The United States recorded 2,524 operations selling foliage plants for indoor or patio use in 2024. Together, those operations reported $931,640 thousand in sales. The figures below come from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Table 10, “Foliage Plants for Indoor or Patio Use Sold - Total: 2024.” They describe reported 2024 production and sales, rather than a forecast or a long-term trend.
Contents
- National scale and sales channels
- Agave through combination planters
- Cordyline through ficus
- Ivy through nephthytis
- Palms, philodendron, and pothos
- Sanseveria through other foliage
National scale and sales channels
The 2024 national total includes operations selling foliage plants for either indoor or patio use. The USDA reported 2,524 such operations and total sales of $931,640 thousand. In other words, the published total is expressed in thousands of dollars; it represents $931.640 million in reported sales when written in dollars.
The same USDA table separates sales by channel. Wholesale foliage-plant sales were reported by 1,016 operations and totaled $885,160 thousand. Retail foliage-plant sales were reported by 1,752 operations and totaled $46,480 thousand. These operation counts describe reporting operations in each category; they should not be added together to estimate unique businesses because one operation may appear in more than one sales channel.
| 2024 US foliage-plant measure | Operations | Reported sales |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor or patio use, total | 2,524 | $931,640 thousand |
| Wholesale sales | 1,016 | $885,160 thousand |
| Retail sales | 1,752 | $46,480 thousand |
Source: USDA NASS, Table 10: Foliage Plants for Indoor or Patio Use Sold - Total: 2024.
For floral designers, the channel distinction matters when interpreting the production landscape. The table records a much larger reported dollar total for wholesale sales than for retail sales, while the retail category contains more reporting operations. The figures do not identify the size, location, product mix, or customer mix of individual operations.
Agave through combination planters
The first group covers agave, aglaonema, alocasia or colocasia, anthurium, bromeliad, cacti and succulents, and combination planters. Cacti and succulents were reported by 877 US operations, with $67,602 thousand in 2024 sales. That was the largest operation count in this group. Bromeliads were reported by 165 operations and generated $29,261 thousand.
Aglaonema production was reported by 128 operations, with $27,932 thousand in sales. Alocasia (Colocasia) was reported by 199 operations and generated $7,238 thousand. Agave was reported by 127 operations, with $6,833 thousand in sales. Combination planters were reported by 115 operations and generated $6,634 thousand.
Anthurium had the smallest operation count in this group, at 63, and reported $10,479 thousand in sales. The USDA category therefore includes both individually named foliage plants and broader groupings such as cacti and succulents or combination planters. These categories are not interchangeable: each figure reflects the specific label used in the 2024 table.
| Plant category | Operations | 2024 sales |
|---|---|---|
| Cacti and succulents | 877 | $67,602 thousand |
| Bromeliad | 165 | $29,261 thousand |
| Aglaonema | 128 | $27,932 thousand |
| Anthurium | 63 | $10,479 thousand |
| Alocasia (Colocasia) | 199 | $7,238 thousand |
| Agave | 127 | $6,833 thousand |
| Combination planters | 115 | $6,634 thousand |
Source for all plant-category figures in this section: USDA NASS Table 10, measured for 2024.
Cordyline through ficus
The next set includes cordyline, croton, dieffenbachia, dracaena, tropical potted ferns, and ficus. Tropical ferns had the highest reported operation count in the group: 953 operations. Their reported 2024 sales totaled $90,271 thousand. Dracaena followed with 559 operations and $34,100 thousand in sales.
Ficus was reported by 207 operations and generated $12,780 thousand. Croton was produced and sold by 151 operations, with $6,038 thousand in sales. Cordyline was reported by 215 operations and generated $5,001 thousand. Dieffenbachia had 113 reporting operations and $4,030 thousand in sales.
The contrast within this group is substantial in the published counts. Tropical potted ferns and dracaena appear across more reporting operations than the other named categories, while dieffenbachia and croton have lower reported sales totals. These are descriptive comparisons for 2024 only; the table does not establish changes from an earlier census.
| Plant category | Operations | 2024 sales |
|---|---|---|
| Ferns, tropical ferns potted | 953 | $90,271 thousand |
| Dracaena | 559 | $34,100 thousand |
| Ficus | 207 | $12,780 thousand |
| Croton | 151 | $6,038 thousand |
| Cordyline | 215 | $5,001 thousand |
| Dieffenbachia | 113 | $4,030 thousand |
Source: USDA NASS Table 10, “Foliage Plants for Indoor or Patio Use Sold - Total: 2024.”
Ivy through nephthytis
Ivy, maranta or calathea, and nephthytis or syngonium make up a smaller group in the reported 2024 figures. Ivy (Hedera) was produced and sold by 276 US operations and generated $6,481 thousand in sales. Maranta (Calathea) was reported by 79 operations, with $4,677 thousand in sales.
Nephthytis (Syngonium) had 65 reporting operations and $1,679 thousand in sales. The operation count for ivy was therefore higher than the counts for maranta (calathea) and nephthytis (syngonium), while all three remained below the national total of 2,524 operations selling foliage plants for indoor or patio use.
The paired names shown by the USDA are useful when comparing common horticultural terminology with the census category. Ivy is listed with Hedera, maranta with Calathea, and nephthytis with Syngonium. The sales figures remain tied to the combined labels exactly as reported in the source.
Source for all figures in this section: USDA NASS Table 10, 2024 US production and sales.
Palms, philodendron, and pothos
Palms were reported by 269 US operations in 2024, with $60,330 thousand in sales. Philodendron was reported by 290 operations and generated $18,590 thousand. Pothos (Epipremnum) was reported by 263 operations, with $27,452 thousand in sales.
Among these three categories, palms had the highest reported sales total and philodendron had the highest operation count. Pothos had a slightly lower operation count than philodendron but a higher reported sales total in the USDA table. These relationships compare the published 2024 category totals and do not represent per-operation averages.
| Plant category | Operations | 2024 sales |
|---|---|---|
| Palms | 269 | $60,330 thousand |
| Pothos (Epipremnum) | 263 | $27,452 thousand |
| Philodendron | 290 | $18,590 thousand |
Source: USDA NASS Table 10.
For floral design planning, these categories illustrate why a plant’s presence across operations and its reported sales total are separate measures. Philodendron appears in the highest number of operations among the three, but palms carry the highest reported dollar total. The source does not provide unit counts, plant sizes, prices, or cultivar-level detail for these categories.
Sanseveria through other foliage
The final group includes sanseveria, schefflera, spathiphyllum, and other foliage plants for indoor or patio use. Other foliage plants were reported by 951 US operations and generated $462,490 thousand in 2024 sales. This was the largest reported sales total among the individual categories listed in the supplied USDA table.
Spathiphyllum was reported by 124 operations and generated $28,557 thousand. Sanseveria was reported by 167 operations, with $10,014 thousand in sales. Schefflera was reported by 91 operations and generated $3,168 thousand.
The “other foliage plants for indoor or patio use” category is broad by definition, so its $462,490 thousand sales total should not be read as the sales of one single named plant. It is a separate USDA category that captures plants outside the named categories in the table. The category had 951 reporting operations, while the national total across foliage plants for indoor or patio use was 2,524 operations.
| Plant category | Operations | 2024 sales |
|---|---|---|
| Other foliage plants for indoor or patio use | 951 | $462,490 thousand |
| Spathiphyllum | 124 | $28,557 thousand |
| Sanseveria | 167 | $10,014 thousand |
| Schefflera | 91 | $3,168 thousand |
Source: USDA NASS Table 10: Foliage Plants for Indoor or Patio Use Sold - Total: 2024.
Taken together, the 2024 figures show a foliage-plant sector reported through both broad groupings and named plant categories. The national table records 2,524 operations and $931,640 thousand in total sales, with separate wholesale and retail measures and detailed counts for categories ranging from agave to other foliage plants.