California has an estimated 266,300 acres of bearing citrus, up just 200 acres in the past four years. That’s according to an acreage report released Aug. 5 by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
The major source of the acreage data was a questionnaire mailed to all California citrus growers listed in NASS’ database in November 2025. Data collection concluded in June 2026. “A voluntary survey of approximately 4,300 citrus growers is unlikely to ever attain 100% completeness,” the report cautioned. It added that it is difficult for NASS to identify growers who are planting citrus for the first time.
According to the report, California was estimated to have 266,100 acres of bearing citrus in 2022–23 and 266,200 acres in 2023–24. NASS estimated Florida had 208,186 total citrus acres in 2025.
ACREAGE BY VARIETY
The current estimated California bearing citrus acreage by major variety is:
- Grapefruit: 9,300 acres, down from 9,700 acres in 2023–24
- Lemons: 54,000 acres, up from 53,000 acres in 2023–24
- Navel and miscellaneous oranges:110,000 acres, the same as 2023–24
- Valencia oranges: 25,000 acres, down from 25,500 acres in 2023–24
- Tangerines and mandarins: 68,000 acres, the same as 2023–24
TOP COUNTIES
Tulare and Kern counties dominated the acreage estimate, combining for approximately 63% of all bearing citrus acreage in California.
Grower-reported acreage in Tulare County was more than 1,500 grapefruit acres, more than 10,500 lemon acres, more than 62,600 navel and miscellaneous orange acres, more than 11,100 Valencia orange acres, more than 1,300 pummelo and hybrid acres, and more than 26,900 mandarin and hybrid acres.
Grower-reported acreage in Kern County was more than 1,000 grapefruit acres, more than 4,800 lemon acres, more than 23,600 navel and miscellaneous orange acres, more than 3,700 Valencia orange acres, more than 200 pummelo and hybrid acres, and more than 22,100 mandarin and hybrid acres.
See the full NASS document, 2026 California Citrus Acreage Report, for additional details.
Source: NASS
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