Cotton yields in United States
United States: Cotton yields was 2.86 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
2.86 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
13th
of 101 countries
All-time high
2.86 tonnes per hectare
in 2024
All-time low
1.21 tonnes per hectare
in 1980
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cotton yields in United States, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
In 2024, cotton yields in United States stood at 2.86 tonnes per hectare. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cotton yields in United States peaked at 2.86 tonnes per hectare in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.21 tonnes per hectare, in 1980.
That places United States 13th out of 101 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cotton yields in United States, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.35 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 1.4 tonnes per hectare | +3.5% |
| 1963 | 1.56 tonnes per hectare | +11.4% |
| 1964 | 1.57 tonnes per hectare | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 1.59 tonnes per hectare | +1.2% |
| 1966 | 1.47 tonnes per hectare | -7.9% |
| 1967 | 1.4 tonnes per hectare | -4.6% |
| 1968 | 1.6 tonnes per hectare | +14.4% |
| 1969 | 1.31 tonnes per hectare | -18.1% |
| 1970 | 1.31 tonnes per hectare | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 1.32 tonnes per hectare | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 1.5 tonnes per hectare | +13.6% |
| 1973 | 1.52 tonnes per hectare | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 1.3 tonnes per hectare | -14.6% |
| 1975 | 1.33 tonnes per hectare | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 1.37 tonnes per hectare | +3.0% |
| 1977 | 1.52 tonnes per hectare | +10.8% |
| 1978 | 1.24 tonnes per hectare | -18.0% |
| 1979 | 1.62 tonnes per hectare | +30.6% |
| 1980 | 1.21 tonnes per hectare | -25.4% |
| 1981 | 1.64 tonnes per hectare | +35.7% |
| 1982 | 1.75 tonnes per hectare | +6.7% |
| 1983 | 1.51 tonnes per hectare | -14.0% |
| 1984 | 1.79 tonnes per hectare | +18.4% |
| 1985 | 1.86 tonnes per hectare | +4.4% |
| 1986 | 1.62 tonnes per hectare | -12.8% |
| 1987 | 2.08 tonnes per hectare | +28.1% |
| 1988 | 1.83 tonnes per hectare | -12.0% |
| 1989 | 1.79 tonnes per hectare | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 1.85 tonnes per hectare | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 1.93 tonnes per hectare | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 2.04 tonnes per hectare | +5.5% |
| 1993 | 1.79 tonnes per hectare | -12.0% |
| 1994 | 2.07 tonnes per hectare | +15.8% |
| 1995 | 1.56 tonnes per hectare | -24.7% |
| 1996 | 2.07 tonnes per hectare | +32.6% |
| 1997 | 1.91 tonnes per hectare | -7.5% |
| 1998 | 1.83 tonnes per hectare | -4.6% |
| 1999 | 1.74 tonnes per hectare | -4.7% |
| 2000 | 1.81 tonnes per hectare | +4.2% |
| 2001 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +10.2% |
| 2002 | 1.86 tonnes per hectare | -6.8% |
| 2003 | 2.06 tonnes per hectare | +10.8% |
| 2004 | 2.37 tonnes per hectare | +15.0% |
| 2005 | 2.31 tonnes per hectare | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 2.26 tonnes per hectare | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 2.39 tonnes per hectare | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 2.18 tonnes per hectare | -8.7% |
| 2009 | 2.11 tonnes per hectare | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 2.19 tonnes per hectare | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 2.54 tonnes per hectare | +16.3% |
| 2012 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +7.1% |
| 2013 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 2.59 tonnes per hectare | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 2.59 tonnes per hectare | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 2.62 tonnes per hectare | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 2.67 tonnes per hectare | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 2.69 tonnes per hectare | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 2.71 tonnes per hectare | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 2.74 tonnes per hectare | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 2.78 tonnes per hectare | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 2.8 tonnes per hectare | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 2.83 tonnes per hectare | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 2.86 tonnes per hectare | +1.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 2.86 tonnes per hectare is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.23 tonnes per hectare, 2.3× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.47 tonnes per hectare | 1.31 tonnes per hectare | 1.6 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.4 tonnes per hectare | 1.24 tonnes per hectare | 1.62 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.71 tonnes per hectare | 1.21 tonnes per hectare | 2.08 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.88 tonnes per hectare | 1.56 tonnes per hectare | 2.07 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.14 tonnes per hectare | 1.81 tonnes per hectare | 2.39 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.58 tonnes per hectare | 2.19 tonnes per hectare | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8 tonnes per hectare | 2.74 tonnes per hectare | 2.86 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 10 Uzbekistan 3.05 tonnes per hectare compare
- 11 Greece 3.04 tonnes per hectare compare
- 12 Azerbaijan 2.9 tonnes per hectare compare
- 14 Kazakhstan 2.83 tonnes per hectare compare
- 15 Egypt 2.8 tonnes per hectare compare
- 16 Syria 2.8 tonnes per hectare compare
More agriculture & rural data for United States
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.96 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0094 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 673.66 current US$ per person (2021)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.1831 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1981 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.9% (2021)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.9% (2021)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cotton yields in United States?
- Cotton yields in United States was 2.86 tonnes per hectare in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cotton yields recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 2.86 tonnes per hectare in 2024.
- What is the lowest cotton yields recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.21 tonnes per hectare in 1980.
- How does United States rank for cotton yields?
- United States ranks 13th out of 101 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cotton yields rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cotton yields. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Yield is the amount produced per unit of land used, measured in tonnes per hectare.