This Sunny State Produces The Most Watermelon

A juicy watermelon is a classic symbol of summer, so you shouldn't be surprised to learn that the state that grows the most of them is, in fact, associated with plenty of sun. That's because Florida, also known as the Sunshine State, is the one state in the U.S. that produces the most watermelon. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) records from 2021 show that Florida produced a whopping 30% of the country's watermelon supply, which translated to 1.016 billion pounds that year. That's enough fruit to fill a lot of backyard barbecues.

The other of the top four states that grew watermelon that year were Georgia, California, and Texas — also states where you think of warmth and sun, so that makes sense. I'm guessing you won't see a ton of watermelon growing in Alaska. Interestingly, North Carolina grew 8% of the watermelon crop that year, and Indiana also contributed 7%, but the country still ended up importing 1.787 billion pounds of watermelon in 2021 — or 37% of the total available crop, nationwide.

When it comes to watermelon harvesting, the U.S. isn't No. 1, overall. In fact, we come in seventh out of the ten most prolific watermelon-growing countries in the world. The top grower of watermelons is actually China, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. China grew an amazing 63,821,304 tons of watermelons in 2023; in second place was India with 3,626,000 tons grown, with Turkey coming in next at 3,147,921 tons. (The U.S. grew 1,682,669 tons in 2023, in case you're wondering.)

It's safe to say it's not really a competition, but more about the fact that everyone across the globe just loves the juice-saturated fruit, whether you eat it straight up, turn it into a beverage like watermelon-mint lemonade, or use it as an unconventional meat substitute for watermelon burgers. Watermelon sure does love a nice dose of sunshine and heat in order to thrive, which is something Florida can definitely provide in high amounts.