San Diego County
Agriculture Profile

San Diego County is the most southwestern county in the United States. The land mass is mostly mountainous, with a limited coastal strip on the west and desert on the east. The geographic area is 4,280 square miles, or 2.7 million acres. About half of this acreage (1.4 million acres) is owned by some level of government (51% federal, 20% state and 9% local).

San Diego's Mediterranean-like climate makes it an ideal place to grow agricultural crops and livestock products. More than 2.6 million people live in San Diego County, and more than 6,000 farmers call it home and make their living on 6,565 small family farms, 65 percent of which are nine or fewer acres in size. The high cost of water (more than $600/acre foot) and land make farming here expensive and encourage growers to raise products with a high dollar value per acre.

San Diego County Agriculture Rankings

San Diego County:

• Is the #1 county in the nation for value of floricultural, nursery, greenhouse and sod products
• Is the #1 county in the nation in small (under 10 acres) farms (5,899 California farms have 49 or fewer acres, 65 percent of which are nine or fewer acres)
• Ranks #1 in the nation in production of avocados
• Ranks #2 in the nation with the highest number of farms (6,565)
• Ranks #7 in the nation for poultry (hens & pullets)
• Ranks #6 in the nation for horses
• Ranks #9 in the nation for grapefruit
• Ranks #8 in the nation for strawberries
• Ranks #19 in the nation for oranges
• Ranks #16 in the nation for fruits, nuts and berries
• Ranks #9 in agricultural production in California and #20 in the nation
• Ranks #10 in the value of agricultural products sold

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San Diego County Crop Report Highlights