Where Do Watermelons Come From? This State Leads Production In The US

Watermelons are the sweet centerpiece for many summer gatherings. While China produces most of the world's watermelon, there are numerous producers of the fruit in the United States. Watermelon farmers and growers are located in states with optimal climate and growing conditions, and the largest producer, Georgia, has one of the best climates for growth, as evidenced by the numbers.

In 2025, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Georgia was the top producer of watermelons, growing 812.7 million pounds. The only state that even came close to this staggering number was Florida (788.4 million pounds). California grew nearly a quarter-billion fewer pounds than Florida, with 514.3 million pounds. Texas grew 470.1 million pounds, North Carolina 402 million pounds, and a few more of approximately 30 U.S. states grew watermelons for a total U.S. watermelon production of 3.84 billion pounds. 

Out of this national bounty, there are many unique types of watermelon you might enjoy tasting, including a juicy variety with 10 times the flavor of traditional watermelon that originated in Arkansas, called Black Diamond. Several key varieties hail from Georgia, though, with seedless red watermelons being some of the state's most popular. The large, oblong, and super sweet Georgia Rattlesnake watermelon — named for its rattlesnake-like stripes — is another renowned variety that exemplifies Georgie's perfect climate for the fruit.

Watermelons most likely originated near the Kalahari Desert, a vast, dry, hot area in southern Africa encompassing most of Botswana, more than 5,000 years ago. Much later, enslaved Africans distributed watermelon seeds throughout the eastern United States, with the first written record of watermelon cultivation taking place in Massachusetts in 1629. But although this melon can grow in the northeastern U.S., it requires extra preparation and warmth-retaining measures: watermelons need sustained heat for two to three months to grow into ripe melons. As Georgia has long, hot summers and fertile, sandy soils, it's an optimal state to grow and produce them. 

In Georgia, watermelon season runs June through September, and the farmers in Central Georgia and the southern Coastal Plains grow the largest share of the commercial crop within the state. Cordele-Crisp County alone produces about 200 million pounds of watermelons yearly, earning it the title "Watermelon Capital of the World." The county takes great pride in its watermelons, even holding its Watermelon Days Festival each June in honor of its famously juicy, sweet crop.