California almond acreage to remain steady throughout 2026, says USDA

California almond acreage will remain steady throughout the current season, says a recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report published in late April 2026. 

The 2025 California Almond Nursery Sales Report shows that state nurseries sold at least 2.93 million trees since June 2024, which, at 131 plants per acre, translates into roughly 23,000 new acres. 

According to the federal agency, 39 percent of those trees replaced existing acreage, while 52 percent, roughly 12,000 acres, account for new plantings in the state. 

Notably, USDA numbers differ from those of the Almond Board of California. In its 2025 annual almond standing-acreage survey, published in November 2025, the industry body reported a 1.3 percent decrease in the state’s planted acreage. Though modest, the decline marks the fourth consecutive year of reductions reported by the organization. 

California almond acreage remains steady

With a total of 1,380,000 acres of almond trees planted in the Golden State in 2024, growth for the 2024/25 season remains steady, corresponding to an expansion of less than one percent. 

This coincides exactly with the acreage growth reported by the USDA the previous year, but sits below over 41 percent compared to expansion during the 2023/24, when the industry reported 17,000 new acres. 

Among the new acreage, the USDA noted that 5,000 acres correspond to the Nonpareil variety. 

*All images are referential. 

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