Peony production in the United States is measured through two distinct markets: cut peonies sold by the stem and potted peonies sold by the pot. The USDA’s Floriculture Crops 2020 Summary reports both markets for 2019 and 2020, covering operations with at least $100,000 in sales. In 2020, U.S. growers reported 8,770 thousand cut-peony stems and 1,100 thousand potted peonies across all container sizes. The same report lists equivalent wholesale values of $8,465 thousand for cut peonies and $12,608 thousand for potted peonies.
Contents
- National cut-peony production
- State cut-peony stem volumes
- Wholesale share and prices
- Cut-peony sales value by market
- U.S. container-grown peony output
- Container-grown prices and sales value
National cut-peony production
The USDA counted 70 U.S. cut-peony producers with at least $100,000 in sales in 2019 and 77 such producers in 2020. Reported quantity sold moved in the opposite direction: 10,299 thousand stems in 2019 compared with 8,770 thousand stems in 2020. These are reported quantities, not an estimate of every peony stem grown in the country.
The USDA’s reported wholesale share was very high in both years. Wholesale sales represented 95% of cut-peony quantity in 2019 and 98% in 2020. The reported average wholesale price was 89.9 cents per stem in 2019 and 96.5 cents per stem in 2020.
The equivalent wholesale value of U.S. cut-peony sales was $9,255 thousand in 2019 and $8,465 thousand in 2020. The figures describe the value represented by the reported production and wholesale pricing in the USDA table; they should not be read as a retail-revenue total for florists, designers, or consumers.
| Measure | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Producers with at least $100,000 in sales | 70 | 77 |
| Quantity sold | 10,299 thousand stems | 8,770 thousand stems |
| Wholesale share by quantity | 95% | 98% |
| Average wholesale price | 89.9 cents per stem | 96.5 cents per stem |
| Equivalent wholesale value | $9,255 thousand | $8,465 thousand |
Source: USDA, Floriculture Crops 2020 Summary (May 2021).
State cut-peony stem volumes
Oregon was the largest named state by reported cut-peony volume in both years. Oregon sold 3,360 thousand stems in 2019 and 3,562 thousand stems in 2020. North Carolina reported 1,722 thousand stems in 2019 and 2,069 thousand in 2020.
Washington’s reported volume changed from 1,872 thousand stems in 2019 to 564 thousand stems in 2020. New Jersey reported 978 thousand stems in 2019 and 738 thousand stems in 2020. The USDA Other States category accounted for 2,366 thousand stems in 2019 and 1,837 thousand stems in 2020.
| Reporting area | 2019 quantity | 2020 quantity |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 978 thousand stems | 738 thousand stems |
| North Carolina | 1,722 thousand stems | 2,069 thousand stems |
| Oregon | 3,360 thousand stems | 3,562 thousand stems |
| Washington | 1,872 thousand stems | 564 thousand stems |
| Other States | 2,366 thousand stems | 1,837 thousand stems |
Source: USDA, Floriculture Crops 2020 Summary (May 2021). The “Other States” row is the USDA category and is not a single state.
Wholesale share and prices
The state-level figures show that wholesale marketing dominated every listed reporting area in both years. New Jersey sold 100% of its reported quantity wholesale at 115.8 cents per stem in 2019 and 116.1 cents in 2020. North Carolina also reported a 100% wholesale share, with average prices of 99.1 cents per stem in 2019 and 94.1 cents in 2020.
Oregon reported 88% of quantity sold wholesale at 93.1 cents per stem in 2019. In 2020, its wholesale share was 98% and its reported average price was 92.4 cents per stem. Washington moved from 97% wholesale at 56.0 cents per stem in 2019 to 100% wholesale at 79.1 cents in 2020.
The Other States category reported a 96% wholesale share in both years. Its average price was 94.5 cents per stem in 2019 and 104.7 cents in 2020.
The state data therefore includes meaningful price differences. New Jersey’s reported average was above one dollar per stem in both years, while Washington’s 2019 average was 56.0 cents. These are average wholesale prices for the stated reporting areas and years, not universal prices for every cultivar, grade, season, or sales channel.
Cut-peony sales value by market
Oregon had the largest reported equivalent wholesale value among the listed areas in both years: $3,129 thousand in 2019 and $3,292 thousand in 2020. North Carolina’s value rose from $1,707 thousand to $1,946 thousand over the same periods.
New Jersey reported $1,133 thousand in equivalent wholesale value in 2019 and $857 thousand in 2020. Washington reported $1,048 thousand in 2019 and $446 thousand in 2020. The Other States category reported $2,237 thousand in 2019 and $1,924 thousand in 2020.
| Reporting area | 2019 equivalent wholesale value | 2020 equivalent wholesale value |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $1,133 thousand | $857 thousand |
| North Carolina | $1,707 thousand | $1,946 thousand |
| Oregon | $3,129 thousand | $3,292 thousand |
| Washington | $1,048 thousand | $446 thousand |
| Other States | $2,237 thousand | $1,924 thousand |
Source: USDA, Floriculture Crops 2020 Summary (May 2021). Values are equivalent wholesale values as reported by USDA.
U.S. container-grown peony output
The container-grown market was larger than the cut-peony market by producer count in the USDA’s reported operations. USDA counted 296 U.S. producers of potted peonies with at least $100,000 in sales in 2019 and 403 in 2020.
Production totaled 965 thousand pots across all sizes in 2019 and 1,100 thousand pots in 2020. The largest reported container class in both years was 1 to 2 gallons: 538 thousand pots in 2019 and 573 thousand pots in 2020.
Potted peonies in containers smaller than 1 gallon totaled 64 thousand pots in 2019 and 55 thousand pots in 2020. Containers of 2 gallons or larger totaled 363 thousand pots in 2019 and 472 thousand pots in 2020. The reported categories are measured in pots, so they should not be compared directly with cut-peony stem counts as if they represented the same product unit.
| Container category | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| All sizes | 965 thousand pots | 1,100 thousand pots |
| Smaller than 1 gallon | 64 thousand pots | 55 thousand pots |
| 1 to 2 gallons | 538 thousand pots | 573 thousand pots |
| 2 gallons or larger | 363 thousand pots | 472 thousand pots |
Source: USDA, Floriculture Crops 2020 Summary (May 2021).
Container-grown prices and sales value
The U.S. all-size wholesale price for potted peonies averaged $12.03 per pot in 2019 and $11.46 per pot in 2020. Despite the lower all-size average price in 2020, reported potted-peony sales had an equivalent wholesale value of $11,610 thousand in 2019 and $12,608 thousand in 2020.
Oregon reported an average of $17.84 per pot and $2,604 thousand in equivalent wholesale value in 2019. In 2020, Oregon’s reported average was $20.40 per pot and its equivalent wholesale value was $2,856 thousand.
Wisconsin reported $11.91 per pot and $1,120 thousand in equivalent wholesale value in 2019. Its 2020 figures were $16.11 per pot and $918 thousand. The Other States category averaged $12.11 per pot and reported $5,306 thousand in equivalent wholesale value in 2019. In 2020, that category averaged $9.62 per pot and reported $6,031 thousand.
| Reporting area | 2019 average price | 2019 value | 2020 average price | 2020 value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S., all sizes | $12.03 per pot | $11,610 thousand | $11.46 per pot | $12,608 thousand |
| Oregon | $17.84 per pot | $2,604 thousand | $20.40 per pot | $2,856 thousand |
| Wisconsin | $11.91 per pot | $1,120 thousand | $16.11 per pot | $918 thousand |
| Other States | $12.11 per pot | $5,306 thousand | $9.62 per pot | $6,031 thousand |
Source: USDA, Floriculture Crops 2020 Summary (May 2021).
The USDA notes that the table covers operations with at least $100,000 in sales. It also identifies withheld values with “D” to protect the privacy of individual operations; the figures above use only the numeric values reported in the supplied table. The latest directly peony-specific state results identified in this source are for 2019 and 2020, so these statistics should be labeled by year rather than treated as current forecasts.