Halloween pumpkins grow everywhere. So why does Illinois crush everyone in pumpkin farming? Look inside a can of pumpkin pie filling.
Most Illinois pumpkins are not spooky orange jack-o'-lanterns. They are tan “processing” pumpkins with thick, sweet flesh — grown to be cooked and canned, not carved.
Basis: University of Illinois Extension: Illinois grows mainly Dickinson-type processing pumpkins.
The town of Morton, Illinois calls itself the “Pumpkin Capital of the World.” Most of America's canned pumpkin is packed at the plant there, and farms grow pumpkins close by under contract.
Basis: Morton's canning plant and nickname are well documented.
Pumpkins are heavy and mostly water, so hauling them far costs a lot. Growing them near the factory keeps them fresh and cheap to move.
Basis: Standard explanation from Illinois agricultural extension sources.
📊 Sources for the rankings mentioned in this note (links to the original data and retrieval dates) are on each quiz page below.