Commercial orchid production spans two distinct markets: cut stems and blooms for floral use, and flowering plants sold in pots. USDA and National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) figures show a long Hawaii series for Dendrobiums from 2015 through 2020, alongside a national snapshot for 2024. The Hawaii annual summary covers producers with at least $10,000 in total sales; 2019 was not surveyed because of the Census of Horticulture.
Contents
- Hawaii orchid wholesale value
- Hawaii cut Dendrobium production
- Hawaii potted Dendrobium production
- Dendrobium production area and segments
- U.S. cut-orchid production by type
- U.S. potted orchids by channel and pot size
Hawaii orchid wholesale value
The USDA/NASS Hawaii Horticulture and Nursery Products: Annual Summary 2020 reports wholesale orchid sales, including both cut and potted orchids. Values are reported in thousands of dollars and should be read as wholesale sales rather than retail revenue.
| Year | Hawaii orchid wholesale sales |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $14,457 thousand |
| 2016 | $14,213 thousand |
| 2017 | $14,048 thousand |
| 2018 | $13,709 thousand |
| 2020 | $12,233 thousand |
The reported series moves from $14,457 thousand in 2015 to $14,213 thousand in 2016 and $14,048 thousand in 2017. The 2018 figure was $13,709 thousand. The next published observation in this series is 2020, at $12,233 thousand; there is no 2019 observation in the summary because that year was not surveyed.
These figures describe the value of Hawaii’s orchid wholesale market across the cut and potted categories. They do not identify a separate price index, farm profit measure, or retail mark-up. The source is the USDA/NASS Hawaii Horticulture and Nursery Products: Annual Summary 2020.
Hawaii cut Dendrobium production
Dendrobium cut flowers form one measurable part of Hawaii’s commercial orchid sector. The annual summary reports both stems sold and sales value for the published years.
In 2015, Hawaii farms sold 2,136 thousand Dendrobium cut-flower stems, with sales of $1,224 thousand. In 2016, the reported volume was 2,052 thousand stems and sales were $1,375 thousand. The 2017 figures were 1,848 thousand stems and $1,248 thousand in sales.
The 2018 observation was 1,260 thousand stems and $1,124 thousand in sales. In 2020, farms sold 660 thousand Dendrobium cut-flower stems, with sales of $642 thousand. The published measurements therefore show both lower stem volume and lower sales in 2020 than in the earlier years included here.
| Year | Stems sold | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2,136 thousand | $1,224 thousand |
| 2016 | 2,052 thousand | $1,375 thousand |
| 2017 | 1,848 thousand | $1,248 thousand |
| 2018 | 1,260 thousand | $1,124 thousand |
| 2020 | 660 thousand | $642 thousand |
The stem figures count sold cut-flower stems, while the dollar figures are sales values in thousands of dollars. They are not a count of all Dendrobium plants grown, and they do not include the potted Dendrobium observations in the next section. All of these Hawaii measurements come from the USDA/NASS annual summary.
Hawaii potted Dendrobium production
Hawaii’s potted Dendrobium market is reported separately from cut-flower stems. In 2015, farms sold 624 thousand potted Dendrobiums, generating $3,502 thousand in sales. The 2016 figures were 576 thousand plants and $3,280 thousand in sales.
For 2017, the summary reports 558 thousand potted Dendrobiums sold and $3,240 thousand in sales. In 2018, the volume was 432 thousand plants and sales were $2,500 thousand. The 2020 observation was 307 thousand potted Dendrobiums sold, with $2,433 thousand in sales.
| Year | Potted Dendrobiums sold | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 624 thousand | $3,502 thousand |
| 2016 | 576 thousand | $3,280 thousand |
| 2017 | 558 thousand | $3,240 thousand |
| 2018 | 432 thousand | $2,500 thousand |
| 2020 | 307 thousand | $2,433 thousand |
The category is measured in potted Dendrobiums sold, not individual flowers or cut stems. Its sales values are also reported in thousands of dollars. As with the cut-flower series, the source population is Hawaii producers meeting the annual summary’s $10,000 total-sales threshold. The source does not provide a 2019 value for this series.
Dendrobium production area and segments
The Hawaii summary also reports combined Dendrobium sales across individual blossoms, cut flowers, and potted-in-bud/bloom products. These combined sales are distinct from the broader Hawaii orchid wholesale totals because they refer specifically to Dendrobium segments.
Combined Dendrobium sales totaled $4,984 thousand in 2015 and $4,907 thousand in 2016. The reported total was $4,625 thousand in 2017, $3,782 thousand in 2018, and $3,155 thousand in 2020.
The same source reports production area across cut-flower and potted-in-bud/bloom production. Area covered 2,774 thousand square feet in 2015, 2,819 thousand square feet in 2016, 3,243 thousand square feet in 2017, 2,989 thousand square feet in 2018, and 2,464 thousand square feet in 2020.
| Year | Combined Dendrobium sales | Production area |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $4,984 thousand | 2,774 thousand sq. ft. |
| 2016 | $4,907 thousand | 2,819 thousand sq. ft. |
| 2017 | $4,625 thousand | 3,243 thousand sq. ft. |
| 2018 | $3,782 thousand | 2,989 thousand sq. ft. |
| 2020 | $3,155 thousand | 2,464 thousand sq. ft. |
The area measure is not a total for every orchid type in Hawaii. It covers the cut-flower and potted-in-bud/bloom Dendrobium production identified by the source. The combined sales category additionally mentions individual blossoms, so the sales grouping and the area description should not be treated as interchangeable measures.
U.S. cut-orchid production by type
The 2024 U.S. Census of Horticulture Specialties provides a national view of cut orchids by type. The figures below are from Table 13, Cut Flowers Sold: 2024 — United States Data. Quantities are in thousands of blooms where reported, and sales are in thousands of dollars.
| Orchid type | Operations | Blooms sold | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cymbidium | 16 | 767 thousand | $839 thousand |
| Dendrobium | 10 | 775 thousand | $707 thousand |
| Phalaenopsis | 17 | 842 thousand | Not supplied |
| Other orchids | 21 | 1,181 thousand | $3,114 thousand |
The table identifies 9 U.S. operations producing Cattleya cut orchids, although no Cattleya bloom quantity or sales value is supplied here. Cymbidium production involved 16 operations, with 767 thousand blooms sold and $839 thousand in sales. Dendrobium production involved 10 operations, with 775 thousand blooms sold and $707 thousand in sales.
Phalaenopsis cut-orchid production involved 17 operations, and growers sold 842 thousand blooms. For the “other” cut-orchid category, 21 operations sold 1,181 thousand blooms and recorded $3,114 thousand in sales. The operation counts are not production volumes, and the 2024 census figures should not be combined with the Hawaii annual series as though they used the same geography or reporting frame.
U.S. potted orchids by channel and pot size
USDA/NASS Table 8 reports 2024 U.S. sales for “orchid-other” potted flowering plants for indoor or patio use. The table separates wholesale and retail channels and distinguishes pots under 5 inches from pots 5 inches or more. Dollar values below are in thousands of dollars. The source is Table 8, Potted Flowering Plants for Indoor or Patio Use Sold: 2024 — State Data.
Across all pot sizes and sales channels, 259 operations sold 10,618,720 plants for $105,152 thousand. Wholesale sales involved 112 operations, 10,083,201 plants, and $95,345 thousand. Retail sales involved 191 operations, 535,519 plants, and $9,807 thousand.
For pots under 5 inches, all sales came from 211 operations, with 9,861,589 plants sold for $93,871 thousand. The wholesale portion involved 92 operations, 9,429,097 plants, and $86,626 thousand. The retail portion involved 157 operations, 432,492 plants, and $7,245 thousand.
For pots 5 inches or more, all sales came from 140 operations, with 757,131 plants sold for $11,281 thousand. Wholesale sales involved 60 operations, 654,104 plants, and $8,719 thousand. Retail sales involved 102 operations, 103,027 plants, and $2,562 thousand.
| 2024 U.S. orchid-other category | Operations | Plants sold | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| All sizes, all channels | 259 | 10,618,720 | $105,152 thousand |
| Under 5 in., all channels | 211 | 9,861,589 | $93,871 thousand |
| 5 in. or more, all channels | 140 | 757,131 | $11,281 thousand |
| Under 5 in., wholesale | 92 | 9,429,097 | $86,626 thousand |
| Under 5 in., retail | 157 | 432,492 | $7,245 thousand |
| 5 in. or more, wholesale | 60 | 654,104 | $8,719 thousand |
| 5 in. or more, retail | 102 | 103,027 | $2,562 thousand |
California is separately reported within the same table. Across all sales channels, California orchid-other pots came from 43 operations, with 5,332,994 plants sold and $48,968 thousand in sales. California wholesale sales came from 15 operations, with 5,171,938 plants sold and $46,413 thousand in sales. California retail sales came from 34 operations, with 161,056 plants sold and $2,555 thousand in sales.
These 2024 potted-plant figures describe the orchid-other category and are not a complete breakdown of every named orchid genus. They also report operations, plants, and sales separately by channel and pot-size grouping; overlapping operation counts across groupings should not be added together.