The Best U.S. States for Berry Picking
Intro
When the weather warms up and fruits are in season again, berry picking is a fun family activity for Americans all over the country. It’s hard for many of us to resist going to a farm on a perfect summer day to pick our own delicious blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and more. There are few sights more heartwarming than a child’s berry-stained grin after eating way more than they picked on the family outing.
But as much as we all love to pick in-season berries, not every state is as suited to the activity as others. Factors like weather, growing season, and of course the number of U-pick farms play a big role in the success of a good berry-picking outing. With fresh berries on the brain, we decided to determine which states are the best for picking berries.
Methodology
For each U.S. state, we collected data on a list of factors that impact berry picking access. The factors, their sources (linked), and weights are listed below:
Number of berry farms per 100K
Weight: 2.5
Average Annual Difference from 70 Degrees Fahrenheit
Weight: 1.5
Weight: 0.5
Growing season in the largest city (by population)
Weight: 0.5
Cities were assigned a score of 0-10 for each factor. Then, the factor scores were added together for each state, producing a final score on a scale of 0-50. In the final ranking, higher scores indicate better conditions for berry picking.
Results
Excitingly, we found that all regions of the country have great states for overall berry picking, but perhaps none are as well represented as New England. Our results showed Rhode Island (37.1), Vermont (33.8), Maine (33.3), New Hampshire (28.7), and Connecticut (28.6)—5 out of the 6 states making up the region—made the list of top 20 states.
While sometimes dismissed as flyover country, America’s heartland is another berry picking haven. In fact, the 19-state region houses nine of the top 20 states to hit the berry patches. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise, as the region’s strength—and sometimes the reason for its dismissal—is agriculture.
Surprisingly, despite a measly 146-day growing season and wildly varying weather, Alaska’s strong scores in berry farms per capita and low levels of precipitation pulled the state up to number 12 with a score of 29.1.
The Best States for Blackberry Picking
Again, the heartland shines for blackberry picking, but we also see some newcomer states where the tart and juicy fruits—and their pickers—thrive. Much more of the southern border is covered this time, with states like California (22.5), Arizona (28.5), Texas (25.9), Florida (23.6), and South Carolina (26.4) boasting ideal blackberry picking conditions.
Those who live in the northern or midwestern regions of the United States are mostly out of luck when it comes to picking these delicious morsels. Idahoans, Vermontians, and Connecticutians, however, have Northern blackberry oases to call home.
The Best States for Blueberry Picking
Although there is a lot of overlap between the best states for blueberry and blackberry picking, it is interesting to note that the top 6 states are actually in Northeastern, not Southern, states. Taking a deeper look into the data, we see that this is largely due to the fact that these states are teeming with places to pick them. Vermont has the most blueberry farms with more than 1 per 100,000 residents.
The Best States for Strawberry Picking
One of the easier berries to grow, strawberries are thriving across the country. In fact, the top 20 states for picking strawberries includes states touching the northern and southern borders of the U.S. as well as the east and west coasts. Strawberry picking is also a must in the heartland, from South Dakota down to Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Delaware was the runaway winner, however, with a score 6.1 points higher than the number two state, Vermont. Not only does Delaware house one of the higher concentrations of U-Pick strawberry farms, it also fares well with favorable temperature and precipitation conditions for a nice sunny outing with family or friends.
The Best States for Raspberry Picking
Move over grapes, California is also great for growing (and picking) raspberries! The Golden State has beautiful weather year-round, one U-Pick raspberry farm for every 300,000 residents, and a whopping 313-day growing season for massive yields. The real question is when aren’t raspberries growing in California?
California’s neighbors aren’t as conducive to raspberry picking, with Arizona and Oregon barely making their way onto the list in positions 17 and 18, respectively, and Nevada left out of the top 20 entirely. Lack of farms, shorter growing seasons, and excessive rain played a role in these states’ raspberry-picking downfalls.
Other top states sprawl across the opposite coast, including, New Jersey (39), North Carolina (37.3), and New York (36.9).
Full Data
To see all of our data for each ranking factor in every state, check out the interactive table below. To read more about where to pick specific types of berries, keep reading!
Wrap-up
The great news is that whatever berry is your favorite, there are plenty of options nationwide to pick your own. It is truly one of the most satisfying ways to enjoy fresh fruit and explore the process of farming the berries on a deeper level—they don’t actually grow in the clear plastic tubs from the supermarket! But we won’t beat around the berry bush—we are even more partial to growing and picking your own from home. To start your own mini berry farm, check out our large assortment of berry plants and supplies to get you started!