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Which state harvests the most acres of gourds?

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Guess

In the fall, gourds show up on tables and porches next to the pumpkins — some smooth, some warty, in shapes like apples, pears, eggs and bottles. Gourds are close cousins of pumpkins: they belong to the same plant family. This quiz counts the acres of farmland where gourds were harvested in 2022. In USDA’s Census of Agriculture, 46 states have a printed figure; 3 more are hidden behind the withheld mark, and Wyoming has no line at all. Put these three in order, most-to-least.

Tapping assigns 1→3 in order

Illinois! It grows the most pumpkins, and gourds are pumpkin cousins. Easy 🐾

Answer

The order USDA printed is…
    Indiana — 304 acres of gourds harvested in 2022, about one acre in every six of the 1,890 USDA counted for the whole country, and about 1.68× second-place New York. That is the largest figure USDA printed. These are census figures with sampling error, so read close places as close. Everything USDA did not print adds up to only 94 acres, less than any of the top five, so no hidden state can climb past them. And Biscuit’s Illinois? In this site’s pumpkin quiz (2024 harvest), Illinois grows the most pumpkins and Indiana comes second. But on USDA’s gourd line, Illinois printed just 36 acres — Indiana’s figure is more than eight times that. Same plant family, a different state with the biggest printed figure. USDA does not say why Indiana harvests so many acres of gourds, and this quiz does not guess.
    📚 Background What exactly is a gourd? Purdue University’s Extension publication Gourds says: “The term gourd is most correctly applied to the hard-shelled, non-edible cucurbit fruits suitable for ornaments or utensils.” It also says “Gourds are among the oldest cultivated plants,” and that “Throughout recorded history, gourds have been used as utensils such as dippers, and as containers for grain or water storage.” Gourds and pumpkins are close relatives: “All gourds belong to the family Cucurbitaceae,” and “Other commonly grown vegetables in the same family are squash, pumpkin, cucumber, and many types of melons.” The publication does not say why Indiana’s gourd-acre figure is the largest USDA printed. Neither does this quiz. (Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, “Gourds” (HO-135-W), Michael N. Dana and B. Rosie Lerner, rev. 11/00. Quotations unchanged) (opens in a new tab)
    🔍 Explore more: 🏺『Why do some gourds last for years?』→
    Illinois! It grows the most pumpkins, and gourds are pumpkin cousins. Easy 🐾

    Compare

    Gourds harvested (acres, 2022)

    🇺🇸 United States (national)1,890 acres
    Indiana #1 304 acres
    Most: Indiana (304 acres). Now pick your own state — did it print a gourd figure at all?

    Note: acres of farmland where gourds were harvested in 2022, from USDA’s five-yearly Census of Agriculture. All kinds of gourds are added together in one line. This counts land only — not the number of gourds and not money. The United States bar is USDA’s own national figure. USDA NASS. USDA printed a gourd figure for 46 states. Three more — Alaska, Arizona and Florida — carry the withheld mark (D), which USDA uses when printing a state’s number would give away information about individual farms. Wyoming has no line in this table at all. Everything USDA did not print adds up to 94 acres. That is less than each of the top five printed figures, so Indiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan hold national places. A withheld state is not the same as a state growing none. This site re-runs those checks on every build.

    Pumpkins: Illinois. Gourds: Indiana’s figure is the biggest USDA printed 🐾

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    📋 See the ranking table (top 46)
    Gourds harvested (acres, 2022)
    Rank State Value Share of U.S. total
    #1 Indiana 304 acres 16.1%
    #2 New York 181 acres 9.6%
    #3 Ohio 140 acres 7.4%
    #4 Pennsylvania 118 acres 6.2%
    #5 Michigan 101 acres 5.3%
    #6 Massachusetts 84 acres 4.4%
    #6 Minnesota 84 acres 4.4%
    #8 Wisconsin 72 acres 3.8%
    #9 Oregon 63 acres 3.3%
    #10 New Jersey 60 acres 3.2%
    #11 Connecticut 49 acres 2.6%
    #12 Missouri 41 acres 2.2%
    #13 North Carolina 39 acres 2.1%
    #14 Kentucky 37 acres 2%
    #15 Illinois 36 acres 1.9%
    #16 Vermont 33 acres 1.7%
    #17 Colorado 31 acres 1.6%
    #18 California 29 acres 1.5%
    #18 Virginia 29 acres 1.5%
    #20 Washington 26 acres 1.4%
    #21 Iowa 22 acres 1.2%
    #22 Georgia 21 acres 1.1%
    #23 Tennessee 19 acres 1%
    #24 West Virginia 16 acres 0.8%
    #25 Alabama 15 acres 0.8%
    #26 Kansas 13 acres 0.7%
    #27 New Mexico 12 acres 0.6%
    #27 South Carolina 12 acres 0.6%
    #29 Hawaii 11 acres 0.6%
    #29 Maryland 11 acres 0.6%
    #31 Maine 10 acres 0.5%
    #31 Nebraska 10 acres 0.5%
    #33 Delaware 9 acres 0.5%
    #34 Arkansas 8 acres 0.4%
    #34 Oklahoma 8 acres 0.4%
    #34 Texas 8 acres 0.4%
    #34 Utah 8 acres 0.4%
    #38 South Dakota 6 acres 0.3%
    #39 New Hampshire 5 acres 0.3%
    #40 North Dakota 4 acres 0.2%
    #41 Mississippi 3 acres 0.2%
    #41 Rhode Island 3 acres 0.2%
    #43 Idaho 2 acres 0.1%
    #44 Louisiana 1 acres 0.1%
    #44 Montana 1 acres 0.1%
    #44 Nevada 1 acres 0.1%
    🇺🇸 USA (total) 1,890 acres 100%

    USDA printed a gourd figure for 46 states. Three more — Alaska, Arizona and Florida — carry the withheld mark (D), which USDA uses when printing a state’s number would give away information about individual farms. Wyoming has no line in this table at all. Everything USDA did not print adds up to 94 acres. That is less than each of the top five printed figures, so Indiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan hold national places. A withheld state is not the same as a state growing none. This site re-runs those checks on every build.

    Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (2022 (Census of Agriculture))

    Sources

    Data as of: 2022 (Census of Agriculture)
    USDA NASS Quick Stats: GOURDS - ACRES HARVESTED, 2022 Census of Agriculture, by state (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-03) — Published values only (the committed raw file holds the API response verbatim). USDA printed a figure for 46 states. Three more — Alaska, Arizona and Florida — carry the withheld mark (D), which USDA uses when printing a state’s number would give away information about individual farms. Wyoming has no line in this table at all. Everything USDA did not print adds up to 94 acres — less than each of the top five printed figures, so Indiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan hold national places. These are census figures with sampling error, so read close places as close. A withheld state is not the same as a state growing none. This site re-runs those checks on every build.
    ↳ In Quick Stats, pick CENSUS, year 2022, commodity GOURDS, short description GOURDS - ACRES HARVESTED, Total domain, and compare states.