Top Hawaii Agriculture Facts From the 2024 Census of Agriculture

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Thanks to a mild year-round climate and plenty of rainfall, Hawaii agriculture is a diverse and thriving industry. According to the USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture, Hawaii has 6,569 farms with a market value of agricultural products sold totaling more than $673 million. (The 2022 Census of Agriculture data released in February 2024 and is the most recent census data available.)

The number of farms in Hawaii has decreased by 10% since 2017 but increased by 22% since 2002. There are more than 1 million acres of farm land in Hawaii, and the state’s average farm size is 160 acres.

The market value of crops grown in Hawaii, including nursery and greenhouse crops, totaled over $514 million in 2022. The market value of livestock, poultry and their products, including beef, pork, chicken, dairy and eggs, came to more than $159 million.

What Are Hawaii’s Top Agricultural Products?

According to the most recent available cash receipts (the total amount of crops or livestock sold in a calendar year), Hawaii’s top agricultural products include coffee, cattle and calves, floriculture, macadamia nuts, chicken eggs and papayas, to name a few.

See More: Hawaii Agriculture

Who Owns Hawaii Farms?

The Census of Agriculture calculates farm ownership by the farm’s legal status for tax purposes. Like many states, Hawaii farms are primarily owned and operated by families or individuals, with 5,213 family farms as of 2022, or about 79.4% of all farms in the state. Corporations own 759 farms, or 11.6%, while 414 farms, or 6.3%, are owned by partnerships. Other farms, such as estates or trusts, prison farms, grazing associations, American Indian Reservations, etc., make up about 2.7% of farms in Hawaii. 

The majority of Hawaii farmers are men. According to the Census of Agriculture, there were 6,739 male farmers in Hawaii in 2022, making up 57% of the state’s total producers. Hawaii’s 5,094 women farmers accounted for 43% of the total.

See More: What’s Growing in Hawaii? Produce Calendar

How Old Are Hawaiian Farmers?

Out of 11,833 farmers in Hawaii, most are over the age of 55. In fact, the average age of a Hawaii farmer is 60.7 years old, up from 60.1 years in 2017. 

Around 32% of Hawaii farmers fall into the age group of 64 to 75 years, and 22.7% are ages 55 to 64. Farmers aged 75 or over account for 15.7% of farmers, followed by farmers ranging from 45 to 54 years (12.1%), then farmers ages 35 to 44 (11%). Only 5.3% of farmers are ages 25 to 34, and just 133 Hawaii farmers are under 25, or around 1%.

See More: Foods That Grow in Hawaii

More Hawaii Farm Facts

Though the state counts more than 11,000 agricultural producers, 49% of Hawaii farmers have a primary occupation other than farming. Only about 6,000 respondents to the Census of Agriculture said their primary occupation was farming.

Active duty military members and veterans also account for some farmers, as Hawaii has 1,070 farmers with current or past military service.

Hawaii is home to 697 producers of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.

There were 4,162 new and beginning producers in Hawaii in 2022, up from 3,875 in 2017.

Hawaii farms harvested 8,303 acres of coffee in 2022.

There are 2,259 Hawaii farms using renewable energy-producing sources.

There are 146 USDA-certified organic farms in Hawaii, down from 152 in 2017.

See More: 7 Must-Visit Hawaii Agritourism Destinations