US Christmas tree statistics
Everything on this page comes from official or industry primary sources (USDA agricultural census, National Christmas Tree Association surveys, NFPA fire research), with a link next to every table. No estimates of our own.
National picture (USDA Census of Agriculture)
| Farms with Christmas trees in production (2022) | 16,612 |
|---|---|
| Acres in production | 292,050 |
| Farms that actually cut trees in 2022 | 10,121 |
| Trees cut in 2022 | 14,548,694 |
| Trees cut in 2017 | 15,094,678 |
- Cut-tree sales were $553 million in 2022, up from $377 million in 2017 (USDA ERS).
- The US also imported over 3 million trees in 2022, mostly from Canada (USDA ERS).
- Only 10,121 of the 16,612 farms cut trees in 2022: the rest grow stock that is not yet harvest age. A tree takes about 7 years (range 4–15) to reach 6–7 ft (NCTA).
- Growers plant 1–3 seedlings for every tree harvested; about 350 million trees are growing on US farms right now (NCTA).
Sources: USDA NASS 2022 Census, Table 35 · USDA ERS chart of note · NCTA Quick Tree Facts
Top 10 states by trees cut (2022)
| # | State | Trees cut 2022 | Trees cut 2017 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | 4,823,877 | 4,714,298 | +2.3% |
| 2 | North Carolina | 3,208,419 | 4,031,864 | -20.4% |
| 3 | Michigan | 1,799,391 | 1,551,185 | +16.0% |
| 4 | Washington | 936,904 | 535,046 | +75.1% |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 721,480 | 1,050,159 | -31.3% |
| 6 | Wisconsin | 601,199 | 700,341 | -14.2% |
| 7 | Virginia | 578,777 | 474,902 | +21.9% |
| 8 | New York | 318,745 | 295,260 | +8.0% |
| 9 | Ohio | 189,240 | 155,572 | +21.6% |
| 10 | Minnesota | 153,600 | 182,532 | -15.9% |
Oregon and North Carolina together cut just over 8 million trees: 55% of the entire US harvest. Oregon grows mostly noble and Douglas fir; North Carolina is almost entirely Fraser fir (over 99% of its crop, per the NC Christmas Tree Association).
All 50 states (2022 census)
Click a column header to sort.
| State | Farms 2022 | Acres 2022 | Trees cut 2022 | Trees cut 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 141 | 999 | 24,586 | 17,038 |
| Alaska | 3 | 5 | (D) | (D) |
| Arizona | 4 | 23 | (D) | (D) |
| Arkansas | 58 | 226 | 8,410 | 7,938 |
| California | 334 | 5,266 | 130,730 | 138,803 |
| Colorado | 178 | 2,997 | 4,667 | 10,173 |
| Connecticut | 547 | 4,039 | 88,893 | 98,500 |
| Delaware | 19 | 108 | 1,780 | 5,401 |
| Florida | 142 | 1,076 | 8,353 | 13,968 |
| Georgia | 299 | 2,199 | 63,915 | 32,161 |
| Hawaii | 24 | 80 | 2,570 | 3,727 |
| Idaho | 101 | 746 | 15,980 | 31,811 |
| Illinois | 310 | 4,129 | 68,681 | 84,442 |
| Indiana | 273 | 3,135 | 60,841 | 90,519 |
| Iowa | 188 | 1,526 | 21,826 | 27,387 |
| Kansas | 75 | 511 | 11,204 | 8,444 |
| Kentucky | 182 | 668 | 4,748 | 5,869 |
| Louisiana | 56 | 283 | 10,825 | 11,545 |
| Maine | 370 | 3,050 | 94,425 | 128,601 |
| Maryland | 196 | 1,889 | 40,697 | 52,677 |
| Massachusetts | 459 | 2,952 | 78,630 | 82,524 |
| Michigan | 1,236 | 33,135 | 1,799,391 | 1,551,185 |
| Minnesota | 378 | 7,127 | 153,600 | 182,532 |
| Mississippi | 102 | 547 | 11,175 | 12,889 |
| Missouri | 181 | 1,944 | 21,461 | 26,557 |
| Montana | 52 | 452 | 6,338 | 7,586 |
| Nebraska | 69 | 366 | 10,417 | 9,907 |
| Nevada | 6 | (D) | (D) | (D) |
| New Hampshire | 278 | 3,425 | 79,323 | 106,703 |
| New Jersey | 883 | 5,032 | 58,817 | 85,781 |
| New Mexico | 41 | 729 | 2,693 | 938 |
| New York | 1,226 | 22,583 | 318,745 | 295,260 |
| North Carolina | 940 | 33,126 | 3,208,419 | 4,031,864 |
| North Dakota | 9 | (D) | 227 | 581 |
| Ohio | 777 | 8,946 | 189,240 | 155,572 |
| Oklahoma | 64 | 1,523 | 21,352 | 8,546 |
| Oregon | 1,695 | 48,433 | 4,823,877 | 4,714,298 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,301 | 24,697 | 721,480 | 1,050,159 |
| Rhode Island | 64 | 569 | 11,936 | 17,121 |
| South Carolina | 152 | 1,350 | 23,317 | 27,578 |
| South Dakota | 22 | 101 | 2,380 | 2,648 |
| Tennessee | 214 | 1,585 | 12,129 | 54,005 |
| Texas | 220 | 3,565 | 43,668 | 34,578 |
| Utah | 40 | 1,063 | 1,722 | 1,700 |
| Vermont | 266 | 3,495 | 127,121 | 110,459 |
| Virginia | 480 | 9,805 | 578,777 | 474,902 |
| Washington | 756 | 13,245 | 936,904 | 535,046 |
| West Virginia | 252 | 2,615 | 39,391 | 42,830 |
| Wisconsin | 941 | 25,975 | 601,199 | 700,341 |
| Wyoming | 8 | 115 | 244 | 180 |
(D) = data withheld by USDA to avoid disclosing figures of individual operations.
What a real tree costs
| Year | Median price paid | Real trees purchased |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $50.82 | 25.9M |
| 2017 | $74.30 | 27.4M |
| 2018 | $66.43 | 32.8M |
| 2019 | $76.87 | 26.2M |
| 2021 | $69.50 | 20.98M |
| 2022 | $80.00 | 22.34M |
| 2023 | $75.00 | 21.58M |
Prices roughly doubled between the mid-2010s and the 2020s (the 2008–2014 average was $37.79); the industry has called supply "tight since 2016". Figures are from the NCTA's January consumer surveys (~2,000 respondents projected to US households): a survey measure, so it will not match USDA harvest counts. NCTA has not published 2024-season totals; the Real Christmas Tree Board's December 2024 survey (n=1,500) found 90% of real-tree buyers said the price was worth it and 89% found their tree at the first stop. For 2025, 84% of surveyed wholesale growers planned to hold or lower prices.
Sources: NCTA on 2015–2019 prices · 2022 figures · 2023 figures · RCTB 2024 consumer survey · RCTB 2025 grower survey
Imports from Canada
Official US Census Bureau trade data, HS codes 0604.20.00 (fresh Christmas trees: Douglas fir, other firs, and other evergreens). Import value covers all three codes and all countries; in practice Canada supplies essentially all of it. The tree count column is the main "fir except Douglas fir" code, counted in number of trees.
| Year | Import value (all tree codes) | Fir trees imported from Canada |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $58.1M | 2,293,422 |
| 2020 | $58.1M | 1,992,495 |
| 2021 | $67.8M | 2,106,133 |
| 2022 | $69.1M | 1,987,962 |
| 2023 | $62.2M | 1,719,838 |
| 2024 | $56.4M | 1,404,444 |
| 2025 | $52.2M | 1,254,439 |
The trend is real: fir imports from Canada have fallen by almost half since 2019, from 2.29 million trees to 1.25 million in 2025. Counting all evergreen categories, total imported trees exceeded 3 million in 2022 (USDA ERS). Context from Statistics Canada: Canada exported 2.03 million fresh trees in 2023, 96.5% of them to the US; top destination states were Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Idaho, Connecticut and North Carolina; Canada's 2021 census counted 1,364 tree farms on 50,803 acres. 99% of imports ship in November and December.
Sources: US Census Bureau international trade data (API query, HS 0604.20.0020/0040/0060, general imports, annual cumulative) · USDA ERS on imports · Statistics Canada
Real vs artificial
- 2018: 32.8 million real trees vs 23.6 million artificial trees purchased (NCTA survey, via CNN Business).
- 2023: of US households displaying a tree, roughly 77% displayed an artificial one and 23% a real one (American Christmas Tree Association polling).
Sources: CNN Business, 2019 · ACTA 2023 polling
Christmas tree fires (NFPA)
- US fire departments respond to an average of 143 home fires per year that began with a Christmas tree (2020–2024), causing on average 7 deaths, 13 injuries and $15 million in property damage.
- 35% of those fires happen in January: dried-out trees kept up too long.
- In earlier NFPA data, a heat source too close to the tree was a factor in 26% of fires and 80% of the deaths; electrical lights and wiring were involved in about 40% of fires.
- Christmas tree fires are rare but deadly: roughly 1 in 32 causes a death, versus 1 in 143 for home fires overall.
See our fire safety guide for what to actually do about this.