The Fresno County agriculture commissioner is reporting $9.03 billion in gross production value for 2024, marking a record year for the nation’s highest-ranking county. The figure reflects contributions from more than 350 crops grown across nearly two million acres of land.
Agricultural Commissioner Melissa Cregan attributed the strong numbers to crop diversity — with 82 valued above $1 billion — and favorable water conditions.
“Although individual commodities may experience difficulties from year-to-year, Fresno County continues to supply the highest quality of food and fiber nationwide and abroad to more than 91 countries around the world,” wrote Cregan. “This report is our yearly opportunity to recognize the growers, shippers, ranchers, and other businesses instrumental to and supportive of agriculture in Fresno County.”
At $1.45 billion, almonds have regained the top spot after two years and were up 43% over the prior year, while grapes slipped to second, at $1.04 billion, and pistachios declined slightly.
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The report also highlights farmworkers as “a vital contribution” to the state’s economy and food system. It describes their specialized work as essential to lettuce, grapes and stone fruit and notes that they often work in extreme summer heat and perform tasks that automation cannot easily replace, from pruning and thinning to harvest and packing. Without this labor force, the county warns, California would face “significant labor shortages, reduced capacity and increased costs,” jeopardizing its agricultural leadership. The report also credits farmworker wages with driving billions of dollars in local economic activity.
Along with the crop report, Cregan unveiled an economic impact report showing that when direct production, food-processing output and multiplier effects are included, Fresno County agriculture injected $21.66 billion into the local economy in 2023. Agriculture directly produced $14.626 billion in output and added another $7.038 billion in indirect and induced economic activity, pumping more than $59 million per day into the local economy.
The sector supported 108,034 jobs, including 63,103 direct positions in production and processing and nearly 45,000 jobs tied to spending by agricultural firms and employees. That means about one in nine jobs in Fresno County is connected to farming. Agriculture also ranked as the county’s largest industry by economic output, ahead of real estate, health care and government.
The report notes agriculture’s exceptional economic diversification, with a decade-high index of 0.75, which helped buffer against shocks like drought and the pandemic.
