Mapping the Thanksgiving Harvest

Do you know where each of these Turkey Day staples is grown?

Esri's StoryMaps team

Cranberries on display at a farmers' market

Millions of Americans gather each November to celebrate family solidarity and enjoy a calorie-laden feast. But have you ever contemplated the origins of the vegetables, fowl, and sweets that we pass around the table?

The maps presented here reveal a surprising diversity of patterns and concentrations. We hope that they'll elicit an appreciation for the farmers who nurture this cornucopia, and the distribution systems that bring them to your table.

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Cranberries

Cranberries are cool-weather wetland plants, which partially explains why Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Oregon lead the pack in cranberry production. In 2021, U.S. farmers harvested more than seven million barrels of cranberries.

Turkeys

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that more than 212 million turkeys will be raised nationwide in 2022. Minnesota raises more turkeys than any other state, followed by North Carolina, Arkansas, and Indiana.

Sweet potatoes

A single state—North Carolina—accounted for more than half of the sweet potato harvest in the United States. The state's sweet potato trade association credits a hot, moist climate and rich, fertile soil for such high crop yields.

Potatoes

While the majority of harvested potatoes are destined for use in fries, chips, and the like, many end up on Thanksgiving dinner tables as steaming heaps of mashed spuds. Just two states—Idaho and Washington—provide more than half of the total U.S. crop.

Green beans

A relatively small number of farms account for a large proportion of green bean production. Green beans are also called snap beans or string beans—although the latter is a misnomer, since the fibrous "string" has been largely bred out.

Brussels sprouts

Brussels sprouts have exploded in popularity, although opinions about them can vary widely around family dinner tables. California rules in terms of production; coastal counties with mild temperatures and frequent fog are particularly well-suited to their cultivation.

Pumpkins

If you're consuming pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, chances are that its filling will have originated in Illinois. The state has at least twice as many acres in pumpkin production as any other, and nearly 80 percent of Illinois' pumpkins are processed into pie fillings and other products.

Pecans

It's not surprising that pecan pie is a popular Thanksgiving dessert in the South, as the tree (a kind of hickory) is native to the region. About a third of the nation's crop comes out of Georgia; New Mexico is the number two producer, with most of its pecan orchards concentrated in the Mesilla Valley of Doña Ana County.