Sod production is a large U.S. horticultural activity measured through operations, planted acreage, harvested acreage, and gross sales. The latest national figures cover 2024 and combine sod, sprigs, and plugs, so the definitions matter when comparing markets or years.
Key Sod Production Statistics
The most quotable sod production statistics span national scale, channels, states, historical comparisons, and turfgrass research:
- In 2024, 919 U.S. operations reported sod, sprigs, or plugs.
- In 2024, 326,898 U.S. open acres were in production for sod, sprigs, or plugs.
- In 2024, 203,979 U.S. open acres were harvested for sod, sprigs, or plugs.
- In 2024, $1.704015 billion in U.S. gross sales came from sod, sprigs, and plugs across all channels.
- In 2024, $1.354339 billion in U.S. wholesale sales came from sod, sprigs, and plugs.
- In 2024, $349.676 million in U.S. retail sales came from sod, sprigs, and plugs.
- In 2024, 17 U.S. operations reported 213,850 square feet of protected production area for sod, sprigs, or plugs.
- In 2024, 14 U.S. operations reported 194,640 square feet of protected harvested area for sod, sprigs, or plugs.
- In 2017, 1,465 U.S. farms produced sod on 339,551 acres.
- In 2017, U.S. sod production was valued at $1.148 billion.
- Between 2019 and 2024, U.S. sod sales increased 34% in USDA’s nominal comparison.
- Between 2019 and 2024, U.S. sod area in production decreased 2%, from 334,206 to 326,903 acres in the USDA highlights.
- In 2024, Texas reported 56,163 acres in production for sod, sprigs, or plugs.
- In 2024, Florida reported 36,273 acres in production for sod, sprigs, or plugs.
- In 2024, Texas reported $288.569 million in all-channel sales for sod, sprigs, or plugs.
- In 2024, Florida reported $172.468 million in all-channel sales for sod, sprigs, or plugs.
- In 2024, California reported $162.549 million in all-channel sales for sod, sprigs, or plugs.
- In a bermudagrass research-line experiment, sod handling quality and tensile strength had a positive correlation of r² = 0.65.
Contents
- U.S. industry scale, acreage, and sales
- Sod production trends from 2017 to 2024
- State sod production data
- Wholesale and retail sod sales
- Regional concentration
- Turfgrass quality and handling research
U.S. Sod Production Statistics: Industry Scale, Acreage, and Sales
The USDA’s 2024 horticultural-specialties table counted 919 U.S. operations reporting sod, sprigs, or plugs. Its category includes all three products, rather than sod alone, and the operation count describes reporting coverage rather than the number of every business involved in turf.
The same table separates land in production from land harvested during the year:
| 2024 U.S. measure | Reported value | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Operations | 919 | Operations reporting sod, sprigs, or plugs |
| Area in production | 326,898 acres | Open area, including grass intended for later sale |
| Area harvested | 203,979 acres | Open area harvested during 2024 |
| All-channel sales | $1.704015 billion | Gross reported sales |
| Wholesale sales | $1.354339 billion | Gross reported wholesale sales |
| Retail sales | $349.676 million | Gross reported retail sales |
Source: Table 32. Sod, Sprigs, and Plugs Sold: 2024.
Area in production includes grass planted for later sale that was not harvested in 2024. Sales are gross revenue reported by operations; they do not measure profit, price per square foot, or physical quantity sold.
Protected production is reported separately from open acreage. In 2024, 17 operations reported 213,850 square feet of protected production area, while 14 operations reported 194,640 square feet of protected harvested area for the combined category.
Sod Production Trends from 2017 to 2024
Historical sod statistics require caution because the 2017 benchmark and 2024 horticultural-specialties census use different wording and category treatment. A peer-reviewed article cites a USDA benchmark of 1,465 farms producing sod on 339,551 acres in 2017, with production valued at $1.148 billion.
Source: Sod production characteristics: How strong is your bermudagrass?.
USDA’s 2024 highlights provide a separate 2019-to-2024 comparison. The highlights report 2019 sod sales of $1.273 billion and 2024 sod sales of $1.704 billion, described as a 34% increase.
That is a nominal gross-sales comparison and does not isolate changes in physical volume from changes in prices.
| USDA highlights comparison | 2019 | 2024 | Reported change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sod sales | $1.273 billion | $1.704 billion | 34% higher |
| Sod area in production | 334,206 acres | 326,903 acres | 2% lower |
Source: Results from the 2024 Census of Horticultural Specialties.
The detailed 2024 table reports 326,898 acres for the combined sod, sprigs, and plugs category, while the highlights round or present the sod comparison as 326,903 acres. The USDA appendix also states that sprigs and plugs were not collected with sod harvested in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, so comparisons with that census are not directly comparable.
The 2024 highlights place sod among the three largest horticultural sectors, alongside nursery stock and annual bedding plants, with combined sales above $9.7 billion. USDA reported $18.3 billion in total U.S. horticultural sales and 23,060 horticulture operations in 2024; those are broader context measures, not sod-only totals.
State Sod Production Statistics: Operations and Acreage
The USDA’s 2024 state rows show a wide range of operation counts and production acreage. Each observation below uses the combined sod, sprigs, and plugs category.
| State | Operations | Area in production, acres |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 58 | 25,241 |
| Arizona | 9 | 2,929 |
| Arkansas | 19 | 5,090 |
| California | 30 | 8,666 |
| Colorado | 21 | 4,620 |
| Florida | 64 | 36,273 |
| Georgia | 37 | 13,340 |
| Idaho | 15 | 5,516 |
| Illinois | 23 | 7,227 |
| Indiana | 16 | 3,582 |
| Texas | Not stated in this grouped table | 56,163 |
Source for the reported state observations: Table 32. Sod, Sprigs, and Plugs Sold: 2024.
The state figures show why operation counts and acreage answer different questions. Florida’s 64 reporting operations and 36,273 acres represent a substantial production footprint, while Texas has 56,163 acres in production in the supplied 2024 state data.
Sod Sales Statistics by Wholesale and Retail Channel
All-channel sales provide a market-scale measure, while wholesale and retail figures describe the reported route to market. The values below are gross sales for the combined sod, sprigs, and plugs category in 2024.
| State | All-channel sales | Wholesale sales | Retail sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $162.549 million | $137.771 million | Not stated |
| Florida | $172.468 million | $138.579 million | $33.889 million |
| Texas | $288.569 million | $262.003 million | $26.566 million |
Source: Table 32. Sod, Sprigs, and Plugs Sold: 2024.
Additional state totals show the geographic spread of reported sales. Alabama recorded $106.989 million, Georgia recorded $101.616 million, California recorded $162.549 million, Florida recorded $172.468 million, and Texas recorded $288.569 million in 2024 all-channel sales.
These are not profit figures, and they should not be interpreted as prices paid by homeowners or as a measure of physical sod volume. The national table similarly reported $1.354339 billion in wholesale sales and $349.676 million in retail sales for 2024.
Regional Concentration in Sod Production Data
A peer-reviewed review of the 2017 USDA benchmark identified Florida as the largest sod-producing state among the seven leading states it cited. The historical group was Florida, Texas, California, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Oklahoma.
Source: Sod production characteristics: How strong is your bermudagrass?.
The supplied 2024 observations show concentration in several large state production footprints, but the 2017 ranking should not be relabeled as a 2024 ranking.
| State | 2024 area in production | 2024 harvested area |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 25,241 acres | 15,449 acres |
| Florida | 36,273 acres | 25,771 acres |
| Texas | 56,163 acres | 43,926 acres |
| California | 8,666 acres | Not stated |
| Georgia | 13,340 acres | Not stated |
Source: Table 32. Sod, Sprigs, and Plugs Sold: 2024.
The distinction between area in production and harvested area is important for interpreting regional capacity. Land can remain planted for future sale even when it does not appear in the current-year harvested acreage.
Sod Production Research: Turfgrass Quality and Handling Outcomes
Production statistics describe scale, but experimental research examines traits that affect handling. A peer-reviewed bermudagrass study reported that sod handling quality and sod tensile strength were positively correlated at r² = 0.65 among advanced clonal bermudagrass lines.
The result is a research-line experiment, not an industry-wide estimate or a causal claim that applies to every sod farm or turf species. The study summary does not state the study period.
The same article cited a 1991 study of 13 turfgrass varieties, excluding bermudagrass, that examined relationships involving sod tensile strength. That cited study used a greenhouse rooting-depth limit of 7.6 centimeters while recording tensile-strength measurements in the field.
Source: Sod production characteristics: How strong is your bermudagrass?.
These research findings belong beside, rather than inside, the commercial totals. The USDA sales and acreage measures describe reported operations and gross market activity, while the turfgrass trials describe experimental relationships under defined research conditions.