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pdfUSDA
National Farmers
Market Manager
Survey
2006
United States
Department of
Agriculture
Agricultural
Marketing
Service
May 2009
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race,
color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual
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an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product, or vendor in text or photographs does not constitute an endorsement by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or vendors.
The views and opinions expressed in this report or proceedings are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the
policies and opinions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
USDA
National Farmers
Market Manager
Survey
2006
Edward Ragland, Economist
Debra Tropp, Branch Chief
Marketing Services Division
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
i
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge Michael Smith, editor, and Jessica Ladd, designer, for the invaluable
assistance they have provided in enabling us to produce this report.
ii
Contents
Summary
1
Background and Research Methods
3
Profile of Survey Respondents
7
Farmers Market Industry Overview
8
Trends in Farmers Market Sales
17
Outreach to Customers
39
Vendor Characteristics
41
Operational Issues at Farmers Markets
50
Implications of Analysis for Market Managers
78
Appendix 1: Regional Definitions
80
Appendix 2: Rural-Urban Continuum Codes
81
Appendix 3: Survey Questionnaire
82
Appendix 4: Distribution of All Farmers Markets, by Sales Categories and Rural-Urban Continuum
Codes
92
Appendix 5: Comparison of Markets Less than 5 Years Old, by Characteristics
93
Appendix 6: Market and Vendor Characteristics for Markets: Open Less than 7 Months, Open 7
Months or More, and Year-Round Markets
96
Glossary
100
iii
Figures
Figure 1. Distribution of farmers markets, population distribution versus survey distribution, by region
8
Figure 2. Percentage of farmers markets, by average years of operation
9
Figure 3. Distribution of farmers markets, by age and region
10
Figure 4. Average and median number of vendors per farmers market, by region
11
Figure 5. Distribution of number of vendors at farmers markets, by region, in percent
12
Figure 6. Distribution of annual vendor sales at farmers markets, by region
13
Figure 7. Percent of seasonal and year-round markets, by region
14
Figure 8. Average months of operation, by region
15
Figure 9. Distribution of seasonal farmers markets, by months of operation and region
16
Figure 10. Average annual sales per market, by region
17
Figure 11. Percentage of market vendors that sold only their own products, by region
18
Figure 12. Average monthly sales at farmers markets, by region (all markets)
19
Figure 13. Distribution of monthly sales at all farmers markets, by region and sales category of market
20
Figure 14. Percentage of retail sales at farmers markets
21
Figure 15. Average monthly sales, by region (seasonal markets)
23
Figure 16. Distribution of monthly sales of seasonal markets, by region, in percent
24
Figure 17. Number of months in operation, seasonal markets
25
Figure 18. Percentage of U.S. farmers markets selling selected products
27
Figure 19. Percentage of U.S. vendors selling selected products at farmers markets
28
iv
Figure 20. Percentage of farmers markets that sell organically labeled products, by region
29
Figure 21. Distribution of organically labeled products sold at U.S. farmers markets
31
Figure 22. Distribution of vendors selling organically labeled products at farmers markets
31
Figure 23. Percentage of farmers markets that sold specially labeled products (other than organic), by
region
32
Figure 24. Farmers markets that sold specially labeled products (other than organic), by product type
and region
33
Figure 25. Top ranked attributes of customers who shopped at farmers markets, by region
34
Figure 26. Average weekly customer counts of seasonal farmers markets, by region
35
Figure 27. Weekly customer counts at seasonal farmers markets, by region and size of customer traffic
36
Figure 28. Percentage of seasonal markets, by rural-urban continuum code and region
37
Figure 29. Distance traveled by customers of farmers markets, by region
38
Figure 30. Types of advertising used by markets, in percent
39
Figure 31. Manager ranking of advertising method importance, in percent
40
Figure 32. Distance traveled by vendors, by region
45
Figure 33. Regional distribution of vendors, by race
47
Figure 34. Regional distribution of Hispanic and Non-Hispanic vendors
48
Figure 35. Market managers’ perception of product supply versus customer demand, in percent
49
Figure 36. Who develops rules at farmers markets, in percent
50
Figure 37. Restrictions at U.S. farmers markets, in percent
51
Figure 38. Percentage of vendors at farmers markets that sold only what they produced
51
Figure 39. Distribution of vendors that sold only their own products, by region
52
Figure 40. Percentage of self-sustaining farmers markets, by age of market
53
v
Figure 41. Markets’ use of fee types, in percent
54
Figure 42. Percentage of non-sustaining markets, by funding source and age
55
Figure 43. Paid employees versus volunteers at farmers markets, by region
56
Figure 44. Number of paid employees versus volunteers, by region
57
Figure 45. Average annual salary of market managers, by region
58
Figure 46. Farmers market monthly sales at markets with paid managers, unpaid managers, and all
markets
59
Figure 47. Farmers market monthly sales at markets with paid managers, unpaid managers, and
year-round markets
60
Figure 48. Distribution of seasonal farmers markets with paid and unpaid managers, by sales
categories, in percent
61
Figure 49. Distribution of year-round farmers markets with paid and unpaid managers, in percent
61
Figure 50. Top operational concerns of farmers markets, by region
64
Figure 51. Marketing assistance needs of farmers markets, by region
65
Figure 52. Women, Infants, and Children’s Farmers Market Nutrition Program participation, by region,
in percent
67
Figure 53. Average monthly value of farmers markets’ Women, Infants, and Children’s Farmers Market
Nutrition Program sales, by region
67
Figure 54. Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program participation, by region, in percent
68
Figure 55. Average monthly value of Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program sales, by region
69
Figure 56. Farmers markets utilizing electronic benefits transfer program, by region, in percent
70
Figure 57. Average monthly value of electronic benefits transfer sales at farmers markets, by region
70
Figure 58. Farmers market participation in food gleaning, by region
71
Figure 59. Average value of food gleaned from farmers markets per month, by region
72
Figure 60. Distribution of farmers markets, by number of vendors and years of operation, in percent
75
vi
Tables
Table 1. Comparison of markets less than 5 years old, by selected characteristics
22
Table 2. Market and vendor characteristics for markets: open less than 7 months, open 7 months or
more, and year-round markets
26
Table 3. Farmers markets that sold organic products compared with markets that did not sell organic
products
30
Table 4. Average monthly sales per vendor, by region
42
Table 5. Average annual sales per vendor, by region
43
Table 6. Average monthly sales per vendor, by number of vendors
43
Table 7. Monthly sales per vendor, by age of market
44
Table 8. Farmers market monthly sales at markets with paid and unpaid managers
62
Table 9. Monthly sales and distribution of sales at farmers markets, by years of operation and market
sales level
73
Table 10. Number of vendors, customers, and sales, by years in operation (all markets)
74
Table 11. Comparison of markets less than 5 years old, by monthly sales and degree of urbanicity
76
Table 12. Comparison of markets open less than 7 months versus year-round markets, by degree of
urbanicity
77
vii
viii
Summary
Our latest analysis of the U.S. farmers market industry shows the sector continues to experience brisk growth, but
that many newer farmers markets have not yet been able to generate the sales volume enjoyed by older farmers
markets, raising questions as to whether current levels of industry growth can be sustained over time. Between
the year 2000, when AMS conducted its first comprehensive national survey of farmers markets, and the end of
2005, the number of farmers markets in the United States increased 43 percent, from 2,863 to 4,093, an average
growth rate of 8.6 percent a year. As a result of the massive expansion in the number of farmers markets since
2000, nearly 30 percent of all seasonal markets are less than 5 years old and most still appear to be establishing
themselves economically. Managers of these young markets reported monthly sales only half the national average of
all markets. They also reported fewer vendors (22 compared with a national average of 31) and fewer customers per
week (430 compared with a national average of 959).
The large percentage of young markets explains in part why the growth in the number of farmers markets is not
mirrored by a corresponding growth in sales. Total farmers market sales in 2005 are estimated to have slightly
exceeded $1 billion, compared with $888 million in 2000, an average annual growth rate of 2.5 percent. To ensure
the scope of the study included only markets engaged primarily in direct-to-consumer retail sales, it was restricted to
farmers markets that relied on direct sales to consumers for 51 percent or more of their revenue, a restriction that
may have resulted in a conservative overall sales estimate.
Despite some slippage in the volume of sales per market site between 2000 and 2005, the number of farmers
participating in farmers markets still appears to have increased significantly. The average number of vendors per
market, weighted for regional differences, increased from 27 in 2000 to 31 in 2005. Market managers reported in
2005 that 25.1 percent of vendors used their farmers market as the only outlet for their farm products.
It is interesting to note that the percentage of minority vendors at farmers markets was higher than the percentage
of minority farmers in the general farming population. More than 11 percent of vendors at farmers markets were
reported to belong to minority groups, compared with 4.8 percent in the general farming population, as reported
in the 2002 Census of Agriculture.1 The disparity is particularly striking considering that the Far West region, which
features more ethnic diversity in the farming population than the rest of the country (Figure 33), was somewhat
underrepresented in our 2005 survey. Farmers markets appear to represent a particularly important marketing
channel for minority growers, perhaps because of the low cost of market entry or the volume of product needed to
participate, or because the specialized merchandise they grow lends itself well to direct sales outlets.
The average number of customers at farmers markets per week declined slightly from 1,055 customers per week,
reported in 2000, to 959 customers per week, reported by managers in 2005. Nevertheless, the decline in the
average number of customers was somewhat offset by the 43 percent growth in the number of farmers markets
between 2000 and 2005.
1. 2002 Census of Agriculture, Volume 1, Chapter 2: State Level Data.
1
Seasonal farmers markets remain the predominant market type in the United States. Approximately 88 percent
of respondents reported they operated seasonal markets, open, on average, 4.5 months per year. As might be
expected, seasonal markets that were open for 6 or fewer months per year attracted fewer vendors and generated
less revenue than farmers markets open 7 months or more. Markets open 6 months or less reported an average
of 25 vendors, with sales of $20,770 per month, and serving 565 customers weekly. Markets open 7 months or
more reported an average of 51 vendors, with $57,290 in monthly market sales and serving 942 customers weekly.
Year-round markets reported more than three times the sales of markets operating 6 months or less, had more than
twice the number of vendors, and slightly more than six times the number of weekly customers. On the other hand,
seasonal farmers markets that operated for 7 or more months performed similarly to markets that were open 12
months per year. Year-round markets reported an average of 58 vendors, had monthly market sales of $69,497, and
served 3,578 customers weekly.
Location appears to be a critical factor in market performance. Most market managers reporting high monthly
sales were in densely populated urban areas. This observation is based on the rural-urban continuum code2 for the
locations of markets that responded to the survey. The most successful farmers markets in terms of sales were
located on the coasts. The Far West and Mid-Atlantic regions reported average monthly sales of at least twice that
of other regions—$56,742 and $41,452 respectively. The sales of the remaining regions clustered around $23,000
a month. The number of customers per week, as reported by region, somewhat mirrored monthly sales per market
regionally. The Far West and Mid-Atlantic regions were again the top two regions, reporting 1,964 and 974 customers
per week respectively. The North Central Region was a close third, reporting 856 customers weekly, and the
remaining regions around 700 customers per week.
Markets that sold organic products3 reported larger numbers of weekly customers, larger number of vendors, and
larger monthly market sales at their markets. Both seasonal and year-round markets that sold organic products
performed better than markets that did not. Seasonal markets that sold organic products reported average monthly
market sales of $34,715 and 854 customers per week. Seasonal markets that didn’t sell organic products reported
$11,812 in monthly market sales and served 394 customers per week. Similar results were reported by year-round
markets—those that sold organic products reported monthly market sales of $92,349 and 4,344 customers weekly;
those that did not reported $41,584 and 2,590 customers. Seventy-one percent of markets that sold organic
products were located in urban areas, compared with only 55 percent of markets that did not.4 These relationships
held true for markets that sold organic products regionally, except for the Northeast region that reported markets
without organic products were more often located in urban areas than markets that sold organic products. However,
in spite of this one inconsistency, Northeast markets that sold organic products had more customers and vendors,
and higher monthly market sales than markets in other regions across the Nation.
Government programs had varying degrees of impact on vendor sales at farmers markets. The Women, Infants,
and Children Farmers Market Nutrition Program (WIC FMNP) had the largest effect, showing average monthly sales
of $1,744 nationwide and 61 percent participation. Senior Farmers Market Nutrition program (SFMNP) average
sales were $1,004 per month and 45 percent of markets reported they accepted SFMNP vouchers. The average
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)5 sales, which utilize electronic benefits transfer (EBT), were a
distant third at $279 a month and only 7 percent of markets reported accepting EBT cards. Clearly the WIC FMNP
had the greatest impact on vendor sales, both nationwide and regionally.
2. Rural-urban continuum codes are defined in Appendix 2: Rural-Urban Continuum Codes.
3. Organic foods at farmers markets means that the products were labeled organic. The survey did not ask whether the organic foods sold were
USDA “certified organic” products.
4. Urban areas are defined as counties with a rural-urban continuum code between 1 and 3. Counties outside of metro areas have rural-urban
continuum codes between 4 and 9.
5. Formally titled the Food Stamp Program.
2
Background and Research Methods
To achieve the most accurate survey results possible, the Agricultural Marketing Service’s Marketing Services
Division (MSD) staff attempted to reach each farmers market manager listed in the USDA National Farmers Market
Directory to verify contact information and update it as necessary prior to embarking on the 2006 National Farmers
Market Survey. The Directory was used as the initial source of contact information for farmers market managers
because it was the most comprehensive national listing of farmers markets available. In addition to calling market
managers, each State’s farmers market representative was contacted by e-mail and asked to provide an updated
listing for the farmers markets in the State. The resulting updated database, containing contact information for
3,575 markets, was the primary distribution list for this survey.
Through a cooperative agreement with Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, MSD staff developed a Webbased survey instrument to capture responses from farmers market managers efficiently and effectively. Market
managers were invited by e-mail to complete the survey questionnaire, either on-line or by mail. AMS provided
market identification numbers and passwords to prevent the possibility of double counting, and respondents were
allowed access to the survey website only if they furnished a unique identification number and password. The survey
website also allowed market managers not contacted by letter to register their markets and obtain identification
numbers and passwords allowing them to participate in the survey. As a result, an additional 168 farmers markets
not on the original master list were registered on the survey website. A total of 3,743 farmers market managers were
invited to participate in the national survey, representing 85.4 percent of the 4,385 farmers markets in the U.S.
during the 2005 season. The effort we made to update the farmers market contact list is illustrated by the highly
successful survey response rate of 34.5 percent (1,292 usable responses out of a total of 3,743).
Data Cleaning
Sales data reported by market managers were trimmed slightly to enable information reported by these markets
to be combined with other markets without unduly skewing average sales figures. Eighteen farmers markets that
reported exceptionally low annual sales figures were assigned minimum annual sales volumes of $1,000; at the
upper end, annual sales were capped at $4 million for 6 markets that reported exceptionally high sales figures.
What Is a Farmers Market?
For the purposes of this survey, a farmers market is defined as a retail outlet in which two or more vendors sell
agricultural products directly to customers through a common marketing channel. Markets included in this study
were in business during the 2005 season and conducted at least 51 percent of their retail sales directly with
consumers. Including food markets that generate most of their revenue from wholesale sales to intermediaries
within the scope of our study, even if engaged in some degree of direct-to-consumer selling, would have produced an
inaccurate gauge of the economic impact of farmers markets.
3
Response Bias
A response bias survey was developed and disseminated to farmers market managers not responding to the survey.
The results of the non-response survey were intended to identify bias in our sample pool. The non-response survey
was mailed to 1,000 non-respondents with the expectation that at least 100 questionnaires would be returned, yet
we received 239. The respondents to the non-response survey were asked:
■
■
■
■
■
■
How many years has your market been open?
Is your market manager a paid employee?
How many vendors did your market have in 2005?
How many customers attended your market weekly?
What were the annual sales of your market in 2005?
Which of the following statements about your market was most true in 2005?
□ We had more demand than supply – we need more vendors
□ During 2005 our supply exceeded demand – we needed more customers
□ Supply and demand of products were roughly equal in 2005
Respondents to the non-response survey didn’t display many obvious differences from the respondents to the
original survey.
However, one group that was underrepresented in the survey were individuals who managed two or more farmers
markets. The response rate for managers of multiple markets was only 10.3 percent. Our efforts to account for
the increased paperwork burden faced by managers of multiple markets by redirecting the survey to a secondary
point of contact proved largely unsuccessful. Out of the 965 managers of multiple markets in the population listed
on our contact sheet, only 99 responded to the survey—10.3 percent, compared with an average response rate of
34.5 percent. Many of them—7.7 percent of all managers—were in California, a State that reported 57 percent of its
markets had managers with two or more markets. The relative unwillingness of this group of managers to participate
in the survey resulted in an overall underrepresentation of the Far West region.
Development of the National Farmers Market Survey Questionnaire
The farmers market manager survey questionnaire was developed by MSD staff with feedback solicited from MSU
faculty and nine key stakeholders in the U.S. farmers market industry, representing various fields of expertise and
a variety of perspectives and viewpoints. Reviewers were asked to critique the survey to ensure we included all
relevant issues. All suggestions from the reviewers were incorporated into the survey. A copy of the survey may be
found in Appendix 3.
4
U.S. Office of Management and Budget’s Clearance of Survey Questionnaire
All Federal Government survey questionnaires are required to be reviewed and approved by the U.S. Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). Survey questionnaires must comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act,6 and staff
must obtain approval from OMB’s information collection review process. The Paperwork Reduction Act was created
to ensure that the Federal Government does not place an unnecessary or undue burden on the time and resources
of the public in responding to information collection. To comply with this requirement, the survey questionnaire was
reviewed by OMB representatives to ensure that the information being collected was important to the public, that
the collection of information would not duplicate research that was already being carried out elsewhere, and that
recognized and accepted survey research methods would be applied. As part of the review process, five market
managers were asked to fill out the draft survey and record the time needed to answer the questionnaire. The
average completion time was 19 minutes.
MSD published a notice in the Federal Register, Friday, June 3, 2005, announcing its intent to survey the farmers
market sector, and invited the public to submit comments during the subsequent 60-day period. Only one
comment was received. The notice was published in Vol. 70, No. 106 of the Federal Register. OMB approved our
information collection.
E-mail Invitation to Farmers Market Managers
Unlike the 2000 national farmers markets survey conducted by MSD, the 2006 survey was administered primarily
via the Internet. On May 2, 2006, farmers market managers were invited via e-mail to participate in the on-line USDA
survey of farmers market managers. In the invitation letter, MSD encouraged each manager to complete the survey
and contact other farmers market managers, encouraging them to participate in the survey. In subsequent weeks,
managers that had not responded to the survey were sent a reminder e-mail asking them to participate. This phase
of the information collection process closed July 7, 2006.
Letter Invitation to Farmers Market Managers
Three weeks after the initial e-mail invitation to market managers, a printed questionnaire was mailed to market
managers who had not yet responded to the web-based survey. Included in the mailing was a cover letter describing
the survey, its rationale, and why their participation was so important. Managers receiving questionnaires by surface
mail were encouraged to access USDA’s national farmers market survey electronically using the login identification
numbers and passwords provided in the invitation letters. Some managers receiving the paper invitation and survey
by mail completed the questionnaire on-line; others mailed the completed survey in the prepaid self-addressed
envelope included with the survey questionnaire and invitation letter. Returned hard copies of the survey instrument
were entered into the survey database by MSU researchers using the survey website as the data input screen.
6. More information regarding the Paperwork Reduction Act may be found at .
5
Survey Response Rate
The farmers market community was generally supportive of USDA’s national survey of farmers markets. MSD invited
3,575 market managers to participate in the survey. To boost the response rate as much as possible, MSD also
e-mailed invitations to farmers market representatives in each State, asking them to encourage their farmers market
managers to participate. Influential market managers from each region who had participated in the survey were
also contacted and asked to provide testimonial letters about the survey, which MSD then included in subsequent
correspondence with market managers and State representatives. As a result, an additional 168 markets not on
the initial distribution list reported their market data on the survey website after learning about the website from
colleagues. By the time the information collection process ended, 3,743 farmers market managers had been
contacted. Of this number, 1,292 managers returned usable surveys, a response rate of 34.5 percent.7 With a
response rate of this magnitude, we believe the findings of this survey provide a reasonably comprehensive and
accurate picture of recent developments at U.S. farmers markets.
Preventing Duplication
To avoid analyzing duplicate data from individual markets, whenever a market manager requested an identification
number and password, a researcher at MSU compared his or her market name and contact information with
information already entered into the database. If a questionnaire already had been completed from that market,
an identification number and password were not issued and the person requesting the identification number and
password was notified that a survey for that market had already been completed. Surveys received by surface
mail were also screened to remove duplicates; when duplicates were identified, the appropriate individuals were
contacted to resolve the issue and information removed or merged into an existing entry as needed.
7. “Usable” refers to respondents that answered more than the preliminary contact information.
6
Profile of Survey Respondents
Farmers markets continue to be a thriving segment of the U.S. agricultural economy. Between 2000 and 2005,
the number of farmers markets in the United States increased by 43 percent, from 2,863 to 4,093—representing
an annual increase of nearly 9 percent.8 This indicates that the growth rate of farmers markets, while still brisk, is
slowing. As the result of this brisk growth rate, sales at farmers markets increased from $888 million in 2000 to $1
billion for 2005.9 Because of the massive expansion in the number of farmers markets created between 2000 and
2005, a sizable percentage of surveyed markets (nearly 30 percent of all seasonal markets) were less than 5 years
old and may have still been establishing themselves economically. As younger markets tend to have fewer sales than
older markets, this may help explain why overall farmers market revenues did not grow as rapidly as the number of
markets. Our survey data shows that national average revenues per market in 2005 were $31,923 for each month
of operation compared with $15,078 per month for markets less than 5 years old.
Furthermore, the farmers markets sector remains heavily predominated by seasonal markets, which also curtails
overall sales growth. Almost 88 percent of the managers responding to our survey reported their markets operate
only part of the year, and 90.8 percent of seasonal markets operate 6 months or less. As one might expect, there is
a sizable difference between sales volumes of markets that operate 6 months or less a year and those that operate
more than 6 months a year. Markets open more than 6 months a year had average monthly sales of $57,290 in
2005, while markets that operate fewer than 6 months a year averaged only $20,770 a month. Proximity to densely
populated urban centers and number of years in operation also are associated with higher sales volumes. This is
described in more detail in “Influence of Population Density on Market Performance” on page 76.
Sales also appear to be enhanced by growing consumer participation in government food assistance programs,
the Women, Infants, and Children Farmers Market Nutrition Program (WIC FMNP) and the Senior Farmers Market
Nutrition Program (SFMNP). Both programs are designed to increase the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables
to households at risk for food insecurity, while boosting sales of fresh fruits and vegetables. Sixty-one percent of
managers reported their markets accepted WIC FNMP vouchers in 2005. USDA’s national study of farmers markets
conducted in 2000 reported 58 percent of surveyed farmers markets participated in WIC FMNP. In 2005, farmers
market managers reported an average monthly sales per market of $1,744, and the 45 percent who said their
market accepted SFMNP vouchers, reported an average of $1,004. Given that average sales per market amounted
to $31,923 in 2005, WIC FMNP and SFMNP vouchers clearly contribute to farmers market sales, especially in areas
where recipients of Federal nutrition benefits constitute a sizable proportion of neighborhood residents.
8. The number of farmers markets in 2008 is estimated at 4,685 markets, an increase of 14.5 percent since 2005, at an annual increase of 4.8
percent a year.
9. Annual sales at farmers markets were weighted by the number of markets in each region.
7
Farmers Market Industry Overview
Markets were grouped into seven regions: the Far West, Rocky Mountain, Southwest, North Central, Southeast,
Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast (definitions of these regions can be found in Appendix 1: Regional Definitions). The only
major divergence between the regional distribution of survey respondents and the regional distribution of farmers
markets in the United States (based on data found in the AMS National Directory of Farmers Markets) was a 9
percent overrepresentation of markets in the North Central region and a 7 percent underrepresentation in the Far
West region. Consequently, we believe our survey sample represents a fairly accurate representation of the national
farmers market industry as a whole.
Survey response rates from the Far West region appear to have been hampered by the large number of managers
in that region who oversee multiple markets. Market managers were asked to complete a separate survey for each
market managed. Because of the additional time commitment required to prepare surveys, only 99 managers of
multiple markets—slightly more than one in ten—completed this task, compared with the more typical response
rate of one in three from managers of single markets. As most managers of multiple markets are in California, we
surmise that this contributed in part to the relatively low rate of survey responses from market managers in the
Far West region.
Figure 1. Distribution of farmers markets, population distribution versus survey distribution, by region
16.5
Northeast
13.8
11.9
12.4
Mid-Atlantic
Population of farmers markets
Survey sample
12.5
Southeast
11.6
26.9
North Central
36.0
5.1
Southwest
5.0
6.6
7.4
Rocky Mountain
20.6
Far West
13.9
0
5
10
15
20
Percent
8
25
30
35
40
Age of Markets
The farmers markets included in the survey had been in operation for an average of 15 years. However, the number
is skewed by the 3.5 percent of markets in operation for 50 years or longer; indeed, 14 respondents reported they
had been operating for 100 years or more, the oldest for 254 years. Because of these long-running historic markets,
a more realistic median age of 10 years may be a closer approximation of actual industry trends. Year-round markets
tended to be considerably older than seasonal markets; 43.3 percent of year-round markets were 20 years or older
versus 23.7 percent of seasonal markets in the same age category (Figure 2).
Percent
Figure 2. Percentage of farmers markets, by average years of operation
50
All markets
45
Seasonal
40
Year-round
35
30
27.8
29.2
25
20
43.3
24.4 24.8
21.7 22.2
17.3
26.1
21.3
23.7
18.0
15
10
5
0
Less than 5 years
5-9 years
10-19 years
20 years and older
9
In every region of the country, a significant portion of surveyed farmers markets had been established within the
previous 5 years, ranging from one-fourth to almost 40 percent of regional totals, suggesting that farmers market
growth is a national phenomenon. Leading the pack is the Rocky Mountain region, where managers reported that
38 percent of their markets had been created less than 5 years ago (Figure 3). Because the Rocky Mountain region
contains the second lowest number of farmers markets in the country, the recent aggressive growth in this region
may reflect that the region had been underserved by direct marketing outlets compared with other locations.
Figure 3. Distribution of farmers markets, by age and region
20 years or older
10 to 19 years
28.7
29.8
30.1
19.0
20.3
Mid-Atlantic
Southeast
30.7
28.0
27.3
20.3
North Central
24.5
22.3
Southwest
27.5
25.5
24.6
30.2
20.2
18.1
23.4
38.3
22.2
Far West
29.5
21.0
U.S.
21.7
0
10
27.3
26.1
24.4
20
27.8
30
Percent
10
30.2
27.0
12.7
Rocky Mountain
Less than 5 years
23.4
18.1
Northeast
5 to 9 years
40
50
Vendor Participation
The average number of vendors at individual farmers markets nationwide in 2005 was 31, ranging from a high of
51 in the Far West region to a low of 18 in the Northeast. The median number of vendors per market ranged from a
low of 12 vendors in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions to a high of 35 in the Far West region (Figure 4), while
the North Central, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeastern regions reported similar median and mean numbers. This shows
a fairly narrow distribution of responses for other regions, such as the Far West, Rocky Mountain and Southwest
regions, which had mean numbers of vendors much higher than the median. Consequently, the “typical number”
in the Far West, Rocky Mountain, and Southwest regions may be more accurately described by the median than the
mean. Figure 4 illustrates the differences in vendor participation of markets by region. Farmers markets in the Far
West and Rocky Mountain regions typically boasted 25 or more vendors at each market site, while farmers markets
in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southwest regions had fewer, with no more than 15 vendors per market site. By
contrast, markets in the North Central and Southeast regions typically featured around 20 vendors per market, the
middle of the range nationally.
Figure 4. Average and median number of vendors per farmers market, by region
60
Average
51
Number of vendors
50
Median
45
40
35
31
30
20
33
31
28
25
20
20
15
20
21
18
12
12
10
0
U.S.
Far West
Rocky
Southwest
Mountain
North
Central
Southeast Mid-Atlantic Northeast
11
Figure 5. Distribution of number of vendors at farmers markets, by region, in percent
40 or more
20 to 39
10 to 19
6.1
23.6
Northeast
11.6
22.6
Mid-Atlantic
23.4
Southeast
22.8
24.1
27.9
17.7
Southwest
Rocky Mountain
15.9
Far West
9.4
29.0
28.4
32.3
36.4
42.5
35.6
12.5
21.8
25.3
23.9
10
32.3
21.0
19.3
U.S.
0
37.4
29.7
29.4
17.8
42.4
28.4
20.5
North Central
Less than 10
20
29.0
30
40
50
Percent
Figure 5 illustrates that surveyed markets in the Far West and Rocky Mountain regions had a large percentage of
markets with many vendors. Almost 43 percent of markets in the Far West region had 40 or more vendors and
almost 36 percent of Far West markets reported markets with 20 to 39 vendors. The Rocky Mountain region also
reported high concentrations of markets with large numbers of vendors. More than one-third of markets in the
Rocky Mountain region had 40 or more vendors. In contrast, the Northeast region reported 6 percent of its markets
had 40 or more vendors, and most in the Northeast region (42 percent) had 10 or fewer vendors per market.
Vendor Income
Regardless of location, managers reported that most of their farm vendors earned $5,000 or less each from sales
at their markets in 2005. However, the survey data revealed isolated pockets of significant income generation from
farmers markets. In the Far West and Mid-Atlantic regions, managers reported that almost 12 percent and slightly
more than 15 percent of the vendors at their markets earned gross incomes of between $25,000 and $100,000
in 2005. These two regions reported the largest pockets of vendors with this level of sales. In contrast, the lowest
average annual vendor sales were reported by managers in the North Central and Rocky Mountain regions
(Figure 6), both regions reporting more than 80 percent of vendors at their markets had annual sales between
$1,000 and $5,000.
12
Figure 6. Distribution of annual vendor sales at farmers markets, by region
90
81.4
80.4
80
71.6
71.4
$1-$5,000
61.2
60
Percent
70.0
68.1
70
56.1
$5,001-$25,000
50
$25,001-$100,000
40
$100,001+
31.5
30
25.2
23.0
22.1
18.3
20
15.5
11.8
10
0
5.9
0.6
U.S.
0.6
Far West
1.3
0.0
5.3
0.2
Rocky Southwest
Mountain
2.9
0.2
North
Central
26.2
22.8
15.4
4.3
2.4
0.7
3.8
0.0
Southeast Mid-Atlantic Northeast
Regions
Dominance of Seasonal Markets
Seasonal markets remained the dominant type of farmers market in every part of the country in 2005, accounting
for 88 percent of all farmers market in operation. The highest percentage of seasonal markets was reported by
managers in the Northeast region (96.5), followed closely by the North Central region (95.9) and the Rocky Mountain
region, with the lowest percentage (64.6) reported for the Far West region (Figure 7). On the whole, seasonal
markets tended to be younger than year-round markets; 29.2 percent had been operating for 5 years or fewer,
compared with only 17.3 percent of year-round markets.
13
Figure 7. Percentage of seasonal and year-round markets, by region
Seasonal
Year-round
110
100
90
87.9
86.3
82.5
80.4
80
Percent
70
96.5
95.9
95.7
64.6
60
50
40
35.4
30
20
19.6
17.5
12.1
10
4.3
13.7
4.1
3.5
0
U.S.
Far West
Rocky Southwest North Southeast
MidNortheast
Mountain
Central
Atlantic
Months of Operation at Seasonal Markets
Seasonal markets nationwide were open an average of 4.5 months a year in 2005, ranging from a low of 3.92
months in the Rocky Mountain region to a high of 4.9 months in the Far West (Figure 8). As shown in Figure 9,
although the largest segment of seasonal farmers markets across the Nation was open between 4 and 6 months
per year, seasonal markets in regions with warmer climates and longer growing seasons (such as the Far West,
Southwest, and Southeast) tended to be open longer than those in colder regions. Far West regional markets
accounted for 13.9 percent of surveyed markets, and representing 17 percent of surveyed markets open for 7
months or more. Southeast markets were 5 percent of surveyed markets and accounted for 7 percent of markets
open 7 months or more. Markets in the Southeast reported the largest difference, represented 11.6 percent of
surveyed markets with 28 percent open 7 months or more.
14
Markets in the Mid-Atlantic region also were well represented among markets open 7 months or more. Mid-Atlantic
markets represented 12.4 percent of surveyed markets and account for 20.0 percent of markets open for 7 months
or more. It appears that in spite of the region’s colder climate, vendors extended their season to take advantage of
a marketing opportunity.
Figure 8. Average months of operation, by region
6
5
5.0
4.5
4.4
3.9
4
Months
5.0
4.8
4.9
4.2
3
2
1
0
U.S.
Far West
Rocky Southwest North Southeast MidNortheast
Mountain
Central
Atlantic
15
Figure 9. Distribution of seasonal farmers markets, by months of operation and region
3.4
2.3
Northeast
68.0
26.3
14.2
12.9
Mid-Atlantic
57.4
15.5
18.2
Southeast
22.3
42.6
16.9
4.2
4.6
North Central
72.0
19.2
20.6
9.5
Southwest
47.6
22.2
4.4
3.3
Rocky Mountain
7 to 9
52.7
39.6
7.6
Less than 4
42.9
11.4
U.S.
12.9
59.5
20.0
0
10
20
30
40
Months of operation
16
4 to 6
37.1
8.6
Far West
More than 9
50
60
70
80
Trends in Farmers Market Sales
Average annual sales at farmers markets across the United States were $242,581 in 2005, and median annual
sales were $40,000. This disparity reflects the extreme variability in sales per market across regions. Sales can be
influenced by such variables as size, location, and duration of operation. The disparity reflects the extreme variability
in sales per market across regions. Figure 10 illustrates how annual sales varied across regions, with the highest
annual sales per market of $476,733 in the Far West. In contrast, the lowest level of annual sales occurred in the
Rocky Mountain region, averaging $90,169 per market.
Figure 10. Average annual sales per market, by region
U.S.
$243
Northeast
$150
Mid-Atlantic
$306
Southeast
$220
North Central
$155
Southwest
$210
Rocky
Mountain
$90
Far West
$477
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
Thousands of dollars
17
Source of Goods Sold
Market managers reported that large percentages of vendors grew the products they sold. Nationally, an average
of 71.6 percent of vendors at markets sold only what they produced; the median percentage reported was 80.6
percent. Consequently, most vendors at farmers markets were able to capture the entire value of the consumers’
food expenditures. The median number of vendors selling only their own products varied from a high of 78 percent
in the Southwest region to a low of 60.3 percent in the Rocky Mountain region. Figure 11 illustrates how the
percentage of producer only sales varied by region. For each region, the median percentage of vendors selling their
own farm products exceeded the mean, implying the average was lowered by the small number of markets reporting
an unusually low percentage of vendors selling their own products. Therefore, the median percentage may be a
more accurate reflection of the relative dominance of farmers selling their own agricultural goods at farmers
market establishments.
Vendors’ use of farmers markets as their primary marketing channel appears to have declined slightly since the
2000 survey of the farmers market sector. In 2000, managers reported that 28.5 percent of their vendors used
their markets as their sole marketing outlets. In 2005, managers reported that 25.2 percent of vendors used
their market as their sole marketing outlets. Nevertheless, farmers markets clearly remain an important marketing
channel for participating vendors.
Figure 11. Percentage of market vendors that sold only their own products, by region
69.8
65.0
Northeast
Mid-Atlantic
Southeast
93.7
69.8
North Central
76.8
Southwest
78.0
Rocky
Mountain
Median
86.7
92.3
61.1
60.3
73.9
68.6
Far West
0
20
40
60
Percent
18
84.9
72.3
80
100
Mean
Monthly Sales
The use of annual sales as a performance indicator can give misleading results because some markets make all
their sales in just a few summer months, and others are open for 12 months. Therefore, monthly sales per market
were calculated to account for variation in the length of time a market was open per year. Monthly sales can be
compared across markets in the same region and across regions without bias. Average monthly sales at farmers
markets nationwide were $31,923 in 2005, and varied widely by region from a high of $56,742 in the Far West
to a low of $21,018 in the Southeast (Figure 12). Markets were grouped into four sales categories so the regional
concentration of farmers markets with similar sales volumes could be observed (Figure 13). The Far West region
contained the largest concentration of farmers markets with monthly sales of $23,000 or more (45.5 percent). It
also featured the lowest concentration of farmers markets with fewer than $2,500 in monthly sales (12.5 percent).
In contrast, farmers market managers from the Southwest, North Central, and Southeastern regions reported that
more than a third of their markets generated $2,500 or less in monthly revenues.
Figure 12. Average monthly sales at farmers markets, by region (all markets)
Northeast
$24,633
Mid-Atlantic
$41,452
Southeast
$21,019
North Central
$23,579
Southwest
$23,354
Rocky Mountain
$22,354
Far West
$56,742
U.S.
$31,923
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
Dollars
19
Figure 13. Distribution of monthly sales at all farmers markets, by region and sales category of market
> $23,000
$7,000-$22,999
$2,500-$6,999
20.5
Northeast
Mid-Atlantic
15.8
27.6
18.4
38.2
19.1
19.1
North Central
Rocky Mountain
12.5
38.9
10
15
45.5
26.8
15.2
24.9
21.5
24.9
5
38.1
24.1
24.1
U.S.
0
35.9
26.2
13.0
Far West
26.0
21.4
14.3
Southwest
40.0
27.7
16.9
15.4
Southeast
33.3
25.6
20.5
< $2,500
20
25
28.7
30
35
40
45
50
Percent
Retail and Wholesale Sales at Farmers Markets
Most of the farmers market managers in our survey (60.1 percent) reported that all their sales were directly to final
consumers. An additional 38.3 percent of managers reported direct-to-consumer transactions constituted 76 to 99
percent of all sales, and 1.6 percent reported direct sales levels between 51 and 75 percent. As stated previously (in
“What Is a Farmers Market?” on page 3), farmers markets were excluded from our study if fewer than 51 percent of
total retail sales derived from direct-to-consumer sales.
20
Figure 14. Percentage of retail sales at farmers markets
70
60
60.1
Percent
50
38.3
40
30
20
10
1.6
0
All sales retail
99% to 76% of sales
75% to 51% of sales
Sales at Seasonal Markets
Nationwide, the average annual sales volume at seasonal markets was $135,500 in 2005, with year-round markets
generating an average of $833,958 apiece, more than six times as great. Monthly sales figures were calculated
again to remove the bias created by analyzing annual sales data for markets that were in operation over different
periods of time. Though the gap between sales volumes at seasonal and year-round markets narrowed considerably
if average monthly sales figures were compared, the volume of sales generated at year-round markets still exceeded
sales at seasonal markets ($70,292 per month against $28,836).
Managers of seasonal markets in the Far West region reported $55,257 per month, the highest average for any
reason. The lowest average sales were reported by the Southwest region, with an average of $13,119 per month
(Figure 15). The Far West, Rocky Mountain, and Mid-Atlantic regions had the largest concentration of markets with
sales of $23,000 or greater, and the Southwest, Southeast, and North Central had the largest concentration of
markets with monthly sales at or below $2,500 (Figure 16).
Unlike most regions, where older markets have greater sales volumes, younger seasonal markets in the Rocky
Mountain and Far West regions are doing unusually well financially, compared with markets of similar age elsewhere
in the country. Even though seasonal farmers markets in the Rocky Mountain and Far West regions represented only
10.4 and 13.9 percent of seasonal markets less than 5 years old in 2005, they accounted for 20.0 and 24.0 percent
of seasonal markets that generated monthly sales of $23,000 or more (Table 1).
21
Table 1. Comparison of markets less than 5 years old, by selected characteristics
Monthly Sales
U.S.
Less than
$2,500
$2,500
to
$6,999
$7,000
to
$22,999
$23,000
or greater
Far West
13.9
14.3
16.7
26.7
24.0
Rocky Mountain
10.4
6.1
11.1
6.7
20.0
Southwest
5.5
12.2
13.9
2.2
8.0
North Central
31.6
26.5
30.6
13.3
12.0
Southeast
10.1
18.4
2.8
11.1
8.0
Mid-Atlantic
13.6
4.1
13.9
20.0
12.0
Northeast
14.8
18.4
11.1
20.0
16.0
Percent of market,
by region
22
Figure 15. Average monthly sales, by region (seasonal markets)
Northeast
$20,247
Mid-Atlantic
$34,428
Southeast
$14,788
North Central
$15,924
Southwest
$13,119
Rocky
Mountain
$22,644
Far West
$55,257
U.S.
$24,836
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
Dollars
23
Figure 16. Distribution of monthly sales of seasonal markets, by region, in percent
>$23,000
$7,000-$22,999
$2,500-$6,999
18.9
Northeast
Mid-Atlantic
28.1
19.3
15.8
35.1
25.7
20.3
9.7
<$2,500
36.8
24.2
Southeast
22.6
16.9
North Central
14.7
Southwest
43.5
20.2
27.4
17.6
26.5
41.2
38.5
25.0
Rocky
Mountain
23.1
13.5
Far West
35.5
45.6
29.4
13.2
11.8
25.3
U.S.
22.9
0
10
25.5
26.3
20
30
Percent
24
40
50
Figure 17. Number of months in operation, seasonal markets
35
30.8
30
27.1
Percent
25
20
16.4
15
10.2
10
5.9
5.8
5
0
2.4
0.5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
0.5
0.3
0.1
9
10
11
Number of months in operation
When examining the sales potential of seasonal markets, it is useful to observe the similarities between the sales
profiles of seasonal markets open for 7 months and those of year-round markets. Monthly sales of markets open 7
months or more are almost triple those of markets open for 6 months or less (Table 2), and the average number of
vendors reported by managers of seasonal markets in operation for 7 months or more (51) is similar to the number
reported by managers of year-round markets (58).
25
Table 2. Market and vendor characteristics for markets: open less than 7 months, open 7 months or more, and
year-round markets
U.S.
Markets open less Markets open for
than 7 months
7 months or more
Markets open
year-round
Average monthly sales
Mean
$31,923
$20,770
$57,290
$69,497
Median
$8,333
$6,250
$20,000
$20,833
Average monthly sales, grouped (in percent)
Less than $2,500
24.9
26.9
20.8
18.2
$2,500 - $6,999
21.5
24.7
9.4
13.6
$7,000 - $22,999
24.9
25.7
22.6
21.6
More than $23,000
28.7
22.5
47.6
46.6
26
Product Characteristics
As one might expect, the most popular category of farm products sold at farmers markets in 2005 was “fresh fruits
and vegetables.” Nearly 92 percent of managers reported selling fresh fruits and vegetables at their markets,
and more than 75 percent reported that their markets sold “herbs and flowers” and “honey, nuts, and preserves”
(Figure 18).
The dominance of fresh produce also could be seen in the mix of market vendors. Fresh produce, fruit, and
vegetable vendors comprised 45 percent of farmers market vendors nationwide in 2005 (Figure 19), followed by
vendors selling “herbs and flowers” (15.4 percent), “honey, nuts, or preserves” (8.8 percent), “baked goods” (8.6
percent), and “crafts or woodworking” (8.3 percent). Even though sizable numbers of market managers reported
that their markets offered meat and dairy products for sale, the actual number of farmers specializing in these
commodity categories at farmers markets appears to be quite limited—only about 3 percent of vendors were
reported to sell meat and poultry, and only 1.5 percent were reported to sell milk and dairy products.
Figure 18. Percentage of U.S. farmers markets selling selected products
Fresh fruits and vegetables
91.8
Herbs and flowers
81.4
Honey, nuts and preserves
77.7
Baked goods
72.9
Crafts or woodworking
50.0
Meat or poultry
45.0
Prepared foods
38.0
Processed foods
28.1
Milk or dairy
27.2
Fish or seafood
16.0
Other products
38.0
0
20
40
60
80
100
Percent
27
Figure 19. Percentage of U.S. vendors selling selected products at farmers markets
Fresh fruits and vegetables
45.2
Herbs and flowers
15.4
Honey, nuts, or preserves
8.8
Baked goods
8.6
Crafts or woodworking
8.3
Prepared foods
3.6
Meat or poultry
3.2
Processed foods
2.0
Milk or dairy
1.5
Fish or seafood
0.7
Other products
2.6
0
10
20
30
40
50
Percent
Product Labeling at Farmers Markets
Organically Labeled Products
Organically labeled products were sold at farmers markets across the country, but were considerably more prevalent
in the Far West and Northeast regions. Market managers reported that 47.0 percent of markets nationwide sold at
least some types of organically labeled products; their availability varied across regions from a high of 74.5 percent
in the Far West region to a low of 30.4 percent in the Southwest region (Figure 20). Product availability still appeared
to be heavily concentrated in the Far West, Northeast, and Rocky Mountain regions; in the rest of the country, fewer
than 40 percent of markets sold organically labeled items. Year-round markets sold organically labeled products
more often than seasonal markets—57 percent compared with only 40 percent of seasonal markets. Most likely, the
reason year-round markets more frequently sold organically labeled product is because they served more customers.
28
Figure 20. Percentage of farmers markets that sell organically labeled products, by region
80
74.5
67.3
70
60
Percent
50
56.8
47.0
39.8
40
35.5
37.2
Southeast
MidAtlantic
30.4
30
20
10
0
U.S.
Far West
Rocky Southwest
Mountain
North
Central
Northeast
Markets that sold organically labeled products reported more customers per week, more vendors, and larger
monthly sales. However, their superior performance may have been influenced as much by their location in densely
populated urban areas as by their product offerings. Seventy-one percent of farmers markets that sold organic
products were located in urban areas10 compared with 55.3 percent of markets that didn’t offer organic products.
Furthermore, a greater percentage of the markets were located in regions of the country, such as the Far West and
Northeast, that experience higher than average farmers markets sales volumes (Table 3). Each market responding
to the survey was assigned a rural-urban continuum code based on the county in which the market was located.
(Rural-urban continuum codes were developed originally by the Office of Management and Budget and were later
expanded by USDA’s Economic Research Service. Each county in the Nation is assigned a code to describe its
degree of rurality11 or urbanicity.)
10. Urban means that the market was located in a location that had a rural-to-urban continuum code of 1, 2 or 3. Rural-to-Urban continuum code is
defined in Appendix 2: Rural-Urban Continuum Codes.
11.
29
Table 3. Farmers markets that sold organic products compared with markets that did not sell organic products
Customers per week
Average number of vendors
Monthly market sales
All U.S.
farmers markets
Markets that sold
organic products
Markets that did not sell
organic products
959
1,422
569
31
41
23
$31,923
$45,826
$14,813
The top three product categories sold by farmers markets carrying organically labeled products, illustrated in Figure
19, are “fresh fruit and vegetables” (91.4 percent), “herbs and flowers” (46.3 percent), and “meat and poultry” (30.1
percent). Participation rates of vendors selling organically labeled items followed similar patterns (Figure 20); the
three highest concentrations of organic vendors at farmers markets were vendors of organically labeled “fresh fruits
and vegetables” (60.2 percent), “herbs and flowers” (16.7 percent), and “meat and poultry” (9.3 percent). Unlike the
prevailing trend at most farmers markets, those offering organically labeled products seem to include more meat,
poultry, and dairy products as part of their overall merchandise mix, suggesting that farmers market consumers
may prefer organically produced varieties of these items. The widespread use of organic labels and other labeling
claims on meat and dairy products at farmers markets, such as “hormone-free,” “antibiotic-free,” “pasture-raised,”
and “free range,” discussed in the next section, suggests farmers market consumers want to be informed about the
methods used to produce their meat and dairy purchases.
30
Figure 21. Distribution of organically labeled products sold at U.S. farmers markets12
100
91.4
Percent
80
60
46.3
40
30.1
25.7
20
14.2
12.0
6.0
0
Fresh fruits Herbs and Meat and Honey, Milk and
and
flowers
poultry nuts and
dairy
vegetables
preserves
Prepared
Other
foods
products
Figure 22. Distribution of vendors selling organically labeled products at farmers markets
70
60
60.2
Percent
50
40
30
20
16.7
9.3
10
6.8
2.3
2.4
2.3
Prepared
foods
Other
products
0
Fresh fruits Herbs and
and
flowers
vegetables
Meat and Honey, nuts Milk and
poultry
and
dairy
preserves
12. Only markets that reported sales of organically labeled products were included.
31
Other Label Claims
In addition to organic label claims, farmers market vendors frequently displayed a variety of such specialty label
claims as “locally grown” to advertise their merchandise. Sixty-nine percent of surveyed managers reported that
vendors at their markets used specialty labels, ranging from a low of 51.3 percent in the Southeast region to a high
of 78.8 percent in the Rocky Mountain region (Figure 23). The most popular specialty label claim across the country
was “locally grown,” with nearly 90 percent of all managers in every part of the country reporting their vendors used
the phrase as a labeling claim (Figure 24). Other popular label claims included “pesticide-free” or “chemical-free”
(at nearly half of surveyed farmers markets) and “natural” (also at nearly half of surveyed farmers markets). Label
claims related to the absence of pesticides and chemicals were particularly popular in the Far West and Rocky
Mountain regions, while labels claiming merchandise is “natural” were popular in the North Central region.
Figure 23. Percentage of farmers markets that sold specially labeled products (other than organic), by region
90
77.8
80
70
78.8
69.0
76.2
66.1
60
Percent
76.7
53.4
51.7
50
40
30
20
10
0
U.S.
32
Far West
Rocky
Mountain
Southwest
North
Central
Southeast Mid-Atlantic Northeast
Figure 24. Farmers markets that sold specially labeled products (other than organic), by product type and region
Other
Hormone or antibiotic-free
Chemical-free/pesticide-free
Pasture-raised/free range
Natural
Locally grown
13.9
20.5
Northeast
13.4
36.9
33.6
39.3
27.7
Mid-Atlantic
12.2
39.3
40.2
41.1
20.3
Southeast
89.3
84.8
45.9
21.6
45.9
7.3
34.4
North Central
42.5
19.4
19.4
Southwest
Rocky Mountain
46.9
50.9
80.6
28.4
56.7
34.3
17.1
91.2
41.9
32.3
32.3
16.4
90.5
55.2
36.6
Far West
88.1
65.0
46.3
50.4
12.3
29.3
U.S.
38.4
0
20
40
82.1
47.6
46.9
87.9
60
80
100
33
Customer Characteristics
Why Customers Shop at Farmers Markets
Market managers were asked to rank the top three reasons they believe their customers shopped at their farmers
markets. Freshness, taste, and access to local food were the top three reported by managers, with price ranking
a distant sixth. Figure 25 depicts the percentage of managers that reported each motivating factor as either
important, very important, or extremely important.
Figure 25. Top ranked attributes of customers who shopped at farmers markets, by region
Freshness
Taste
Access to local food
Support of local agriculture
Variety
Price
Knowledge of how food was produced
99.4
95.4
91.8
89.3
87.9
Northeast
50.3
70.1
Mid-Atlantic
85.6
55.9
83.8
81.0
82.5
50.0
82.6
42.5
89.1
87.7
100.0
96.5
88.4
97.7
95.2
94.2
76.2
Far West
87.7
87.7
44.0
96.1
97.4
93.4
75.0
U.S.
40
98.3
97.6
71.9
Rocky Mountain
20
93.1
63.4
South West
0
98.6
97.8
68.7
North Central
51.1
59.7
57.5
60
Percent
34
92.8
80.6
82.5
56.5
41.3
91.2
74.6
Southeast
52.5
98.6
97.1
94.4
74.2
79.9
80
98.3
100
120
Weekly Number of Customers at Markets
The average number of customers reported at all farmers markets was 959 per week. Year-round markets reported
an average of 3,622 customers per week, higher than seasonal markets, which caused the average customer counts
at all markets to be skewed upward. In comparison, managers of seasonal farmers markets reported an average
601 customer visits per week.
Because most markets across the Nation reported they were seasonal and there were only 87 year-round markets
that responded to the survey, we limit regional breakdowns to seasonal markets. The region with the largest number
of customers per week at seasonal markets was 1,379, reported by markets in the Far West region, a number
much higher than any other region (Figure 26). This result was somewhat surprising, as only 59.5 percent of
farmers markets in the Far West region were located in urban areas, as measured by rural-urban continuum codes,
suggesting that location in densely populated areas may not be crucial for market success. Another example, Figure
28, shows that the Mid-Atlantic region has the largest percentage of markets in urban areas, but Figure 26 shows
its weekly customer counts fall in the middle range. Population density may not be the sole determinant of farmers
markets performance.
To gain a better perspective of typical customer traffic at markets on a region basis, weekly customer visits were
grouped into four ranges: fewer than 100 customers, 100-199 customers, 200-599 customers, and 600 or more
customers (Figure 27). The resulting analysis reveals that seasonal farmers markets in the Far West typically
attract far more customers per week than markets in other regions of the country. More than half the seasonal
farmers markets in the Far West averaged 600 or more customers per week; at the other end of the spectrum,
more than half the markets in the Southeast and Southwest regions had fewer than 100 customer visits per week,
while markets in other regions of the country most frequently served between 100 and 199 customers per week.
Given the limited average levels of customer turnout in so many parts of the country, it is not surprising to learn that
“targeting customers” remains a high priority for farmers market managers in terms of desired marketing assistance
(see Figure 51 on page 65), as customer patronage of seasonal farmers markets remains highly concentrated in a
few key geographic locations.
Figure 26. Average weekly customer counts of seasonal farmers markets, by region
Average customers per week
1,500
1,379
1,000
694
608
601
474
500
348
367
352
0
U.S.
Far West
Rocky Southwest North Southeast Mid- Northeast
Mountain
Central
Atlantic
35
Figure 27. Weekly customer counts at seasonal farmers markets, by region and size of customer traffic
600 and greater
200-599
100-199
Less than 100
14.9
14.9
Northeast
42.1
28.1
20.2
Mid-Atlantic
23.2
39.4
17.2
14.7
16.8
Southeast
15.2
North Central
33.7
34.7
19.0
37.5
28.3
10.9
26.1
28.3
Southwest
21.3
Rocky Mountain
24.0
17.2
Far West
8.0
26.7
28.0
50.6
24.1
19.9
19.2
U.S.
35.3
25.6
0
10
20
30
Percent
36
34.8
40
50
60
Figure 28. Percentage of seasonal markets, by rural-urban continuum code and region
1, 2, and 3: Metro counties up to 1 million people
5 and 4: Urban population of 20,000 or more
7 and 6: Urban population between 2,500 and 19,9999
9 and 8: Completely rural or less than 2,500 urban population
66.7
15.8
16.4
Northeast
1.2
85.4
7.3
6.5
Mid-Atlantic
0.7
52.5
11.9
Southeast
23.7
11.9
52.4
13.8
North Central
26.2
7.7
51.9
11.6
Southwest
32.7
3.8
Rocky
Mountain
42.9
14.3
36.3
6.6
Far West
10.4
2.6
59.5
13.5
U.S.
21.5
5.5
0
10
68.7
18.3
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Percent
37
Distance Traveled by Customers
As a general rule, customers were willing to travel only a limited distance to patronize farmers markets, underscoring
the important link between market location and market performance. Surveyed managers reported that, on average,
more than half their market’s customers (58 percent) traveled 5 miles or less to reach the market, and that more
than 80 percent of their market’s customers traveled 10 miles or less (Figure 29). A similar pattern of behavior can
be seen in most regions of the country, with the majority of market customers traveling 5 miles or less. The only
exception was in the Southeast region, where a slight majority of market customers traveled more than 5 miles to
visit farmers markets.
Figure 29. Distance traveled by customers of farmers markets, by region
51 miles or more
21 to 50 miles
6 to 10 miles
0 to 5 miles
1.5
3.6
Northeast
7.5
1.6
3.6
Mid-Atlantic
2.9
Southeast
1.5
North Central
4.4
2.3
3.1
Rocky
Mountain
Far West
2.3
4.7
U.S.
0
15.2
46.6
22.0
59.7
22.0
55.7
18.1
18.9
11.9
53.4
20.0
12.4
10
60.8
29.8
14.2
6.5
4.9
5.8
65.9
22.6
12.4
5.9
Southwest
21.6
11.4
5.6
57.4
22.5
20
58.0
30
40
Percent
38
11 to 20 miles
50
60
70
Outreach to Customers
Advertising Methods
Signs/banners and newspaper advertising were the two promotional methods most frequently used by farmers
market managers nationwide, with more than 80 percent of surveyed managers reporting they use these methods
to attract customers (Figure 30). On average, farmers markets nationwide spent $3,566 on advertising in 2005.
It is important to note, however, that this average is probably inflated by a handful of well-established markets that
spent upwards of $100,000 on advertising. Perhaps a more typical and realistic estimate of annual advertising
expenditures is the median figure of $500 per year, accounting for approximately one-third of reported annual
median operating expenses at farmers markets.
Managers were asked to rank the importance of each type of advertising method on a Likert scale from 1 to 5, with
1 representing “not important” to 5 representing “extremely important.” The two advertising methods rated most
important by market managers were signs/banners and newspapers, with brochures/flyers in third place (Figure 31).
Nearly 25 percent of surveyed managers gave the highest possible ranking, “extremely important,” to signs/banners
for advertising the market to the public.
Figure 30. Types of advertising used by markets, in percent
90
80
80.9
70
80.2
65.6
Percent
60
50
41.4
40
30
26.5
20.4
20
23.8
16.9
10
0
Signs /
banners
Newspaper Brochures /
flyers
Radio
Newsletter Television Direct mail
Other
39
Figure 31. Manager ranking of advertising method importance, in percent13
100
88.1
80
76.0
72.8
72.8
72.6
67.3
Percent
61.7
60
40
20
0
Signs /
banners
Brochures / Newspaper
flyers
Newsletter
Radio
Direct mail
Television
Use of Market Research on Customer Preferences
Managers were asked if they conducted periodic consumer surveys to learn the needs and preferences of their
customers. Only 27.6 percent of surveyed managers conducted surveys, suggesting that market managers may
need to devote greater effort to obtaining feedback from market patrons (though the nature of direct-to-consumer
marketing fosters better communication between buyers and seller than other sales channels).
13. The graph summarizes the percentage of managers that ranked the advertising method as either effective, very effective, or extremely
important.
40
Vendor Characteristics
Average Sales per Vendor at Farmers Markets
Nationally, the annual average sales volume per vendor was $7,035, ranging from a low of $2,349 in the Rocky
Mountain region to a high of $17,017 in the Mid-Atlantic region. The large swing in the magnitude of annual sales
per vendor between these regions is because a few markets had significantly large value sales and few vendors. The
median sales per vendor is a more representative view of annual sales per vendor across regions. Annual median
sales per vendor nationally were $2,222. The median sales per vendor regionally ranged from a high of $5,552 in
the Mid-Atlantic region to a low of $1,200 in the North Central region (Table 5).
Monthly sales per vendor allow more equitable comparisons among markets within and across regions because
the length of time a market operates during a year doesn’t influence the magnitude of vendor sales. The average
monthly sales of vendors in 2005 was $1,070 per month, ranging from a low of $607 in the Rocky Mountain region
to a high of $2,187 in the Mid-Atlantic region14 (Table 4).
Even with monthly vendor sales factored in, there are still large variations among vendors at markets. Therefore, as
discussed earlier, the median sales figure gives a more representative view of vendors’ monthly sales. Nationally,
the median monthly sales of vendors was $468, ranging from a high of $875 in the Mid-Atlantic region to a low of
$245 in the Southwest region. Vendors at smaller markets earned higher revenue than vendors at larger markets,
presumably because there was less competition for customers (Table 6). However, when the market size reached 40
or more vendors, the negative impact of competition appeared outweighed by increased sales volume from greater
customer traffic.
14. Vendor average monthly sales figures were calculated by dividing average monthly market sales by the average number of vendors reported by
market managers. The number of vendors reported by market managers was the number of unique vendors that used their market. The number of
times a particular vendor sold products at a given farmers market is unknown.
41
Table 4. Average monthly sales per vendor, by region
U.S.
Far
West
Rocky
Mountain
SW
North
Central
SE
MidAtlantic
NE
Monthly sales per vendor (all markets)
Mean
$1,070
$1,075
$607
$781
$571
$927
$2,187
$1,612
Median
$468
$694
$447
$245
$268
$300
$875
$594
Customers per
week
959
1,964
699
731
856
680
974
655
Monthly sales per vendor (seasonal markets)
Mean
Median
Customers per
week
42
$1,021
$1,127
$620
$684
$535
$520
$2,284
$1,671
$450
$691
$447
$175
$257
$280
$875
$594
601
1,379
694
348
608
367
474
352
Table 5. Average annual sales per vendor, by region
U.S.
Far
West
Rocky
Mountain
SW
North
Central
SE
MidAtlantic
NE
Annual sales per vendor (all markets)
Mean
$7,035
$8,056
$2,349
$5,293
$3,527
$7,794
$17,017
$6,676
Median
$2,222
$4,644
$1,787
$2,016
$1,200
$1,842
$5,552
$2,727
Annual sales per vendor (seasonal markets)
Mean
$5,452
$5,963
$2,287
$3,203
$2,933
$2,329
$16,662
$6,653
Median
$1,878
$3,226
$1,697
$1,000
$1,176
$1,176
$5,500
$2,690
Table 6. Average monthly sales per vendor, by number of vendors
Number of vendors per market
All
2-9
10-19
20-39
40 or more
$1,070
$1,517
$951
$803
$1,010
Median
$468
$500
$391
$325
$750
Customers per week
959
80
371
572
2,818
$1,021
$1,439
$954
$739
$893
$450
$500
$384
$329
$655
601
151
338
483
1,684
Monthly sales per vendor (all markets)
Mean
Monthly sales per vendor (seasonal markets)
Mean
Median
Customers per week
43
Influence of Age of Market on Vendor Sales
Average monthly sales per vendor were lowest at the youngest tier of farmers markets, which can be expected of
start-up businesses (Table 7). However, rather than climbing in a linear fashion over time, monthly sales volume
per vendor seemed to sag at markets that were between 10 and 19 years old, possibly because of increased
competition among vendors for customers. At farmers markets 20 years old or older, however, vendor income once
again seemed to recover, suggesting farmers markets 20 years old and older may offer attributes attractive to
customers, such as wider product selection and variety, or convenience and accessible locations.
Table 7. Monthly sales per vendor, by age of market
Years of market operation
All
0-4
5-9
10-19
20 or more
Monthly sales per vendor (all markets)
Average
$1,070
$766
$1,227
$920
$1,469
Median
$468
$403
$469
$417
$667
Customers per week
959
430
558
985
1,944
Monthly sales per vendor (seasonal markets)
Average
$1,021
$826
$1,253
$865
$1,276
Median
$450
$487
$487
$368
$575
Customers per week
600
417
466
835
789
Vendor Transportation
Vendors at farmers markets generally stayed close to their farms. On average across the country, farmers market
managers reported that more than half of vendors at their markets traveled less than 6 miles to sell at their
markets, and nearly a quarter had to travel between 6 and 10 miles (Figure 32). The Northeast region reported the
highest percentage of vendors traveling less than 6 miles—65.9 percent. Managers in the Northeast region reported
that 21.6 percent of vendors traveled between 6 and 10 miles. Managers in the Mid-Atlantic and North Central
regions reported similar distances: 60.8 percent and 59.7 percent of vendors traveled less than 6 miles and 22.6
and 22.0 percent traveled between 6–10 miles, respectively. The Far West, Southwest, and Rocky Mountain regions
reported 57.4 percent, 55.7 percent, and 53.4 percent of vendors traveled less than 6 miles to market their products
at farmers market and 20.0 percent, 22.0 percent and 18.9 percent of vendors traveled between 6–10 miles,
respectively. Vendors in the Southeast reported the lowest percentage of vendors that traveled less than 6 miles
(46.6 percent) and the highest percentage of vendors that traveled between 6–10 miles, (29.8 percent) than any
other region. Although regionally, managers reported different travel patterns for vendors at their markets, managers
in each region reported at least three-quarters of their vendors traveled less than 10 miles from their farming
operations to market their products.
44
Figure 32. Distance traveled by vendors, by region
More than 50
1.5
3.6
Northeast
7.5
1.6
3.6
Mid-Atlantic
2.9
Southeast
1.5
North Central
5.6
3.1
Rocky Mountain
Far West
2.3
U.S.
0
46.6
59.7
22.0
55.7
18.1
18.9
11.9
53.4
20.0
12.4
10
60.8
22.0
14.2
6.5
4.7
Less than 6
65.9
29.8
12.4
4.9
5.8
6 to 10
22.6
15.2
5.9
South West
11 to 20
21.6
11.4
4.4
2.3
21 to 50
57.4
22.5
20
58.0
30
40
50
60
70
Percent
45
Race and Ethnicity of Vendors
The vast majority of farmers market vendors in 2005 were White (89.9 percent) and non-Hispanic (91.2 percent).
However, a large representation of Hispanic farmers was reported in the Far West region, with 29.7 percent, followed
by 17.7 percent in the Rocky Mountain region, and 9.5 percent in the Southwest. Managers in other regions reported
between 3 to 5 percent of their vendors were of Hispanic heritage (Figure 34).
Asian and Black vendors, representing 4.7 and 4.4 percent of all vendors, were located primarily in two regions—the
Far West and the Mid-Atlantic. While Asian vendors represented 18.4 percent in the Far West region, outside of the
Far West, the participation of Asian vendors was low, from 1.0 percent in the Northeast region to 4.4 percent in the
North Central region. Black vendors were most prevalent in the Southeast, where 18.0 percent of vendors were
reported to be Black; outside of the Southeast, Black participation at farmers markets was limited, from a high of
4.5 percent in the Mid-Atlantic to a low of 1.1 percent in the North Central region. The racial composition of farmers
market vendors can be seen in Figure 33.
46
Figure 33. Regional distribution of vendors, by race
White
0.1
Northeast
1.0
0.9
4.5
78.9
18.0
1.4
1.5
North Central
0.8
American Indian
94.1
0.2
0.3
1.1
Asian
4.1
1.0
0.2
Southeast
Black
93.9
0.2
Mid-Atlantic
Native Hawaiian
93.5
4.4
89.6
0.0
4.1
3.6
2.8
Southwest
0.5
1.6
2.4
Rocky Mountain
90.3
5.3
73.9
3.4
2.1
Far West
18.4
2.2
0.6
U.S.
1.4
0
88.9
4.4
4.7
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Percent
47
Figure 34. Distribution of Hispanic and Non-Hispanic vendors
95.3
Northeast
4.7
95.9
Mid-Atlantic
4.1
94.9
Southeast
5.1
96.9
North Central
3.1
90.5
Southwest
9.5
82.3
Rocky Mountain
17.7
Non-Hispanic
70.3
Far West
Hispanic
29.7
91.2
U.S.
8.8
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Percent
Balance of Vendor Supply and Customer Demand at Farmers Markets
Market managers were asked to evaluate the balance between customer demand for products and the supply of
products available at their market. Nationally, 41 percent of managers reported demand and supply were roughly
equal; 32.4 percent reported they needed more customers (i.e., supply exceeded demand); and 26.6 percent
of managers reported that more vendors were needed (i.e., demand exceeded supply). Figure 35 illustrates the
balance of supply and demand reported by market managers on a regional basis.
48
The highest percentage of managers in the Mid-Atlantic, North Central, and Southeast regions reported that supply
roughly equaled demand, comprising 51.3 percent of managers in the Mid-Atlantic region, 44.4 percent in the North
Central region, and 43.6 percent in the Southeast region. However, in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions,
the highest percentage of managers reported demand exceeded supply—52.5 percent of managers in the
Southwest region and 44.8 percent of managers in the Rocky Mountain region. Managers in the Far West and
Northeast regions reported that supply exceeded demand—41.9 percent in the Far West and 40.5 percent in the
Northeast region.
Figure 35. Market managers’ perception of product supply versus customer demand, in percent
Supply roughly equals demand
Supply exceeds demand
More demand than supply
36.6
Northeast
40.5
22.9
51.3
Mid-Atlantic
31.8
16.9
43.6
Southeast
25.0
31.4
44.4
North Central
31.3
24.3
23.7
23.7
Southwest
52.5
29.9
Rocky Mountain
25.3
44.8
36.8
Far West
41.9
21.3
41.0
U.S.
32.4
26.6
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Percent
49
Operational Issues at Farmers Markets
Physical Characteristics of Farmers Markets
Given that farmers markets in the United States are mostly seasonal operations, it is not surprising that more
than two-thirds of surveyed markets operate in temporary facilities. Of the 32.3 percent of markets that operate
permanent facilities, the majority own their place of business; 52.9 percent own the facility that houses their market,
and 47.1 percent rent space.
The average size of farmers markets nationwide in 2005 was 48,857 square feet, similar to the footprint of a
medium-sized retail grocery store, ranging from a low of 20 square feet to a high of 3.4 million square feet.
Who Makes the Rules at Farmers Markets?
Although rules governing farmers markets may originate from many sources, more than two-thirds of surveyed
managers reported that either the market manager or their vendor-operated board of directors was responsible
for creating market rules and bylaws (Figure 36). The most prevalent rule-making body at markets was the market
manager (36.6 percent), followed closely by a vendor-operated board of directors (32.0 percent).
Figure 36. Who develops rules at farmers markets, in percent*
36.6
Market manager
32.0
Vendor-operated Board of Directors
20.6
City, county, or municipal government
Community association/non-profit
organization
19.0
14.2
State government
17.0
Other
0
10
20
30
Percent
*Totals do not equal 100 percent; respondents were given the opportunity to supply multiple choices.
50
40
Restrictions at Farmers Markets
Farmers markets often impose restrictions on their vendors to maintain the integrity of the products sold at their
markets. The most common restriction is a requirement that vendors may sell only agricultural products they
produced. Sixty-three percent of surveyed managers reported their markets enforced such producer-only sales
restrictions (Figure 37). In keeping with this policy, the overwhelming majority—nearly 72 percent—of vendors in
2005 were reported to be producers selling goods they had grown and/or produced themselves, ranging from a
peak of 78 percent in the Southwest to a low of 60.3 percent in the Rocky Mountain region (Figure 38).
Figure 37. Restrictions at U.S. farmers markets, in percent
Vendors can sell only products
they produced themselves
63.4
Types of products sold are
restricted
53.1
Vendors can sell products
from outside local area
46.8
Range of permitted
commodities is controlled
39.1
Vendors are allowed to resell
products
37.3
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Percent
Figure 38. Percentage of vendors at farmers markets that sold only what they produced
90
78.0
80
71.6
70
69.8
68.6
72.3
65.0
60.3
60
Percent
76.8
50
40
30
20
10
0
U.S.
Far West
Rocky Southwest North Southeast Mid- Northeast
Mountain
Central
Atlantic
51
Figure 39. Distribution of vendors that sold only their own products, by region
100%
50 to 99%
1 to 49%
31.5
Northeast
30.9
3.1
Mid-Atlantic
46.1
49.3
22.9
22.9
Southeast
4.9
North Central
41.6
41.3
15.0
2.1
Southwest
49.2
33.9
15.3
1.7
24.4
Rocky
Mountain
34.6
32.9
18.4
2.6
0%
34.9
40.7
0.0
25.6
Far West
0.6
U.S.
38.7
37.5
21.5
2.3
0
50.6
23.1
10
20
30
40
50
60
Percent of vendors that sold their own products
Other common restrictions at farmers markets included controls on the types of product categories that could be
sold at markets, restrictions on selling products produced outside the local area, and controls on the number of
vendors allowed to sell a certain type of product. Markets selling organically labeled products tended to report
controls more frequently on the number of vendors allowed to sell similar types of products at individual markets.
52
Market Self-Sufficiency
The majority of farmers markets appear to be well on the road to financial self-sufficiency. Nearly half (46.5 percent)
of surveyed market managers reported their markets were economically self-sufficient and depended exclusively on
vendor fees to pay the market’s operating expenses (Figure 40). As one might expect, farmers markets that have
been in business longer tend to be more financially secure than younger markets; only 32 percent of markets fewer
than 5 years old consider themselves to be economically self-sufficient, compared with 59 percent of markets in
business 20 years or longer.
The top three funding sources for farmers markets that were not self-sufficient were vendor fees, city or county
governments, and non-profit organizations. Younger markets reported greater dependence on external sources
of funding than older markets; non-self-sufficient markets fewer than 5 years old derived only 40 percent of their
budgets, on average, from vendor fees, while non-self-sufficient markets in business for 20 years or more were able
to fund 57 percent of their budgets, on average, with vendor fees (Figure 40).
Figure 40. Percentage of self-sustaining farmers markets, by age of market
70
60
Percent
50
55.1
58.6
46.5
39.5
40
32.0
30
20
10
0
All ages
0-4 years
5-9 years
10-19 years 20 years and
older
53
Given the apparent importance of vendor fees to market finances, it’s not surprising the vast majority of markets
nationwide charge vendors fees for selling privileges. Eighty-six percent of surveyed market managers charged
participating vendors some type of fee at their markets. The top three fee types imposed by farmers markets were
a flat fee (76.4 percent), a membership fee (26.4 percent), and a calculated fee based on a percentage of vendor
sales (13 percent). The percentage use of types of fees can be seen in Figure 41.
Figure 41. Markets’ use of fee types, in percent15
90
80
76.4
70
Percent
60
50
40
30
26.4
20
13.0
12.0
Percentage of
sales
Other
10
0
Flat
Membership
15. Some markets use a combination of fee type, so the sum of percentages exceeds 100 percent.
54
Figure 42. Percentage of non-sustaining markets, by funding source and age
Other
Trade or business association
Farmers market association
State government agency
Non-profit
City/county municipal government
Producer/vendor fees
2.5
20 years and older
6.72
5.0
5.6
6.4
3.9
10-19 years
3.2
4.7
4.6
5-9 years
16.8
9.49
7.8
14.2
12.7
8.2
0
10.4
15.4
46.0
18.02
14.5
13.4
39.9
12.23
4.2
5.4
5.5
All markets
48.8
10.67
4.7
4.4
5.2
Less than 5 years
57.0
11.6
10
14.6
46.5
20
30
40
50
60
Percent
55
Market Management
One distinguishing feature of the farmers markets industry is a continued heavy reliance on volunteer labor. Only 39
percent of surveyed market managers reported their markets hired paid managers, and only 22 percent reported
hiring other paid employees to carry out market functions. The percentage of farmers markets with paid managers
varied widely across regions, from a low of 27 percent in the Southwest region to a high of 65 percent in the Far
West region (Figure 43).
Salaries of paid market managers varied considerably depending on market location. The nationwide average
annual salary reported for paid market managers was $14,323, ranging from a high of $21,913 in the Mid-Atlantic
region to a low of $8,864 in the Rocky Mountain region (Figure 44).
Figure 43. Paid employees versus volunteers at farmers markets, by region
Volunteer workers only
Paid employees and market manager
Paid market manager only
Northeast
53.8
16.6
29.2
Mid-Atlantic
51.0
28.0
Southeast
44.3
18.8
North Central
38.8
61.6
15.7
Southwest
29.8
54.2
17.2
Rocky Mountain
52.4
27.1
64.7
24.7
46.5
Far West
U.S.
10
20
65.3
58.5
22.4
0
39.3
30
40
Percent
56
74.1
45.6
50
60
70
80
Figure 44. Number of paid employees versus volunteers, by region
2.0
Northeast
Volunteers (median)
5.0
7.6
3.3
4.0
2.0
Mid-Atlantic
Volunteers (mean)
5.7
3.2
Paid employees (mean)
6.0
2.0
Southeast
Paid employees (median)
10.1
3.3
4.0
1.0
North Central
7.6
2.5
5.0
2.5
Southwest
8.8
5.9
4.0
1.0
Rocky Mountain
8.2
2.4
4.0
2.0
Far West
8.7
3.5
5.0
2.0
U.S.
7.9
3.2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Number of employees
57
Figure 45. Average annual salary of market managers, by region
Northeast
$9,732
Mid-Atlantic
$21,913
Southeast
$15,995
North Central
$14,276
Southwest
$16,323
Rocky Mountain
$8,864
Far West
$13,676
U.S.
$14,323
$0
$5,000
$10,000
$15,000
$20,000
$25,000
Dollars
Differences Between Markets with Paid Managers and Unpaid Managers
Nationally, markets with paid management reported higher monthly market sales. Markets with paid managers
reported average sales of $56,375 per month and median sales of $22,641 per month. Markets without paid
managers reported average market sales of $11,059 and median sales of $4,000 per month (Figure 46). Both
average and median sales of all markets with paid managers were five times that of markets without paid managers.
However, just looking at average or median sales of markets that did and did not use paid managers can conceal the
sales levels at which markets hire paid management. To examine the data in more detail, we grouped the markets
into four categories: markets with monthly sales of less than $2,500 per month (24.9 percent of all markets),
markets with monthly sales between $2,500 to $6,999 (21.5 percent), markets with monthly sales between $7,000
and $22,999 (24.9 percent), and markets with monthly sales of $23,000 or higher (28.7 percent). The direct
relationship between the annual sales levels of markets and the likelihood that a paid manager was retained to
operate the market can be seen in Figures 48 and 49.
58
Comparison across these sales groups reveals the highest-tier markets used paid market managers more frequently.
Seasonal markets with monthly market sales of $23,000 or more reported 48.4 percent had paid managers,
compared with 11.0 percent of market managers in the sales group without paid management. The next lower sales
group (markets with $7,000 to $22,999 in monthly sales), reported about the same monthly sales from markets
with and without paid management. This sales group appears to be the tipping point; the percentage of paid
managers is roughly the same as the percentage of markets that did not have paid managers. Twenty-six percent
had paid managers and 23.5 percent did not have paid managers in this sales group.
Seasonal markets with monthly sales in the bottom two tiers reported fewer paid managers. In the $2,500 to
$6,999 monthly sales group, 16.8 percent reported having paid market managers and 27.1 percent reported they
did not. In the less than $2,500 per month sales group, 8.4 percent of managers reported paid managers and 38.6
percent of markets reported no paid managers. Seasonal and year-round markets displayed a similar pattern as all
markets; they can be seen in Figures 48 and 49.
Figure 46. Farmers market monthly sales at markets with paid managers, unpaid managers, and all markets
All markets without paid manager
All markets
All markets with paid manager
$4,000
Median market sales per
month
$8,333
$22,641
$11,059
Average market sales per
month
$31,923
$56,375
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
Dollars
59
Figure 47. Farmers market monthly sales at markets with paid managers, unpaid managers, and year-round markets
Year-round markets without paid manager
All year-round markets
Year-round markets with paid manager
$8,333
Median market sales per
month
$20,833
$37,521
$19,531
Average market sales per
month
$69,497
$90,262
$0
$20,000
$40,000
$60,000
Dollars
60
$80,000
$100,000
Figure 48. Distribution of seasonal farmers markets with paid and unpaid managers, by sales categories, in percent
Seasonal markets without paid manager
All seasonal markets
Seasonal markets with paid manager
10.8
$23,000 or More
25.3
48.4
Monthly sales
23.5
$7,000-$22,999
25.5
26.5
27.1
$2,500-$6,999
23.0
16.8
38.6
Less than $2,500
26.2
8.4
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Percent
Figure 49. Distribution of year-round farmers markets with paid and unpaid managers, in percent
Year-round market without paid manager
All year-round markets
Year-round market with paid manager
27.3
$23,000 or More
46.6
53.8
Monthly sales
27.3
$7,000-$22,999
21.6
21.2
18.2
$2,500-$6,999
13.6
11.5
27.3
Less than $2,500
18.2
13.5
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Percent
61
Table 8. Farmers market monthly sales at markets with paid and unpaid managers
U.S.
Paid manager
Unpaid manager
Mean
$31,923
$56,375
$11,059
Median
$8,333
$22,641
$4,000
Less than $2,500
24.9
9.7
37.8
$2,500 to $6,999
21.5
15.5
26.4
$7,000 to $22,999
24.9
25.1
23.7
More than $23,000
28.7
49.8
12.0
Market sales per month (dollars)
Monthly sales by categories (percent)
Assistance Needs
Managers were asked to rank the relative importance of 11 issues that could improve the operation of their market.
Farmers market managers across the country consistently reported the same top three priorities in terms of needed
market improvements, regardless of the geographic location of the market. The top three operational issues
reported in greatest need of improvement are support for market advertising/publicity, strategies for overcoming low
customer attendance, and strategies for boosting vendor sales (Figure 50).
Market managers in the Far West and Mid-Atlantic regions list the same fourth and fifth most important operational
concerns: availability of customer parking and business planning assistance, respectively. Restroom access and
business planning assistance were the fourth and fifth operational concerns of managers in the Rocky Mountain
and Southeast regions, respectively. In the Southwest and Northeast regions, managers had the same concerns as
62
managers in the Rocky Mountain and Southeast regions but ranked them in the opposite order: business planning
assistance was ranked fourth and restroom access was ranked fifth. Managers in the North Central region ranked
availability of customer parking fourth and restroom access as fifth. All regions ranked business planning assistance
either their fourth or fifth issue, except for market managers in the North Central region.
Market managers were also asked to rank their highest priorities for market assistance. As with responses to the
question about needed operational improvements, managers across the country expressed similar concerns. The
leading marketing assistance need was support/funding for market advertising and publicity, followed closely by
support/funding for local food promotion campaigns (Figure 51). Market managers in every region ranked market
advertising and publicity assistance and local food promotions as either their top or second most important
marketing assistance need. In the Southwest, North Central, and Southeast regions, market managers ranked
assistance with market advertising and publicity as their top pick and local food promotion campaigns as their
second most important marketing assistance need. Managers in the Far West, Rocky Mountain, Mid-Atlantic, and
Northeast regions ranked local food promotion campaigns and assistance with market advertising and publicity as
their first and second choices.
All regions except for the Mid-Atlantic region had targeting customers as their third or fourth priority for marketing
assistance. In the Far West, Southwest, and Southeast regions market managers ranked merchandising and
displays, targeting customers, and customer demographics as their third, fourth and fifth priorities for marketing
assistance. Managers in the North Central and Northeast ranked their priorities very similarly, switching their third
and fourth priority, ranking targeting customers, merchandising, and displays and customer demographics as their
third, fourth, and fifth priorities. Rocky Mountain region market managers ranked targeting customers, customer
demographics, and merchandising and displays as their third, fourth, and fifth priorities. Mid-Atlantic region market
managers ranked customer demographics, merchandising and displays, and targeting customers as their third,
fourth, and fifth priorities.
63
Figure 50. Top operational concerns of farmers markets, by region16
Restroom access
Business planning
Availability of customer parking
Low sales per vendor
Low customer attendance
Advertising and publicity
34.7
38.1
33.6
Northeast
53.8
34.1
37.0
37.7
Mid-Atlantic
69.7
72.6
58.8
69.9
50.0
48.0
45.7
Southeast
67.4
37.7
37.1
41.0
North
Central
38.2
24.6
Southwest
Rocky
Mountain
65.1
10
20
30
74.1
76.5
73.2
79.3
37.8
37.5
63.0
54.3
56.9
37.8
38.6
39.9
0
84.8
45.5
33.3
33.8
U.S.
79.4
63.0
26.5
Far West
76.5
40
74.1
69.7
61.7
50
60
74.1
73.0
70
78.8
77.0
80
90
Percent
16. Respondents could select multiple issues. These figures represent the percentage of respondents who considered these issues important, very
important, or extremely important.
64
Figure 51. Marketing assistance needs of farmers markets, by region17
Business plan development
Merchandising and displays
Local food promotion
Customer demographics
Targeting customers
Advertising and publicity
51.1
54.7
56.2
Northeast
62.0
42.7
58.0
Mid-Atlantic
81.0
79.5
65.4
63.4
51.2
75.0
72.6
64.8
70.2
67.2
Southeast
44.6
North
Central
48.9
59.9
63.5
50.0
75.0
60.4
Southwest
66.0
39.5
Rocky
Mountain
57.5
56.6
42.1
Far West
54.1
77.4
67.5
80.5
73.6
80.0
U.S.
0
20
40
55.6
63.0
61.5
60
61.3
63.9
89.1
78.3
77.4
76.3
45.6
86.7
81.6
77.6
81.0
80
100
Percent
17. Respondents could select multiple issues. These figures represent the percentage of respondents who consider these issues important, very
important, or extremely important.
65
Participation in Federal Nutrition Programs
Many farmers markets participated in a variety of federally funded nutrition programs designed to enhance access
to fresh fruits and vegetables for households at risk of food insecurity. Two of these programs, the Senior Farmers
Market Nutrition program (SFMNP) and the Women, Infants, and Children Farmers Market Nutrition Program (WIC
FMNP), provide vouchers—redeemable exclusively at farmers markets—to help subsidize purchases of fresh fruits
and vegetables by low-income seniors and recipients of WIC benefits. Eligible participants in the WIC FMNP are
women, infants (more than 4 months old), and children certified to receive WIC program benefits or who are on
a waiting list for WIC certification. They may use their WIC FMNP coupons to purchase fresh, unprepared fruits,
vegetables, and herbs. Because the number of allowable items can be restricted by each State, the range of
available items varies, and may affect regional redemption levels. To qualify for WIC, applicants’ income must be at
or below 185 percent of the U.S. Poverty Income Guidelines.18
Participants in the SFMNP are low-income seniors, generally defined as individuals at least 60 years old with
household incomes not to exceed 185 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines. (Some State agencies accept proof
of participation or enrollment in another means-tested program, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program), for SFMNP eligibility.19 )
In addition to these two programs that specifically promote purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers
markets, an increasing number of farmers markets are acquiring EBT capabilities (some used in combination with a
debit/credit card terminal) that enables SNAP participants to use their benefits at farmers markets. To be eligible for
SNAP benefits, households may have no more than $2,000 in countable resources, such as a bank account ($3,000
if at least one person in the household is age 60 or older or is disabled), and the gross monthly income of most
households must be 130 percent or less of Federal poverty guidelines. Net monthly income must be 100 percent or
less of Federal poverty guidelines. SNAP participants can buy food, except for hot foods or foods that can be eaten
in the store.20
While all these nutrition programs have had some positive influence on farmers markets sales, the degree of impact
varies considerably by program. Managers reported the WIC FMNP program contributed more to vendor sales than
any other federally funded nutrition program, reflecting that market participation rates in the WIC FMNP program
exceed current participation rates in any other nutrition program. The participation rate of surveyed farmers markets
in WIC FMNP reported in 2005 was 60.7 percent, ranging from a high of 87.9 percent in the Northeast region to
a low of 35.8 percent in the Rocky Mountain region (Figure 52). Average monthly sales generated by WIC FMNP
vouchers at each participating market site were $1,744 per month, ranging from a high of $2,528 per month in the
Northeast region to a low of $1,037 in the North Central region (Figure 53).
18.
19.
20.
66
Figure 52. Women, Infants, and Children’s Farmers Market Nutrition Program participation, by region, in percent
100
87.9
78.1
80
Percent
65.6
60.7
60
54.0
53.4
48.5
40
35.8
20
0
U.S.
Far West
Rocky
Mountain
Southwest
North
Central
Southeast Mid-Atlantic Northeast
Figure 53. Average monthly value of farmers markets’ Women, Infants, and Children’s
Farmers Market Nutrition Program sales, by region
Northeast
$2,528
Mid-Atlantic
$1,813
Southeast
$1,892
North Central
$1,037
Southwest
$1,802
Rocky Mountain
$1,647
Far West
$1,841
U.S.
$1,744
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
Dollars
67
The participation of surveyed farmers markets in the SFMNP during 2005 was 45.4 percent nationally, ranging from
a high of 72.5 percent in the Far West region to a low of 10.7 percent in the Southwest region (Figure 54). Monthly
sales from redeemed SFMNP vouchers averaged $1,004 per market site, and varied across regions from a high of
$1,409 per month in the Southeast region to a low of $583 in the Southwest region (Figure 55).
Figure 54. Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program participation, by region, in percent
80
72.5
69.1
Percent
60
48.8
45.4
44.4
38.8
40
20
13.6
10.7
0
U.S.
68
Far West
Rocky Southwest
Mountain
North
Central
Southeast
MidAtlantic
Northeast
Figure 55. Average monthly value of Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program sales, by region
Northeast
$1,177
Mid-Atlantic
$710
Southeast
$1,409
North Central
$901
Southwest
$583
Rocky
Mountain
$773
Far West
$804
U.S.
$1,004
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
Dollars
Redemptions of food stamp nutrition benefits via EBT terminals in 2005 lagged far behind the level of participation
in the WIC FMNP and SFMNP. Only 6.8 percent of surveyed market managers reported their market accepted food
stamps for fresh food purchases, and on a regional basis, the use of EBT terminals to accept food stamps at farmers
markets ranges from a low of zero in the Southwest region to a high of 15.9 percent in the Far West region (Figure
56). Consequently, average monthly market sales generated by food stamps averaged only $279 per market site
nationwide (Figure 57). The limited food stamp benefits via EBT terminals at farmers markets may reflect in part
the rather steep investment cost required to acquire and install a wireless EBT terminal (in the range of $1,000–
$1,500), the ongoing maintenance costs and transaction fees involved in operating the terminal, and the complex
certification and training required. (To help farmers markets enhance their ability to redeem food stamp benefits,
Congress recently authorized AMS to set aside 10 percent of Farmers Market Promotion Program funds to help
markets acquire wireless EBT terminals.)
69
Figure 56. Farmers markets utilizing electronic benefits transfer program, by region, in percent
20
15.9
15.6
Percent
15
10
8.5
6.8
4.8
5
3.1
0.7
0.0
0
U.S.
Far West
Rocky Southwest North Southeast
MidMountain
Central
Atlantic
Northeast
Figure 57. Average monthly value of electronic benefits transfer sales at farmers markets, by region
Northeast
$182
Mid-Atlantic
$42
Southeast
$0
North Central
$237
Southwest
$0
Rocky Mountain
$135
Far West
$437
U.S.
$279
$0
$100
$200
$300
Dollars
70
$400
$500
Gleaning at Farmers Markets
Market participation rates in gleaning or food donation programs averaged 23.9 percent nationally and ranged from
a high of 42.1 percent in the Far West to a low of 14.0 percent in the Southeast (Figure 58). The average value of
gleaned products was $825 per month nationally and ranged from a high of $2,239 in the Southeast region to a low
of $193 per month in the Rocky Mountain region (Figure 59).
Figure 58. Farmers market participation in food gleaning, by region
60
42.1
Percent
40
26.8
23.9
27.7
21.3
20
16.9
17.5
14.0
0
U.S.
Far West
Rocky Southwest North Southeast Mid- Northeast
Mountain
Central
Atlantic
71
Figure 59. Average value of food gleaned from farmers markets per month, by region
Northeast
$596
Mid-Atlantic
$529
Southeast
$207
North Central
$344
Southwest
$1,232
Rocky Mountain
$193
Far West
$1,427
U.S.
$825
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
Dollars
Influence of Market Age on Market Performance
Young markets are just starting to establish themselves; they are becoming known in their communities and
attempting to build clienteles. Sales of young markets vary greatly. The difference in sales levels of younger markets
begs the question, how do young markets in these sales groups differ? Comparing the characteristics of young
markets with monthly sales of less than $2,500 a month to young markets selling “$2,500 to $6,999,” “$7,000 to
$22,999,” and “$23,000 and greater” may reveal strategies markets can use to enhance success. A comparison of
young markets by sales categories can be seen in Table 9. By examining newly established markets across monthly
sales categories, as shown in Appendix 5, we see that younger markets with higher level of sales:
■
■
■
■
72
Conduct more consumer surveys and make greater efforts to know their customers.
Offer more diversity in products, suggesting the importance of ample product assortment.
Were more likely to have paid market managers.
Tend to be in more densely populated urban areas.
Table 9. Monthly sales and distribution of sales at farmers markets, by years of operation and market sales level
All markets
Less than 5
years old
5-9 years
10-19 years
20 years or
older
Total monthly market sales
Mean
$31,923
$15,078
$26,886
$29,292
$58,269
Median
$8,333
$5,280
$6,730
$8,333
$20,167
Average market sales per month (percent)
Less than $2,500
24.9
31.6
22.5
23.0
19.4
$2,500 - $6,999
21.5
23.2
27.9
21.6
13.9
$7,000 - $22,999
24.9
29.0
22.5
29.5
18.8
$23,000 and higher
28.7
16.1
27.0
25.9
47.9
Established Markets versus Younger Markets
Monthly market sales reported by the most well-established markets in the survey population (markets operating for
20 years or more) were predictably higher than at much younger markets (markets operating for less than 5 years).
Almost 32 percent of younger markets reported average monthly sales of less than $2,500 a month, the dominant
category for younger markets. In contrast, the most well established markets operating 20 years or more typically
had monthly sales of $23,000 or more; 47.9 percent of established markets were in this sales category (Table
9). As markets age, mean and median monthly market sales seem to increase in a linear fashion (Table 9). The
number of vendors, average number of weekly customers and percentage of vendors with annual gross revenues of
$10,000 or more also appear to increase linearly as markets age (Table 10). It is important to keep in mind that at
every age level the percentage of vendors with sales of more than $10,000 is small. The percentage ranges from a
low of 8.7 percent for markets that are less than 5 years old to a high of 23.3 percent for markets 20 years or older.
Conversely, this means that while a few vendors are generating sales of more than $10,000 a year per market, 85
percent of vendors at markets of all ages generate revenues of less than $10,000 annually per market.
73
Table 10. Number of vendors, customers, and sales, by years in operation (all markets)
All markets
Less than 5
years old
5-9 years
10-19 years
20 years or
older
31
22
27
32
44
Average number of
customers per week
959
430
558
985
1,944
Percentage of vendors that
generate gross revenues of
$10,000 or more per year
15.0
8.7
13.7
17.0
23.3
Average number of vendors
Comparison of markets of different vendor size categories across age groupings gives a hint of how markets change
as they age. It appears that markets tend to have more vendors as markets get older. Comparison of these four size
groups can be seen in Figure 60. The largest size category of markets in the United States, regardless of market
age, is the “20–39 vendor” category, but the number of vendors per market varies greatly in different age groups.
Managers of markets in operation for less than 5 years reported that 36.4 percent of their markets had fewer than
10 vendors, while managers from markets in business between 5 and 9 years reported the most even distribution
across all vendor size categories, ranging from “40 or more vendors” (19.4 percent) to “20–39 vendors” (28.6
percent). Markets in operation between 10 and 19 years generally fell into the “10–19 vendors” and the “20–39
vendors” categories, with 27.8 and 35.2 percent of markets corresponding to these categories, respectively. Markets
in operation 20 years or more featured the largest percentage of markets with “20–39 vendors” or “40 vendors or
more,” accounting for 29.0 and 34.9 percent of all markets in this age group, respectively.
74
Figure 60. Distribution of farmers markets, by number of vendors and years of operation, in percent
40 or more vendors
10-19 vendors
20-39 vendors
Less than 10 vendors
34.9
20 years and
older
29.0
22.5
13.7
20.1
35.2
10-19 years
27.8
16.9
19.4
28.6
5-9 years
25.8
26.2
13.6
Less than 5
years
26.2
23.8
36.4
21.8
29.0
All ages
25.3
23.9
0
10
20
30
40
Percent
75
Influence of Population Density on Market Performance
Comparison of markets with strong sales to markets with weak sales suggests the population density of a location
is an important influence in market performance. Young markets in densely populated areas consistently had better
sales than those in less densely populated areas. Seventy-five percent of markets with sales between $7,000
and $22,999 and 92 percent of markets with sales of $23,000 and greater were located in densely populated
metropolitan counties, compared with 55 percent of markets with monthly sales of less than $2,500 and 44 percent
of markets with sales between $2,500 and $6,999 (Table 11).
Table 11. Comparison of markets less than 5 years old, by monthly sales and degree of urbanicity
Monthly Sales
76
Rural-urban
continuum code
U.S.
Less than
$2,500
$2,500
to
$6,999
$7,000
to
$22,999
$23,000
or greater
1
35.6
28.6
22.2
31.8
68.0
2
14.0
8.2
13.9
11.1
16.0
3
14.3
18.4
8.3
31.8
8.0
4
7.0
10.2
8.3
6.8
0.0
5
5.5
4.1
11.1
9.1
8.0
6
11.1
16.3
16.7
6.8
0.0
7
5.0
0.0
5.6
2.3
0.0
8
3.8
10.2
5.6
0.0
0.0
9
3.8
4.1
8.3
0.0
0.0
Densely populated market locations also appeared to influence whether vendors choose to extend their marketing
season. Only 57.4 percent of markets open for less than 7 months were located in urban counties, yet 80 percent
of markets open 7 months or more and 86.7 percent of year-round markets were in urban counties.21 Location
appears to have a significant influence on the marketing decisions of vendors (Table 12).
Table 12. Comparison of markets open less than 7 months versus year-round markets, by degree of urbanicity
Rural-urban
continuum code
U.S.
Markets open
less than 7
months
Markets open
7 months or
more
Markets open
year-round
1
32.2
27.9
43.0
51.3
2
16.9
15.9
14.0
24.1
3
13.7
13.5
23.0
11.4
4
8.1
9.2
6.0
2.5
5
4.4
5.0
2.0
3.2
6
10.9
11.7
9.0
5.7
7
8.7
10.9
1.0
0.0
8
2.3
2.7
0.0
1.3
9
2.8
3.1
2.0
0.6
21. Urban counties have a rural-urban continuum code of 1, 2, or 3. See Appendix 2: Rural-Urban Continuum Codes for the definition of rural-urban continuum
codes.
77
Implications of Analysis for
Market Managers
Farmers markets continue to be an important and rapidly growing segment of the agricultural sector. Nevertheless,
growth in farmers market numbers, although still increasing, is continuing at a slower pace. The reduction in the
growth rate of farmers markets may indicate that farmers markets are approaching a saturation point. Newly
established markets have not been able to generate the economic activity of older markets, raising questions about
whether current levels of growth are sustainable.
There appear to be regional differences in the revenue potential of farmers markets. Vendors in the Far West,
Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast regions had the largest percentage of vendors with sizable annual sales revenues,
suggesting the most profitable farmers markets were located on the coasts. These regions reported 12.4 percent,
16.1 percent, and 6.7 percent of their vendors, respectively, had annual sales of $25,000 or more. In comparison,
the Rocky Mountain and North Central regions reported 1.2 percent and 2.9 percent of vendors had annual sales of
$25,000 or more. The national mean and median annual sales per vendor per market reported by market managers
were $7,035 and $2,222, respectively. Market managers reported that 71.4 percent of vendors at their farmers
markets had annual sales of $5,000 or less per market, indicating only a few vendors at a given market have sizable
annual sales revenues.
There may be ways organizers of new farmers markets can compensate for these trends. Market organizers may
want to be more discriminating in their selection of locations for new markets. Organizers selecting a location for
a new market should consider densely populated or heavily trafficked areas that would provide a sufficient number
of customers for the new market without drawing customers from existing farmers markets. Our study found that
markets with higher sales most frequently were located in densely populated, usually urban, areas. In addition,
market managers reported that more than half of farmers market customers (58 percent) lived within 5 miles of the
market, and 80 percent within 10 miles.
Another recommendation to organizers of new markets would be to make an active effort to know their customers.
Young markets (those that have been in business 5 years or less) that conducted consumer surveys reported higher
sales than other markets in the same age category, suggesting these markets did a better job of learning the needs
and preferences of their customers. Young markets with higher sales levels also had more diversified product
offerings and employed paid market managers more often. As new markets start to compete for customers, market
managers may have to allocate resources to target and attract customers to their markets successfully.
The presence of organic products at farmers markets seems to operate as a driver of consumer spending, especially
in urban locations. Customers in urban areas expressed a preference for organic products that boosted market
sales. Furthermore, markets that sold organic products reported more customers per week, more vendors, and
larger monthly sales. Seventy-one percent of farmers markets that sold organic products were located in urban
areas22 compared with 55.3 percent of markets that didn’t offer organic products.
Market organizers may also consider extending their marketing season to the longest timespan they can support.
Markets that operated 7 months or more reported almost twice the number of vendors, almost 3 times the amount
of sales revenue per month, and almost twice the number of customers per week, compared with markets open for
6 months or less. The higher level of performance of these markets may be due to the availability of fresh products
22. Urban means that the market was located in a location that had a rural-to-urban continuum code of 1, 2 or 3. Rural-to-urban continuum code is
defined in Appendix 2: Rural-Urban Continuum Codes.
78
early and late in the growing season, which can command higher prices because fresh local products can’t be found
elsewhere, or by the availability of more value-added shelf-stable products. Markets open for longer portions of the
year also seem to create stronger bonds with their customers, resulting in more customers incorporating market
visits into their routine shopping patterns. It is interesting to note that as of December 2008, 747 of the 4,668
markets listed in the National Directory of Farmers Markets operated during winter months (October 1 through
March 31). This represents 16 percent of all markets listed. Two hundred forty-one seasonal markets operated
during winter months—about one-third of all markets operating in winter.
When extending your market season, you may find that incremental changes yield favorable results and cost less to
operate than a year-round facility. Markets open 7 months or more reported an average of 51 vendors, $57,290 in
monthly market sales, and served 942 customers weekly. In comparison, year-round markets reported an average
of 58 vendors, had monthly market sales of $69,497, and served 3,578 customers weekly. Even though year-round
markets reported 4 times the number of weekly customers than markets open 7 months or more, they reported only
13.7 percent more vendors and 21.3 percent greater sales revenue.
Establishing a successful farmers market requires careful planning and coordination between farmers and vendors
to ensure a dependable supply of a variety of products, knowledge of local customer preferences, coordination
with town and/or city leaders, advice from local extension agents, and the involvement of local business leaders.
Markets should be convenient to their potential customers so trips to the market are easily incorporated into routine
shopping patterns. Market mangers should take advantage of direct contact with customers by actively seeking
customer feedback and then reflect those preferences in the length of the market season, the days of operation,
and the products offered. In addition, managers of markets should remain responsive to the needs and demands of
customers and the community and be flexible, creative, and resourceful.
79
Appendix 1: Regional Definitions
Far West
Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington
Rocky Mountain
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming
Southwest
Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas
North Central
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota,
Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
Southeast
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina,
and Tennessee
Mid-Atlantic
Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and
West Virginia
Northeast
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island,
and Vermont
80
Appendix 2: Rural-Urban Continuum
Codes
Metro counties
1
Counties in metro areas of 1 million population or more
2
Counties in metro areas of 250,000 to 1 million population
3
Counties in metro areas of fewer than 250,000 population
Non-metro counties
4
Urban population of 20,000 or more, adjacent to a metro area
5
Urban population of 20,000 or more, not adjacent to a metro area
6
Urban population of 2,500 to 19,999, adjacent to a metro area
7
Urban population of 2,500 to 19,999, not adjacent to a metro area
8
Completely rural or less than 2,500 urban population, adjacent to a metro area
9
Completely rural or less than 2,500 urban population, not adjacent to a metro area
81
Appendix 3: Survey Questionnaire
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE
FARMERS MARKET QUESTIONNAIRE -- 2006
OMB 0581-0169
NAME OF MARKET
________________________________________________________________
STREET ADDRESS
(including county)
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
MAILING ADDRESS
(if different from above)
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
NAME OF PERSON COMPLETING SURVEY
TITLE
DATE
TELEPHONE NUMBER
(including area code)
FACSIMILE NUMBER
(including area code)
E-MAIL ADDRESS
MARKET WEBSITE ADDRESS
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
PART 1 -- MARKET OPERATIONS
1. Including 2005, how many years has your market been in operation?
_______ Years
___ Yes
___ No
2. Is your market open year-round?
If your answer to question 2 was no, what are your months of operation?
From _____________
3. What was the total annual revenue from producer/vendor sales at your market in
2005? (Please estimate if you do no know the exact figure.)
82
To _____________
$_____________
4. On average in 2005, what percentage of market sales were generated by
the following types of market patrons?
Retail sales? (direct to consumers)
_____________%
Wholesale sales? (restaurants, businesses, and/or
institutions)
5. How many producers/vendors participated at your market in 2005?
(Do not count return visits)
+ _____________%
100%
_____________
6. Please indicate if the following products were sold at your market in 2005, and the
number of producers/vendors who sold these products.
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Milk and/or dairy products
Meat and/or poultry products
Fish and/or seafood
Herbs, flowers, and plants
Honey, nuts, jams, jellies, and preserves
Baked goods
Prepared food
(for immediate consumption)
Other processed foods
Crafts/woodworking
Other (please specify):
__________________________________
Yes
No
Number of
producers/vendors
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___
___
___
___
___
___
___________
___________
___________
___
___
___________
7. Were there any organically labeled items available at your market during 2005?
___ Yes
___ No
83
8. If your answer to question 7 was yes, please indicate whether the following
organically labeled items were sold at your market in 2005, and the number of
producers/vendors who sold these products.
Organic fresh fruits and vegetables
Organic milk and/or dairy products
Organic meat and/or poultry products
Organic herbs, flowers, and plants
Organic honey, jams, and jellies
Organic prepared food
(for immediate consumption)
Other organic processed foods
Other (please specify):
__________________________________
Yes
No
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
Number of
producers/vendors
___________
___________
___________
___________
___________
___
___
___
___
___________
___________
___
___
___________
9. Do producers/vendors at your market use labels other than organic to sell
products?
___ Yes
If yes, which of the following labels do they use?
___ Locally grown
___ Natural
___ Pasture-raised/free range
___ Chemical-free/pesticide-free
___ Hormone-free/antibiotic-free
Other (please specify):
__________________________________
10. Please rank the top three most important reasons why you believe customers
shopped at your market in 2005. (Please select three items, and rank them 1 to 3,
with 1 being the most important.)
___ Price
___ Freshness and condition of product
___ Taste and texture of product
___ Support of local agriculture
___ Variety of products offered
___ Access to locally produced food
___ Ability to know how food products are produced
___ Other (please specify):
__________________________________
84
___ No
11. The following statements address market restrictions.
Yes
No
Agricultural producers are allowed to sell farm products
they produce themselves at your market.
___
___
Producers are allowed to resell other producers’ farm
products.
___
___
Producers can sell farm products from outside the local
area.
___
___
The range of items that can be sold at your market (e.g.,
meat, eggs, fish/seafood) is limited.
___
___
Product mix at your market is controlled by limiting
producers/vendors of the same community.
___
___
PART 2 -- MARKET MANAGEMENT
12. Does your market operate in a permanent facility?
13. How large was the total are of your market in 2005? (Include parking,
administrative areas, retail sales, etc.)
Please select one of the units of measure below and fill
in the blank.
__________ sq. ft.
___ Yes
-or-
14. What was your market’s annual operating budget in 2005?
15. Please check any of the following methods of advertising that your market
currently uses. For each item that you check, please circle the appropriate number to
indicate the effectiveness of that method.
Not
Effective
___ Newspaper
1
2
___ Radio
1
2
___ Television
1
2
___ Brochures/flyers
1
2
___ Direct mail
1
2
___ Newsletter
1
2
___ Signs/banners on market day
1
2
___ Other (please specify):
1
2
______________________________
___ No
__________ acres
$_____________
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Very
Effective
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
3
4
5
85
16. How much did your market spend on advertising in 2005?
$_____________
17. Does your market conduct periodic customer surveys to assess customer
preferences?
___ Yes
___ No
18. Was your market economically self-sustaining in 2005? (i.e., was market income
sufficient to pay for all costs associated with operating the market)
___ Yes
___ No
19. How did your market finance its operations in 2005? (Please indicate the
percentage provided by each funding source next to the appropriate label; the total
percentage from all sources should add up to 100%)
_____ Producer/vendor fees
_____ State government agency
_____ City/county municipal government agency
_____ Nonprofit organization
_____ Farmer market association
_____ Trade or business association (e.g., Chamber of Commerce)
_____ Other (please specify): __________________________________
100%
20. Are producers/vendors charged a fee to sell at your market?
___ Yes
If yes, please indicate the types of fees used by your
market.
___ Flat rate
___ Percentage of sales
___ Farm inspection fee
___ Membership fee
___ Other (please specify):
__________________________________
21. Is your market manage or the person who is in charge of your market a paid
employee?
If yes, what is the annual salary of your market
manager?
86
___ Yes
___ No
___ No
$_____________
22. Please indicate the work status of your market manager.
___ Part-time seasonal
___ Part-time year-round
___ Full-time seasonal
___ Full-time year-round
23. Including your market manager:
How many full-time seasonal workers does your market
employ?
___________
How many full-time year-round workers does your
market employ?
___________
How many part-time seasonal workers does your market
employ?
___________
How many part-time year-round workers does your
market employ?
___________
How many volunteers work at your market?
___________
24. Who develops rules, regulations, and producer/vendor criteria for your market?
___ State government agency
___ City/county or municipal government agency
___ Producer/vendor-operated Board of Directors
___ Community association/non-profit organization
___ Market manager
___ Other (please specify): _________________________________________________
87
25. Which of the following operational issues do you believe are in the greatest need of improvement as your
market? (Please select three items and rank them 1-3, with 1 being the most important.)
___ Customer number (low attendance)
___ Low sales per producer/vendor
___ Access to public restrooms
___ Development of business plan for market
___ Liability insurance coverage
___ Parking for customers
___ Tenant agreements/relationships with market tenants
___ Utilities (e.g., electricity, water)
___ Certified processing/kitchen facilities
___ Advertising/publicity
___ Waste management
___ Other (please explain): _________________________________________________
26. What types if market assistance do you believe would help your market’s producers/vendors increase their
sales to consumers? (Please select three items and rank them 1 to 3, with 1 being the most important.)
___ Research on local customer demographics and preference
___ Improvements in layout of facility
___ Renovation of aging facility
___ Training on how to better target consumers
___ Training on business plan development
___ Support/funding for producer/vendor advertising and publicity
___ Training on merchandising/retail displays
___ Support/funding for local food promotion campaigns
___ Other (please explain): _________________________________________________
PART 3 -- PRODUCER/VENDOR INFORMATION
27. How many producers/vendors at your market in 2005 only sold farm products
they produced themselves? (Do not count return visits.)
___________
28. How many producers/vendors used your market as their only outlet to sell farm
products in 2005? (Do not count return visits.)
___________
88
29. Please indicate the number of producers/vendors at your market in 2005, by level of annual sales.
(The sum of these categories should equal your answer to question 5.)
$1 $1,000
$1,001 $5,000
$5,001 $10,000
$10,001 $25,000
$25,001 $50,000
$50,001 $100,000
$100,001+
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
30. What percentage of producers/vendors using your market traveled the following distances in 2005?
(Your answers should equal 100%.)
0 - 10 Miles
11 - 20
Miles
21 - 50
Miles
51 - 100
Miles
101+
Miles
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
31. Approximately what percentage of producers/vendors at your market in 2005 belonged to the following
ethnicity and racial groups?
Ethnicity:
Hispanic or Latino
_____
Not Hispanic or Latino
_____
100%
Race:
American Indian or Alaska Native
_____
Asian
_____
Black or African American
_____
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
_____
White
_____
100%
32. Which of the following statements about your market was MOST true in 2005?
___ We have more demand than supply (we need more producers/vendors)
___ We have more supply than demand (we need more customers)
___ Our supply and demand are roughly equal
89
The following questions pertain to nutrition-related issues:
33. Do producers/vendors at your market participate in the Women, Infants, and
Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program?
___ Yes
If yes, please indicate:
a) How many producers/vendors at your market
participated in the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition
Program in 2005?
________
b) What was the value of WIC Farmers Market Nutrition
Program sales at your market in 2005?
34. Do producers/vendors at yoru market participate in the Senior Farmers Market
Nutrition Program?
$________
___ Yes
If yes, please indicate:
a) How many producers/vendors at your market
participated in EBT food stamp sales in 2005?
___ No
________
b) What was the value of EBT sales at your market in
2005?
90
___ No
________
b) What was the value of Senior Farmers Market
Nutrition Program sales at your market in 2005?
36. Does your market participate in a food “gleaning” or donation program?
$________
___ Yes
If yes, please indicate:
a) How many producers/vendors at your market
participated in the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition
Program in 2005?
35. Do producers/vendors at your market accept food stamps using electronic
benefits? Transfer (EBT) technology?
___ No
$________
___ Yes
___ No
If yes, please indicate:
a) How many pounds of food do you estimate that your
market donated in 2005?
________
b) What is your estimate of the dollar value of the food
that your market donated in 2005?
$________
PART 4 -- CONSUMER INFORMATION
37. On average, how many customers patronized your market each week in 2005?
________
38. How far do customers typically travel to get to your market. (Please indicate the
appropriate percentage for each distance category.)
0 - 5 Miles
________
6 - 10 Miles
________
11 - 20 Miles
________
21 - 50 Miles
________
51+ Miles
________
100%
39. Please list any additional comments you may have below.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to a collection of information, unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this
information collection is 0581-0169. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 19
minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining
the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.
91
Appendix 4: Distribution of All Farmers
Markets, by Sales Categories and RuralUrban Continuum Codes
0.0
0.0
1.9
3.8
1.9
$23,000 and
greater
0.0
7.5
2.9
Between $7,000
and $22,999
5.1
7.3
20.6
20.6
9.5
8.8
Between $2,500
and $6,999
Less than $2,500
5.8
5.0
2.8
2.3
U.S.
4.4
0
30.7
13.3
15.8
6
13.3
9.4
9.4
7
22.5
5
4
17.3
13.7
11.5
3
24.5
2
8.7
8.1
10
1
10.9
13.7
16.9
20
32.2
30
Percent
92
8
7.5
7.5
7.5
8.3
3.6
9
21.9
13.9
4.2
43.8
40
50
Appendix 5: Comparison of Markets Less
than 5 Years Old, by Characteristics
Monthly Sales
U.S.
Less than
$2,500
$2,500
to
$6,999
$7,000
to
$22,999
$23,000
or greater
Number of vendors using the market
Mean
22.3
9.5
17.1
21.0
50.6
Median
15.0
5.0
14.0
19.5
42.0
Number of participating vendors, in percent
Less than 10
36.4
69.4
31.4
17.5
8.0
10 to 19
23.8
20.4
31.4
32.5
28.0
20 to 39
26.2
6.1
34.3
45.0
12.0
40 or greater
13.6
4.1
2.9
5.0
52.0
Percentage of vendors that sold only what they produced
Mean
69.7
79.0
70.1
62.4
62.2
Median
76.9
100.0
66.7
69.1
66.4
Percentage of vendors that sold only what they produce, in level of market participation
0%
2.8
2.0
2.9
7.5
0.0
1 to 49%
20.5
12.2
8.6
27.5
25.0
50 to 99%
39.4
30.6
60.0
40.0
58.3
100%
37.3
55.1
28.6
25.0
16.7
Percentage of vendors that used the market as their sole sales outlet for farm products
Mean
20.5
25.3
22.0
19.0
9.0
Median
8.3
13.3
16.7
10.8
2.5
93
Monthly Sales
U.S.
Less than
$2,500
$2,500
to
$6,999
$7,000
to
$22,999
$23,000
or greater
Distribution of individual vendor sales, by sale level of markets
$1 to $1,000
50.0
71.9
46.4
30.7
15.4
$1,000 to $5,000
31.1
23.1
38.5
36.8
29.3
$5,001 to $10,000
10.2
4.4
9.6
20.5
22.2
$10,001 to $25,000
5.6
0.7
1.9
8.3
21.3
$25,001 to $50,000
1.9
0.0
3.5
0.6
7.5
$50,001 to $100,000
1.0
0.0
0.0
3.0
2.6
$100,001 or Greater
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
1.7
Average number of weekly customers
Mean
429.6
119.3
467.3
589.0
1,290.0
Median
200.0
67.5
150.0
300.0
938.5
Far West
13.9
14.3
16.7
26.7
24.0
Rocky Mountain
10.4
6.1
11.1
6.7
20.0
Southwest
5.5
12.2
13.9
2.2
8.0
North Central
31.6
26.5
30.6
13.3
12.0
Southeast
10.1
18.4
2.8
11.1
8.0
Mid-Atlantic
13.6
4.1
13.9
20.0
12.0
Northeast
14.8
18.4
11.1
20.0
16.0
Distribution of markets, by region
Percentage of vendors selling product, by product type
Fruits and vegetables
42.4
52.9
41.6
35.6
41.3
Milk and/or dairy
1.9
1.8
2.3
1.3
2.3
Meat and/or poultry
4.1
3.3
5.2
4.4
5.0
Fish and/or seafood
0.8
0.4
0.28
1.2
1.2
Herbs, flowers and plants
14.8
13.4
15.0
15.1
12.7
Honey, nuts, jams, jellies and
preserves
9.1
9.1
7.3
9.3
8.5
Baked goods
9.1
6.7
11.4
10.4
7.0
Prepared foods
4.1
3.9
3.1
7.2
3.8
Processed foods
2.4
0.3
3.2
1.8
8.0
Crafts/woodworking
8.4
7.1
7.2
10.2
7.5
Other products
3.1
1.2
3.5
3.6
2.8
94
Monthly Sales
U.S.
Less than
$2,500
$2,500
to
$6,999
$7,000
to
$22,999
$23,000
or greater
Percentage product mix of market, measured by the concentration of fruit and vegetable vendors
0% to 29%
34.2
17.8
31.4
43.6
39.1
30% to 44.99 %
27.6
33.3
34.3
35.9
13.0
45% to 59.99%
18.3
13.3
20.0
12.8
26.1
60% and greater
19.9
35.6
14.3
7.7
21.7
Mean
$766
$197
$367
$1,115
$1,879
Median
$403
$125
$286
$688
$1,531
35.9
15.2
28.6
48.7
63.6
$13,855
$16,700
$12,011
$15,555
$16,266
$5,727
$9,500
$5,000
$7,613
$13,231
Monthly sales per vendor
Percentage of markets with a paid market manager
Average salary of market manager
Mean
Median
Percentage of markets that conduct customer surveys
28.9
37.8
37.1
43.6
50.0
Mean
$10,801
$3,800
$3,860
$21,144
$25,217
Median
$2,000
$450
$2,000
$5,676
$10,368
7.8
16.3
5.6
15.6
4.0
1
35.6
28.6
22.2
31.8
68.0
2
14.0
8.2
13.9
11.1
16.0
3
14.3
18.4
8.3
31.8
8.0
4
7.0
10.2
8.3
6.8
0.0
5
5.5
4.1
11.1
9.1
8.0
6
11.1
16.3
16.7
6.8
0.0
7
5.0
0.0
5.6
2.3
0.0
8
3.8
10.2
5.6
0.0
0.0
9
3.8
4.1
8.3
0.0
0.0
Operating budget of market
Percentage of year round markets
Rural-urban continuum code
95
Appendix 6: Market and Vendor
Characteristics for Markets: Open Less than
7 Months, Open 7 Months or More, and
Year-Round Markets
U.S.
Markets open less
than 7 months
Markets open for 7
months or more
Markets open
year-round
Mean
14.9
12.4
18
29
Median
10.0
9.0
12
15
Years in operation
Years in operation, by age groups (in percent)
0 - 4 years
27.8
29.6
24.5
17.8
5 - 9 years
21.7
22.5
19.4
17.8
10 -19 years
24.4
24.7
24.5
21.7
20 or more years
26.1
23.2
31.6
42.8
Mean
$31,923
$20,770
$57,290
$69,497
Median
$8,333
$6,250
$20,000
$20,833
Average monthly sales
Average monthly sales, grouped (in percent)
Less than $2,500
24.9
26.9
20.8
18.2
$2,500 - $6,999
21.5
24.7
9.4
13.6
$7,000 - $22,999
24.9
25.7
22.6
21.6
$23,000
28.7
22.5
47.6
46.6
Mean
31
25
51
58
Median
20
18
30
35
Less than 10
23.9
26.6
12.5
11.6
10-19
25.3
26.5
20.8
17.0
20-39
29.0
29.7
24.0
30.6
40 or more
21.8
17.2
42.7
40.8
Average number of vendors
Average number of vendors, grouped
96
U.S.
Markets open less
than 7 months
Markets open for 7
months or more
Markets open
year-round
$1-$1,000
44.2
49.2
28.6
26.0
$1,001-$5,000
27.2
29.2
24.7
18.4
$5,001-$10,000
13.6
13.0
19.5
14.0
$10,001-$25,000
8.5
6.1
13.7
19.0
$25,001-$50,000
4.1
2.2
5.7
11.8
$50,001-$100,000
1.8
0.2
6.8
7.3
$100,001 and greater
0.6
0.0
0.9
3.4
Vendor sales categories (in percent)
Average number of weekly customers
Mean
959
565
942
3,578
Median
200
200
450
1,000
Average number of weekly customers, grouped
Less than 100
22.9
26.4
14.1
3.4
100-299
33.1
37.5
17.9
17.2
300-599
19.5
18.2
25.9
22.4
600 and greater
24.5
17.8
42.6
56.9
26.3
33.3
31.6
34.2
54.7
66.9
Percentage that conducted customer surveys
27.6
Percentage of markets that had paid manager
39.3
97
U.S.
Markets open less
than 7 months
Markets open for 7
months or more
Markets open
year-round
13.9
9.5
17.0
39.9
Rocky Mountain
7.4
8.4
3.0
2.5
Southwest
5.0
4.4
7.0
7.6
North Central
36.0
41.2
21.0
12.0
Southeast
11.6
8.8
28.0
20.3
Mid-Atlantic
12.4
11.3
20.0
13.9
Northeast
13.8
16.5
4.0
3.8
Mean
$20,864
$8,119
$25,322
$116,259
Median
$2,000
$1,500
$9,250
$28,000
Percent of markets by regions
Far West
Average operating budget
Average operating budget, grouped
Zero
10.4
11.2
5.7
6.9
$1-$599
20.3
22.9
8.6
6.9
$600-$2,499
22.2
24.6
18.6
3.9
$2,500-$9,999
22.8
25.1
17.1
12.7
$10,000 and greater
24.2
16.2
50.0
69.6
$3,566
$2,291
$3,630
$12,526
$500
$500
$1,500
$2,200
Average advertising expense
Mean
Median
Average advertising expense, grouped
Zero
14.2
14.1
13.6
12.7
$1-$349
25.2
28.4
8.6
14.4
$350-$1,199
24.7
25.7
25.9
15.3
$1,200-$5,199
24.7
24.8
29.6
24.6
$5,200 and greater
11.1
7.0
22.2
33.1
98
U.S.
Markets open less
than 7 months
Markets open for 7
months or more
Markets open
year-round
1
32.2
27.9
43.0
51.3
2
16.9
15.9
14.0
24.1
3
13.7
13.5
23.0
11.4
4
8.1
9.2
6.0
2.5
5
4.4
5.0
2.0
3.2
6
10.9
11.7
9.0
5.7
7
8.7
10.9
1.0
0.0
8
2.3
2.7
0.0
1.3
9
2.8
3.1
2.0
0.6
Rural-urban continuum code
99
Glossary
Average
In common use, the arithmetic mean.
Data trimming
The practice of ignoring atypical data in order to present a more accurate picture of the
distribution. In most cases, a few extreme data points are ignored.
Distribution
The pattern of data points in an x-y coordinal plan.
Likert scale
A device for assigning units of analysis to categories of a variable. It is often used to
measure the internal states of people’s attitudes, emotions, and orientations.
Mean
A value computed by dividing the sum of a set of terms by the number of terms
Commonly known as the average.
Median
The value that represents the point at which there are as many instances above as there
are below. For example, the average of a group of persons earning 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10
dollars an hour is 6 dollars, whereas the median is 5 dollars.
Skewed data
An uneven distribution of data. When plotted, the data forms an asymmetrical pattern,
with most of the data to one side of the center of the distribution.
100
101
102
| File Type | application/pdf |
| File Title | FM Survey 05-09.indd |
| Author | JLadd |
| File Modified | 2009-06-04 |
| File Created | 2009-06-04 |