Honey ISSN: 1949-1492 Released March 19, 2020, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Special Note Honey price per pound data have been updated to dollars per pound from cents per pound. Before deciding to update this data, NASS reviewed our estimating programs against mission- and user-based criteria requirements to maintain the strongest data in service to U.S. agriculture. Information about all NASS surveys and reports is available online at www.nass.usda.gov. United States Honey Production Up 2 Percent in 2019 United States honey production in 2019 totaled 157 million pounds, up 2 percent from 2018. There were 2.81 million colonies producing honey in 2019, down 1 percent from 2018. Yield per colony averaged 55.8 pounds, up 2 percent from the 54.5 pounds in 2018. 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 41.0 million pounds on December 15, 2019, up 40 percent from a year earlier. Stocks held by producers exclude those held under the commodity loan program. Honey Prices Down 11 Percent in 2019 United States honey prices decreased 11 percent during 2019 to $1.97 per pound, compared to $2.21 per pound in 2018. 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 2018 crop reflect honey sold in 2018 and 2019. Some 2018 crop honey was sold in 2019, which caused some revisions to the 2018 crop prices. Price Paid per Queen was 18 Dollars in 2019 The average prices paid in 2019 for honey bee queens, packages, and nucs were $18, $85, and $100 respectively. Pollination income for 2019 was $310 million, up 3 percent from 2018. Other income from honey bees in 2019 was $77.7 million, down 18 percent from 2018. 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: 2018 [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 ..............: 6 45 270 14 3.72 1,004 Arizona ..............: 24 38 912 109 3.01 2,745 Arkansas .............: 28 50 1,400 84 1.88 2,632 California ...........: 335 41 13,735 3,022 2.11 28,981 Colorado .............: 31 48 1,488 283 2.05 3,050 Florida ..............: 215 49 10,535 737 2.40 25,284 Georgia ..............: 98 34 3,332 200 2.76 9,196 Hawaii ...............: 17 103 1,751 18 1.92 3,362 Idaho ................: 96 31 2,976 655 1.96 5,833 Illinois .............: 11 41 451 108 4.83 2,178 : Indiana ..............: 7 46 322 106 3.58 1,153 Iowa .................: 38 49 1,862 1,005 2.40 4,469 Kansas ...............: 5 73 365 95 3.10 1,132 Kentucky .............: 4 41 164 34 5.43 891 Louisiana ............: 45 83 3,735 261 1.91 7,134 Maine ................: 12 32 384 92 2.98 1,144 Michigan .............: 97 44 4,268 768 2.49 10,627 Minnesota ............: 119 61 7,259 1,161 1.94 14,082 Mississippi ..........: 20 87 1,740 70 2.07 3,602 Missouri .............: 9 45 405 36 2.83 1,146 : Montana ..............: 160 92 14,720 3,680 1.90 27,968 Nebraska .............: 40 59 2,360 850 2.01 4,744 New Jersey ...........: 13 31 403 165 7.47 3,010 New York .............: 56 48 2,688 833 3.24 8,709 North Carolina .......: 10 33 330 63 5.76 1,901 North Dakota .........: 550 72 39,600 4,752 1.87 74,052 Ohio .................: 14 73 1,022 491 3.72 3,802 Oregon ...............: 93 35 3,255 1,009 2.36 7,682 Pennsylvania .........: 19 44 836 309 3.89 3,252 South Carolina .......: 16 48 768 15 3.17 2,435 : South Dakota .........: 255 47 11,985 5,154 1.91 22,891 Tennessee ............: 7 46 322 84 4.11 1,323 Texas ................: 132 56 7,392 1,035 2.12 15,671 Utah .................: 26 41 1,066 75 2.10 2,239 Vermont ..............: 7 48 336 94 3.76 1,263 Virginia .............: 4 40 160 35 7.24 1,158 Washington ...........: 77 43 3,311 563 2.15 7,119 West Virginia ........: 6 37 222 38 4.33 961 Wisconsin ............: 51 45 2,295 711 2.95 6,770 Wyoming ..............: 39 56 2,184 175 1.91 4,171 : Other States 5/ 6/ ...: 36 39 1,399 314 6.02 8,422 : United States 6/ 7/ ..: 2,828 54.5 154,008 29,303 2.21 340,358 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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/ Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island not published separately to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 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: 2019 [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 ..............: 7 42 294 44 3.20 941 Arizona ..............: 23 46 1,058 201 1.97 2,084 Arkansas .............: 20 55 1,100 176 1.53 1,683 California ...........: 335 48 16,080 3,216 1.56 25,085 Colorado .............: 32 46 1,472 500 2.14 3,150 Florida ..............: 205 45 9,225 830 2.48 22,878 Georgia ..............: 102 33 3,366 370 2.61 8,785 Hawaii ...............: 16 80 1,280 51 1.28 1,638 Idaho ................: 92 32 2,944 677 1.67 4,916 Illinois .............: 11 39 429 116 4.31 1,849 : Indiana ..............: 9 55 495 198 3.95 1,955 Iowa .................: 38 55 2,090 1,170 2.24 4,682 Kansas ...............: 7 79 553 171 2.95 1,631 Kentucky .............: 6 41 246 44 4.50 1,107 Louisiana ............: 54 72 3,888 428 2.04 7,932 Maine ................: 15 35 525 110 2.92 1,533 Michigan .............: 94 50 4,700 1,363 2.36 11,092 Minnesota ............: 118 59 6,962 3,063 1.63 11,348 Mississippi ..........: 22 80 1,760 141 1.85 3,256 Missouri .............: 10 43 430 73 3.32 1,428 : Montana ..............: 173 86 14,878 5,802 1.48 22,019 Nebraska .............: 39 52 2,028 223 1.46 2,961 New Jersey ...........: 15 28 420 155 3.33 1,399 New York .............: 59 58 3,422 1,027 4.49 15,365 North Carolina .......: 14 42 588 118 4.06 2,387 North Dakota .........: 520 65 33,800 6,422 1.40 47,320 Ohio .................: 15 67 1,005 442 3.42 3,437 Oregon ...............: 87 32 2,784 1,141 2.07 5,763 Pennsylvania .........: 19 50 950 409 4.24 4,028 South Carolina .......: 16 47 752 45 5.01 3,768 : South Dakota .........: 270 72 19,440 7,582 1.53 29,743 Tennessee ............: 8 57 456 91 4.65 2,120 Texas ................: 126 60 7,560 1,814 2.30 17,388 Utah .................: 22 29 638 89 2.06 1,314 Vermont ..............: 6 48 288 84 4.34 1,250 Virginia .............: 5 39 195 49 7.51 1,464 Washington ...........: 81 35 2,835 1,191 2.12 6,010 West Virginia ........: 6 37 222 47 4.50 999 Wisconsin ............: 46 47 2,162 692 2.99 6,464 Wyoming ..............: 39 56 2,184 306 1.35 2,948 : Other States 5/ 6/ ...: 30 47 1,418 351 5.91 8,380 : United States 6/ 7/ ..: 2,812 55.8 156,922 41,022 1.97 309,136 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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/ Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island not published separately to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. 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: 2018 and 2019 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Co-op and private : Retail : All Color class :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2018 : 2019 : 2018 : 2019 : 2018 : 2019 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : dollars per pound : Water white, extra white, white ...: 1.98 1.61 3.63 3.99 2.01 1.67 : Extra light amber .................: 2.01 1.63 3.44 3.55 2.12 1.85 : Light amber, amber, dark amber ....: 2.10 1.93 4.89 5.63 2.51 2.54 : All other honey, area specialties .: 2.64 2.40 7.17 7.77 3.62 3.84 : All honey .........................: 2.03 1.70 4.38 4.85 2.21 1.97 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Income and Expenditures - United States: 2018 and 2019 [Represents income and expenditures on the total number of colonies, regardless of whether honey was harvested] ----------------------------------------------------------------- Item : 2018 : 2019 ----------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 dollars : Income : Pollination income ..............: 301,854 309,630 Other income 1/ .................: 94,644 77,677 : Expenditures : Varroa control and treatment ....: 17,788 16,366 Other colony issues 2/ ..........: 4,825 4,535 Feed 3/ .........................: 65,220 58,010 Foundation ......................: 9,534 7,887 Hives/woodenware ................: 13,646 10,230 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes sales of queens, queen cells, beeswax, propolis, etc. 2/ Includes Nosema, tracheal mites, foulbrod, paralysis, Kashmir, coudy wing, etc. 3/ Includes syrup, sugar water, honey, pollen paties, and other feeds. Queen, Package, and Nuc Prices Paid - United States: 2018 and 2019 [Represents prices paid on the total number of colonies, regardless of whether honey was harvested] ----------------------------------------------------------------- Item : 2018 : 2019 ----------------------------------------------------------------- : dollars : Queen ...........................: 18 18 Package .........................: 87 85 Nuc .............................: 108 100 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Apiary Workers - United States: 2018 and 2019 [Represents number of paid and unpaid workers that worked with colonies, regardless of whether honey was harvested] ----------------------------------------------------------------- Item : 2018 : 2019 ----------------------------------------------------------------- : workers : Apiary workers ..................: 23,000 25,000 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 1.2 percent. This means that chances are 1 out of 3 that the final estimate will not be above or below the current estimate of 2.81 million colonies by more than 1.2 percent. Chances are 9 out of 10 that the difference will not exceed 2.2 percent. Reliability of Honey Estimates [Based on data for the past 10 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 1,000 1,000 ----- number ---- : Honey producing colonies .....: 1.2 2.2 15 - 85 3 1 : Honey production .............: 1.2 2.3 932 - 4,796 3 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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 Tony Dorn, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section .................. (202) 690-3223 Holly Brenize - Poultry Slaughter......................................... (202) 720-0585 Alissa Cowell-Mytar - Cold Storage, Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses .. (202) 720-4751 Liana Cuffman - Catfish and Trout, Mink, Census of Aquaculture ........... (202) 720-8784 Fatema Haque - Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised ........................... (202) 690-3244 Kim Linonis - Layers, Eggs, Egg Products ................................. (202) 690-3676 Adam Peters - Honey, Honey Bee Colonies .................................. (202) 690-4870 Takiyah Walker - Broiler Hatchery, Chicken Hatchery ...................... (202) 720-6147 Access to NASS Reports For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways: All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: www.nass.usda.gov Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e- mail subscription. To set-up this free subscription, visit www.nass.usda.gov and click on "National" or "State" in upper right corner above "search" box to create an account and select the reports you would like to receive. Cornell's Mann Library has launched a new website housing NASS's and other agency's archived reports. The new website, https://usda.library.cornell.edu. All email subscriptions containing reports will be sent from the new website, https://usda.library.cornell.edu. To continue receiving the reports via e-mail, you will have to go to the new website, create a new account and re-subscribe to the reports. If you need instructions to set up an account or subscribe, they are located at: https://usda.library.cornell.edu/help. You should whitelist notifications@usda-esmis.library.cornell.edu in your email client to avoid the emails going into spam/junk folders. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Agricultural Statistics Hotline at (800) 727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@usda.gov. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (PDF), found online at www.ascr.usda.gov/filing-program-discrimination-complaint-usda-customer, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.