When does farmers market season start?
Nobody publishes this, so we worked it out. Every market that told the USDA its season — 1,481 of them — converted into the months it trades, then counted by state.
US farmers markets open, by month
365Jan
375Feb
394Mar
494Apr
924May
1320Jun
1396Jul
1396Aug
1357Sep
1118Oct
524Nov
425Dec
Season by state
The months in which at least half as many markets are open as at the state's peak. 24 states publish enough seasons to say.
| State | Season | Peak month | Year-round | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Year-round in much of the state | August | 70 | 119 |
| Florida | Year-round in much of the state | April | 15 | 24 |
| North Carolina | Year-round in much of the state | June | 14 | 45 |
| Texas | Year-round in much of the state | May | 30 | 52 |
| Missouri | April to October | June | 3 | 21 |
| South Carolina | April to October | June | 4 | 22 |
| Tennessee | April to November | June | 3 | 22 |
| Georgia | April to December | August | 8 | 33 |
| Virginia | April to December | June | 9 | 34 |
| Arkansas | May to October | June | 2 | 20 |
| Indiana | May to October | July | 3 | 47 |
| Iowa | May to October | July | 1 | 36 |
| Kentucky | May to October | July | 6 | 63 |
| Michigan | May to October | July | 3 | 46 |
| Oregon | May to October | June | 3 | 40 |
| Washington | May to October | June | 2 | 27 |
| New Jersey | May to November | June | 2 | 34 |
| New York | May to November | July | 9 | 52 |
| Pennsylvania | May to November | July | 11 | 52 |
| Illinois | June to October | August | 4 | 50 |
| Massachusetts | June to October | July | 1 | 33 |
| Minnesota | June to October | July | 4 | 300 |
| Rhode Island | June to October | July | 1 | 28 |
| Wisconsin | June to October | July | — | 40 |
Every state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Common questions
- When does farmers market season start?
- It depends on latitude more than anything. In the analysis below, southern states reach half their peak market count by April, the mid-Atlantic and Pacific Northwest by May, and the upper Midwest and New England not until June. California, Florida, Texas and North Carolina have enough year-round markets that no clear start month exists at all.
- What month has the most farmers markets open?
- July. Of the 1,481 markets that publish a season, 1,396 are open in July, against 365 in January — the season roughly quadruples between winter and its peak.
- How was this worked out?
- From the season each market published in its own USDA listing — 1,481 of them. Ranges like "June to October" were converted to the months they cover and counted. It is a sample of the 7,294 markets we list, not all of them, because most operators leave the season field blank.
Analysis of published market seasons from the USDA National Farmers Market Directory. Free to cite with a link to this page.