1,660 7 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@usda.gov Travis Averill, Chief, Livestock Branch ...................................... (202) 692-0069 Vacant, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section Holly Brenize - Poultry Slaughter ......................................... (202) 720-0585 Fatema Haque - Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised ............................ (202) 720-3244 Derron Martin - Catfish, Trout, Mink, Census of Aquaculture, Egg Products.. (202) 690-3237 Seth Riggins - Honey, Honey Bee Colonies .................................. (202) 690-4870 Shulonda Shaw - Cold Storage, Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses ......... (202) 720-3240 Autumn Stone - Layers, Eggs ............................................... (202) 690-3676 Takiyah Walker - Chicken Hatchery, Broiler Hatchery ....................... 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