California’s working landscapes generated an estimated $404 billion in sales and supported nearly 1.5 million jobs in 2024, underscoring the wide economic reach of agriculture, natural resources and related industries in the state’s economy, according to a new report by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The report updates a similar analysis from 2019 and combines data on employment, earnings, sales and business establishments tied to land and water that produce economic value — including farming, forestry, fishing, outdoor recreation, mining and renewable energy operations.
In total, working landscapes accounted for nearly 6% of all industry sales statewide in 2024, included roughly 75,500 business establishments, and paid out $103 billion in worker earnings, the report found.
“This report once again shows how our working landscapes are critical as a foundation of the California economy,” said UC ANR Vice President Glenda Humiston. “It also underscores the importance of continuing to invest in agriculture, natural resources and related industries to maintain California’s position as one of the world’s economic powerhouses.”
Agriculture remains by far the largest component of the working landscapes economy. The state’s four agriculture segments — production, processing, support and distribution — together generated $310.8 billion in sales and accounted for more than 1.2 million jobs in 2024. Processing alone led the segments in total sales; support services, including farm labor contractors and input providers, employed more workers than any other segment.
The report also highlights the growing economic footprint of working lands in urban areas. Los Angeles County and the Bay Area together accounted for $137 billion in working landscape sales and roughly 440,000 jobs, reflecting concentrations of food processing, distribution and support services in metropolitan markets.
Beyond agriculture, California’s outdoor recreation sector again ranked first in the nation in total sales, while renewable energy and commercial fishing continued to play significant economic roles.
Report co-author Alexandra Hill, an agricultural economist and UC Berkeley professor of cooperative extension, said the data set offers “many possible avenues we can take this work in,” and could support future research and policy discussions on how to strengthen working lands across the state.
The analysis focuses on market-based economic contributions and does not quantify broader ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration or water filtration, benefits the authors noted would further raise the value of California’s working landscapes.
