Characteristics and Trends of U.S. Rice Production Practices, Costs, and Returns, 2013−24

In 2024, the United States planted nearly 3 million acres of rice, almost entirely in California and the South. This report identifies major trends in rice farming from approximately 2013 to 2024 and examines their causes and implications. While previous research has examined these trends for earlier periods, newly available data from the 2021 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) combined with other data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including on production costs, acreage, and prices, allows for an updated analysis. This data is timely as the rice industry has faced challenges such as drought, flooding, rising input prices, and increased export competition over the past decade. Since 2013, total U.S. planted acreage of rice has fluctuated, largely because of inconsistent rainfall patterns. Technology use has shifted as the adoption of hybrid and nongenetically modified, herbicide-tolerant rice varieties increased from 2013 to 2021. Recently, rising input prices have contributed to increased production costs: The total nominal cost of producing 1 acre of rice increased 36 percent from 2020 to 2024 (or a 14-percent increase in real terms using 2024 dollars). The trends identified in this report have implications for rice growers, other agricultural producers in rice-producing regions, U.S. rice consumers, policymakers, and other stakeholders.