The avocado has become a staple in the American diet. The variety driving this demand is overwhelmingly the Hass avocado, characterized by its bumpy, dark skin and creamy texture, which accounts for up to 95% of all avocados sold in the United States. Despite the fruit’s immense popularity, domestic commercial cultivation is highly restricted. Production is limited to only a few geographical areas that can meet the tree’s specific environmental needs.
California The Primary Growing Region
California is the undisputed leader in US avocado production, consistently supplying 80% to 90% of the nation’s domestic crop. The vast majority of this production is concentrated along the mild, Mediterranean-like climate of the state’s southern and central coasts. The five top-producing counties—Ventura, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Riverside, and San Luis Obispo—account for nearly all of the state’s acreage. While San Diego County was the historic heart of the industry, production has shifted northward in recent years to counties like Ventura.
The Hass variety, which originated in Southern California in the 1920s, dominates the state’s commercial orchards. California’s coastal microclimates provide the ideal balance of warm days and cool, fog-influenced nights necessary for the Hass tree to flourish. These conditions allow for a year-round harvest cycle, ensuring a steady supply to the market. Approximately 52,000 acres are devoted to cultivation, predominantly located in the narrow strip of land influenced by the Pacific Ocean’s moderating effect.
Other Commercial Production Zones
Outside of California, commercial avocado production is small but distinct, primarily found in Florida, Hawaii, and Texas. Florida is the second-largest producing state, contributing a small percentage of the total US harvest, mostly from the southern counties of Miami-Dade and Collier. Florida’s industry focuses on “green-skin” avocados, such as ‘Choquette’ and ‘Monroe,’ which are better suited to the humid, subtropical climate. These varieties are typically larger, have smoother skin, and contain less oil and more water than the Hass variety.
Hawaii also maintains a small, specialized avocado industry, with the Sharwil variety being one of the major cultivars grown across the islands. Commercial attempts have been made in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, but the industry remains limited. Texas’s occasional winter freezes repeatedly challenge the viability of sustained commercial operations.
Essential Climate Requirements
The strict geographical limits of US avocado production are a direct consequence of the tree’s sensitivity to environmental conditions. The primary limiting factor is the plant’s intolerance for cold temperatures and frost. While mature Hass trees can tolerate brief dips to around \(25^\circ\text{F}\), prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures below \(32^\circ\text{F}\) can damage or kill the tree and destroy the fruit. This vulnerability restricts commercial groves to subtropical or Mediterranean climates that are essentially frost-free.
Beyond temperature, avocado trees require well-drained soil, as their shallow root systems are highly susceptible to root rot in waterlogged conditions. Ideal growing regions must also provide a consistent supply of water, often through extensive irrigation systems in California. This combination of mild temperatures, well-drained soil, and reliable water access confines commercial cultivation to the coastal areas of Southern California and the southernmost tip of Florida.