Farming Factors Big in California’s Rank as World’s 4th-Largest Economy

Last year, California surpassed Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy. Contributing to that achievement are more than a million farm laborers, winemakers, park rangers, agricultural truckers, renewable energy technicians, and many other workers who generate value from the state’s natural landscapes.

Academics from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources have done the math on the economic scope of these working lands, compiling their findings in the publication “California’s Working Landscape: Evolving Contributions to National, State, and Regional Economies.” This new report includes the latest data on state employment, earnings, sales and businesses, providing an update to the first edition of this report, released in 2019.

Working landscapes encompass land areas actively managed for economic purposes, primarily agricultural lands, forests and rangelands, as well as the land and water areas that create economic value, like those used for fishing, renewable energy production, mining and outdoor recreation. In total, those working landscapes support nearly 1.5 million jobs and 75,500 businesses while generating $404 billion in sales and providing $103 billion in worker earnings.

When it comes to the farming sector, the report demonstrates a simple fact: the Golden State is an agricultural behemoth. Business establishments across the state’s four agricultural sectors – agricultural production, support, processing and distribution – generated $310.8 billion in sales and contributed more than 1.2 million jobs in 2024.

Those numbers affirm California’s rank as the nation’s most agriculturally productive state.

“This report once again shows how our working landscapes are critical as a foundation of the California economy,” says Glenda Humiston, UC VP for agriculture and natural resources. “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.”

For more, continue reading at ucanr.edu.