Documentation

Scope/Coverage of Data 

Methods 

Strengths and Limitations 

Resources 

Recommended Citation 

Scope

Coverage of Data

• These data products contain model-derived estimates, summary statistics, and visualizations about fruits and tree nuts, including commodity-specific data on fresh and processed-product markets (canned, frozen, dried, juice, and other). The commodities covered include major fruits and tree nuts, including: almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, dates, figs, grapefruit, grapes, guavas, hazelnuts, honeydew, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, loganberries, macadamia nuts, mandarins, mangoes, nectarines, olives, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, pecans, pineapples, pistachios, plums and prunes, raspberries, strawberries, tangerines, walnuts, and watermelon.  
• Information about the geographic and temporal coverage of the Fruit and Tree Nuts Yearbook Tables are available for download in a machine readable .csv file format at FNScope.csv. Metadata for this information can be found at FNScopeReadme.txt.
• The “Trade and Prices by Commodity” dashboard provides monthly information about the volume and value of domestic imports and exports from 2000 onwards. This data is available by Country of Origin for import data, and Country of Destination for export data, for the five most recent years. The data is aggregated to the national level and cannot be disaggregated. The trade codes used to calculate imports and exports for each market segment, which are updated every year, can be found at: Fruit_Trade_Codes.csv.
• The “Trade and Prices by Category” dashboard provides monthly information about the volume and value of domestic imports and exports for the five most recent years. Consumer and Producer Price Index data, as well as Average Retail Price data, is available at the monthly level from 2000 onwards. The data is aggregated to the national level and cannot be disaggregated. The trade codes used to calculate imports and exports for each market segment, which are updated every year, can be found at: Fruit_Trade_Codes.csv.
• The Selected Weekly Fruit Movement and Price data is available from May 2020 through April 2022. This data reflects national level trends and cannot be disaggregated.

Updates

• Fruit and Tree Nuts Yearbook Tables are updated annually.  
• Fruit and Tree Nuts Trade and Prices by Category and Trade and Prices by Commodity are updated monthly. 
• The Selected Weekly Fruit Movement and Price data product is currently under development. Posting will resume when updates are complete. 

Marketing Years

Marketing years often begin in one calendar year and end in the next—for example, 2023/24 refers to the marketing year beginning in 2023 and ending in 2024. Information on State-level marketing years and marketing seasons for pulse crops can be found in USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service's Crop Values Annual Summary and in the Agricultural Prices report. Beginning and ending months differ by crop and in some cases, by product segment within a commodity. The national-level marketing years USDA, ERS uses are:

• Fresh market fruits and melons: January 1–December 31, except for:

• • limes, April 1–March 31 
  • grapes, May 1–April 30 
  • pears, July 1–June 30 
  • apples, figs, and lemons; August 1–July 31 
  • dates and grapefruit, September 1–August 31 
  • kiwifruit, mandarins, and tangerines; October 1–September 30 
  • oranges, November 1–October 31   

• Frozen fruits and melons: January 1–December 31 
• Dried fruits: January 1–December 31, except for:

• • Apricots, July 1–June 30 
  • apples, grapes, olives, and prunes; August 1–July 31 

• Fruit juices: 

• • apple juice, grape juice, lime juice, and prune juice, August 1–July 31  
  • pear juice, July 1–June 30 
  • orange juice, October 1–September 30 
  • grapefruit juice, December 1–November 30 
  • blueberry, cherry, cranberry, pineapple, and raspberry juice, January 1–December 31 

• Prepared and preserved fruits: January 1–December 31, except for:

• • apples, apricots, figs, grapes, olives, plums; August 1–July 31 
  • cherries, nectarines, peaches; June 1–May 31 
  • pears, July 1–June 30 
  • dates and grapefruit, September 1–August 31 
  • mandarins, October 1–September 30 
  • oranges, November 1–October 31 

• Tree nuts: 

• • hazelnuts and macadamia nuts, July 1–June 30 
  • almonds, August 1–July 31 
  • pistachios and walnuts, September 1–August 31 
  • pecans, October 1–September 30 

Methods 

The data for these statistical compilations are from various public and industry sources such as USDA, Economic Research Service; USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service; U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census; USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service, Market News; the American Frozen Food Institute; the Florida Department of Citrus; the Florida Citrus Processors Association; the California Strawberry Commission; and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. For information on data quality, please see information available from source agencies. Links to source agency data resources are found under the “Resources” heading below.  

Price Index Data 

The price index data currently available in the Fruit and Tree Nuts Data is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This includes national-level Producer Price Indexes (commodity data), Consumer Price Indexes (all urban consumers), and retail average prices for selected fruits. Additional information on data coverage and methodologies is available from BLS at: Producer Price Indexes and Consumer Price Indexes (includes retail prices); Overview; and Frequently Asked Questions. 

Import and Export Data 

The trade tables in the Fruit and Tree Nuts Data are based on information from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Foreign Trade Division. The import series used is imports for consumption, which excludes items imported into free trade zones or bonded warehouses until they are released for use. The export series used excludes items bound for re-export. The data utilizes a complex set of product categories based on the International Harmonized Commodity Coding and Classification System, or simply Harmonized System (HS). The United States adopted a 10-digit code system and began using it for U.S. trade on January 1, 1989. 

Export codes, known as Schedule B in the United States, are administered by the U.S. Census Bureau. Import codes, known as the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS), are administered by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC). 

A machine readable .csv file, FNSource2023.csv, provides links to the sources of the data used in the data products. Metadata can be found at FNSource2023Readme.txt. Footnotes and references (found at the bottom of the dashboard pages or within the yearbook tables) provide additional information about the sources used. 

• Construction Methods: The data are organized into tables, visualizations, and machine-readable .csv files, providing a comprehensive view of the sector. For the Fruit and Tree Nuts Tables specifically, data clearly detail both sides of the market equation for the sector and its major fresh and processed commodities.  
  
• Estimation Methods: The methods vary across the data products, but estimates generally involve statistical techniques and modeling approaches to generate the most accurate and reliable estimates possible. 
  • For the Fruit and Tree Nuts Yearbook Tables, estimation methods use a balance sheet approach to estimate supply and availability statistics for each commodity. This involves adding statistics reflecting production, imports, and changes in stocks, and then subtracting exports. The term "availability" is used in place of the older term "use."
• Units of Measure: The units of measure used in each data product are provided below: 
  
  Trade and Prices by Category and Trade and Prices by Commodity Dashboards.
  • Average retail prices from Bureau of Labor Statistics are in dollars per pound unless otherwise indicated. 
  • Import and export data are reported in metric units (e.g., metric tons or liters) by the U.S. Census Bureau and converted to domestic (English) units by USDA, ERS (e.g., pounds or gallons). 

Fruit and Tree Nuts Yearbook Tables 

• • Prices are reported in cents per pound, dollars per pound, dollars per cwt (hundredweight), or dollars per short ton. 
  • Production is reported in pounds, hundredweights, or short tons, unless otherwise indicated. 
  • Import and export volume data are reported in pounds, hundredweights, or short tons, unless otherwise indicated. 
  • Per capita availability is reported in pounds per person by USDA, Economic Research Service unless otherwise indicated. 
  • Bearing acreage is reported in acres. 
  • Cash receipts and value of production are reported in dollars. 

Selected Weekly Fruit Movement and Price 

• • Changes in market volume are reported on a percentage basis. 
  • Shipping point prices are reported in dollars per hundredweight. 
  • Advertised retail prices are reported in dollars per pound. 

Strengths and Limitations 

The fruit and tree nuts resources have strengths and potential limitations. It is important to note that while these resources cover a wide range of commodities, they do not include every fruit and tree nut commodity. Therefore, users seeking information on less common or niche commodities may not find the data they need. Additionally, while some of the data are presented with minor transformations (e.g., pounds may be converted to hundredweight, or vice versa) for ease of comparison across commodities, users may need a level of expertise or familiarity with the data to interpret it effectively.  

• Fruit and Tree Nuts Yearbook Tables: The strength of this product lies in its comprehensive coverage, making it a "one-stop-shop" for data on a wide variety of fruit and tree nuts. The tables provide a detailed balance sheet for the sector and its major fresh and processed commodities, offering nuanced insight into consumption trends and market shifts. The data are updated annually, which may not capture short-term market fluctuations. 
• “Trade and Prices by Category” and “Trade and Prices by Commodity” Dashboards: These data products are unique in their focus on fresh and processed fruit and tree nut commodities, specifically in terms of trade and price indexes. They provide a comprehensive set of data including price, import, and export data, as well as consumer and producer price indexes for selected commodities. However, users of this data may need a level of expertise or familiarity with the data to interpret and use it effectively. 
• "Selected Weekly Fruit Movement and Price” Data: This data product aggregates data from three USDA, AMS market news reports, providing data on free on board (FOB) shipping point prices, advertised retail prices, and changes in market volumes. Prices and shipment volumes are related, so consolidating information about these variables makes analyzing fruit and nut markets easier. One limitation of this data product is that the Market News data are not nationally representative. This can complicate market analyses if trade volumes are low, or if atypical market conditions (or outliers), skew the descriptive statistics. 

Resources 

• The primary sources for each resource in this suite of data products are provided below. They are also referenced in the footnotes of each data product: 

Trade and Prices by Category and Commodity Dashboards.   

• • • Trade (import and export) data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. 
    • Retail prices and consumer and producer price indexes from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Fruit and Tree Nuts Yearbook Tables 

• • • USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service, United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization, FAOStat, as well as data calculated by USDA, Economic Research Service, and others. 

Selected Weekly Fruit Movement and Price 

• • • USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service. 

Below are links to other related sources of data, as well as resources that provide additional information or context for the data products described on this page:  

• • Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System – Includes three distinct but related data series on food and nutrients available for consumption in the United States. 
  • Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS) – USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service's database of trade statistics for agricultural, fish, forest, and textile products from 1989 (or earlier for some products) to the present. 
  • Fruit and Vegetable Prices – USDA, ERS estimates average retail prices for commonly consumed fresh and processed fruits and vegetables.  
  • U.S. and State Farm Income and Wealth Statistics – Includes U.S.- and State-level data on annual and monthly cash receipts for vegetables and melons.  
  • Specialty Crops Market News – USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service's portal for market news reports for specialty crops.  
  • Quick Stats – USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service's database of U.S.-, State-level, and county-level agricultural statistics.  
  • Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook – Published multiple times per year, the outlook provides current market developments affecting the U.S. Fruit and Tree Nuts sector. 
  • Vegetable and Pulse Data – Comprehensive statistics related to vegetables and pulses.  

Recommended Citation 

For each data product, the recommended citation is as follows: 

• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Fruit and Tree Nuts Yearbook Tables. 
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Fruit and Tree Nuts Price Indices and Trade Data.  
• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Selected Weekly Fruit Movement and Price Data.