Floriculture Crops Methodology and Quality Measures

Floriculture Crops Methodology and
Quality Measures
ISSN: 2166-9848
Released August 16, 2024, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA).

Scope and Purpose: The Commercial Floriculture Survey (CFS) is conducted annually and represents all growers that
produced and sold $10,000 or more of floriculture crops during the previous year. Currently, the survey is conducted
in all 50 States.
All floriculture growers are surveyed to report area used for production, hired labor, and value of sales. Detailed
crop information is collected from operations with $100,000 or more in sales. The main types of crops included are
cut flowers, annual bedding plants, herbaceous perennials, cut cultivated greens, potted flowering plants, and foliage
plants for indoor and patio use. Information is also collected for propagative floriculture materials, including
cuttings, liners, plug seedlings, pre-finished plants, and tissue cultures. Crops excluded from this survey are
Christmas trees and nursery products such as, but not limited to, deciduous shade trees, fruit and nut trees, evergreen
trees, ornamental shrubs and bushes (including roses and azaleas for outdoor landscaping and ornamental purposes),
grapevines, and palms for outdoor landscaping. Aquatic and pond plants also are excluded.
Beginning in 2021, data collected from operations with $10,000 or more in sales are published individually for
28 States for the following items: value of all production, number of producers, area used for production, and peak
hired workers. Starting in the same year, 22 minor States were published in an ‘Other States’ category. For the list of
States included in the ‘Other States’ totals, reference the tables starting on page 4 of this report. For operations with
$100,000 or more in sales, items published include number of producers, quantity sold, price and wholesale value for
annual bedding/garden plants, potted herbaceous plants, potted flowering plants, foliage plants potted, cut flowers, cut
cultivated greens, and propagative floriculture materials. Retail quantity, price, and value began to be published for the
2021 crop year. The publication contains data for the current survey year and the previous survey year.
Commercial floriculture data are used by the government to measure the economic impact of the industry and by all
segments of the industry to plan future production and marketing strategies.
Timeline: Data are collected for the previous year’s production beginning in January with a survey mailing. A
telephone follow-up is conducted for nonresponse records approximately one month after the mailing. Data collection
takes place over a period of approximately eight weeks. Regional field office and Headquarters staff complete analysis,
summarization, and review of estimates over a period of approximately four weeks. Estimates are released to the
public on the date specified by the Agricultural Statistics Board.
Sampling: The target population for the CFS is all commercial floriculture operations which produce and sell, or have
the potential to produce and sell, $10,000 or more of the floriculture crops in one year in all 50 states. For 28 targeted
states, the CFS is a census for operations producing $10,000 in floriculture sales; therefore, all operations that qualify
are included in the survey. For the 22 non-targeted states, only operations with $100,000 or more in floriculture sales
are surveyed. Operations in the 22 non-targeted states between $10,000 and $100,000 in floriculture sales are
represented by estimates from the 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties in an effort to reduce respondent burden.
The operations to be surveyed are identified using previously reported sales data stored on the NASS list frame. Both
retail and wholesale sales are considered in determining the dollar value of sales for establishing the population.
Floriculture crops do not have to be the primary source of income for a grower to qualify. A greenhouse or nursery
with production and sales of floriculture products that meets the $10,000 lower limit qualifies, even though this may
represent only a small portion of the operation’s total sales. Slightly smaller operations and operations with unknown
amounts of floriculture sales are also contacted to determine if they qualify for the survey.

Data Collection: All Regional Field Offices (RFO) use the same standardized questionnaire for data collection. For
consistency across modes, the paper version is considered the master questionnaire and the Computer Assisted Self
Interview (CASI), mobile Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (mCATI), and Computer Assisted Telephone
Interview (CATI) instruments are built to model the paper questionnaire. The questionnaire content and format are
evaluated annually through a specification process where requests for changes are evaluated and approved or
disapproved. Input may vary from question wording or formatting to a program change involving the deletion or
modification of current questions or addition of new ones. If there are significant changes to either the content or format
proposed, a NASS survey methodologist will pre-test the changes for usability. Prior to the start of data collection, all
modes of instruments are reviewed, and CASI, mCATI, and CATI instruments are thoroughly tested.
All federal data collections require approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). NASS must document
the public need for the data, apply sound statistical practice, prove the data does not already exist elsewhere, and ensure
the public is not excessively burdened. The questionnaires must display an active OMB number that gives NASS the
authority to conduct the survey, a statement of the purpose of the survey and the use of the data being collected, a
response burden statement that gives an estimate of the time required to complete the form, a confidentiality statement
that the respondent’s information will be protected from disclosure, and a statement saying that response to the survey is
voluntary and not required by law.
Sampled operations receive a cover letter with the questionnaire mailing explaining the survey and providing
instructions for completing the survey (via CASI) on the internet. The letter also notifies them that they will be
contacted for survey purposes only if they do not return the questionnaire by mail or complete the survey on the web.
All modes of data collection, except face-to-face enumeration, are utilized for each survey. Data collection is
coordinated for any sampled operations that are in multiple on-going surveys.
Survey Edit: As survey data are collected and captured, data are edited for consistency and reasonableness using
automated systems. The edit logic ensures administrative coding follows the methodological rules associated with the
survey design.
Relationships between data items (i.e., responses to individual questions) on the current survey are verified. Some data
items in the current survey are compared to data items from earlier surveys to ensure certain relationships are logical.
The edit assigns a status to each record, indicating whether the record passes or fails the edit requirements for consistency
and reasonableness. Records that fail edit requirements must be updated or must be certified by an analyst to be exempt
from the failed edit requirement. All records must pass edit requirements, or be certified exempt, before further analysis and
summarization.
Analysis Tools: Edited data are processed through an interactive analysis tool which displays data for all reports by
item. The tool provides scatter plots, tables, charts, and special tabulations that allow the analyst to compare an
individual record to similar records. Atypical responses, unusual data relationships, and statistical outliers for all items
are revealed by the analysis tool. RFO and Headquarters staff review such relationships to determine if they are
correct. Data found to be in error are corrected, while accepted data are retained.
Nonsampling Errors: Nonsampling error is present in any survey process. This error includes reporting, recording, and
editing errors, as well as nonresponse error. Steps are taken to minimize the impact of these errors, such as questionnaire
testing, comprehensive interviewer training, validation and verification of processing systems, application of detailed
computer edits, and evaluation of the data via the analysis tool. The respondent pool is monitored and reviewed during
and after data collection, and data collection strategies are modified, where necessary, to continually minimize
nonresponse error.
Estimators: The CFS is a complete enumeration of all known floriculture operations with $10,000 or more in sales,
and new operations are added to the sample when discovered. A coverage adjustment is made to account for list
incompleteness. Response to the CFS is voluntary. Producers may refuse to participate in the survey, may not be
located during the data collection period, or may submit incomplete reports. All nonresponse (item and unit) is
2

Floriculture Crops Methodology and Quality Measures (August 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

manually imputed by RFO statisticians. The weights for current items are not adjusted for nonresponse. The
measurement of error due to sampling in the current survey period is irrelevant for a fully enumerated census.
Moreover, standard errors and coefficients of variation (CVs) are zero for all current data items collected.
Estimation: When all samples are accounted for, all responses are fully edited, and the analysis material is
reviewed, Headquarters executes a preliminary summary and a final summary to evaluate and analyze the data. The
summary results provide estimates and information used to evaluate the quality of the survey estimates such as
response rates and number of usable positive reports.
Regional field offices and Headquarters are responsible for performing a detailed review of the survey results. Any
irregularities revealed by the preliminary summary must be investigated and, if necessary, resolved.
Estimates are open to revision the following year if new information becomes available. If an operation responds that
was inaccessible for the previous year, the previous year data is reviewed for accuracy and revised if necessary. The
previous year estimates are recreated with the updated information and released at the same time as the current year
estimates.
Quality Metrics for Floriculture Crops
Purpose and Definitions: Under the guidance of the Statistical Policy Office of the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) provides data
users with quality metrics for its published data series. The metrics tables below describe the performance data for all
surveys contributing to the publication. The accuracy of data products may be evaluated through sampling and
nonsampling error. There is no sampling error present for this survey because it is a census of the target population.
Nonsampling error is evaluated by response rates and the weighted item response rates.
Sample size is the number of observations selected from the population to represent a characteristic of the
population. Operations that did not have the item of interest, did not meet the $10,000 threshold in sales, or were
out of business at the time of data collection have been excluded.
Response rate is the proportion of the above sample that completed the survey. This calculation follows
Guideline 3.2.2 of the OMB Standards and Guidelines for Statistical Surveys (September 2006).
Weighted item response rate is a ratio of reported survey data expanded by the original sampling weight
compared to final nonresponse adjusted summary totals.
Commercial Floriculture Survey Sample Sizes and Response Rates: The Commercial Floriculture Survey is a
census of all known floriculture operations that produced and sold $10,000 or more of product during the previous
year. However, detailed crop information is collected from only operations with $100,000 or more in sales. To assist
in evaluating the performance of the estimates in the Floriculture Crops report, the sample sizes and response rates are
displayed for 2022 and 2023 in each of the published States for operations with $10,000 or more in sales and for
operations with $100,000 or more in sales.

Floriculture Crops Methodology and Quality Measures (August 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

3

Commercial Floriculture Survey Sample Size and Response Rate - States and United States:
2022 and 2023
[Operations with $10,000+ sales]
State

Sample size

Response rate

2022

2023

2022

2023

(number)

(number)

(percent)

(percent)

Alabama .........................................
Alaska .............................................
California ........................................
Colorado .........................................
Connecticut .....................................
Florida .............................................
Georgia ...........................................
Hawaii .............................................
Illinois ..............................................
Indiana ............................................

67
56
435
84
139
461
81
194
189
165

67
70
529
99
151
510
82
203
214
179

58.2
57.1
52.6
42.9
48.9
58.6
61.7
59.3
48.7
90.9

77.6
64.3
52.9
56.6
48.3
55.7
64.6
56.2
46.7
74.3

Iowa ................................................
Maryland .........................................
Massachusetts ................................
Michigan .........................................
Minnesota .......................................
New Jersey .....................................
New York ........................................
North Carolina .................................
Ohio ................................................
Oregon ............................................

142
122
199
454
188
230
460
219
365
208

151
139
211
483
201
241
553
251
386
222

57.0
58.2
59.8
82.4
48.4
53.9
58.3
63.9
68.2
62.0

58.9
65.5
66.8
78.7
51.2
50.2
53.7
64.5
66.3
57.7

Pennsylvania ..................................
South Carolina ................................
Tennessee ......................................
Texas ..............................................
Utah ................................................
Virginia ............................................
Washington .....................................
Wisconsin .......................................

568
57
101
181
34
150
204
324

600
74
132
201
48
186
239
338

62.1
71.9
53.5
62.4
61.8
48.7
45.1
59.6

62.8
62.2
58.3
52.7
60.4
38.7
48.5
62.4

Other States 1 .................................

363

363

52.1

52.9

6,440

7,123

59.9

58.7

United States
1

4

Other States includes Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada,
New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming for operations with
greater than $100,000 in sales. Smaller operations were not surveyed in these States.

Floriculture Crops Methodology and Quality Measures (August 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Commercial Floriculture Survey Sample Size and Response Rate - States and United States:
2022 and 2023
[Operations with $100,000+ sales]
State

Sample size

Response rate

2022

2023

2022

2023

(number)

(number)

(percent)

(percent)

Alabama ..........................................
Alaska .............................................
California .........................................
Colorado ..........................................
Connecticut .....................................
Florida .............................................
Georgia ...........................................
Hawaii .............................................
Illinois ..............................................
Indiana ............................................

39
19
253
56
67
295
38
70
89
61

32
21
273
55
70
309
34
60
97
63

66.7
26.3
51.0
35.7
41.8
59.3
57.9
45.7
34.8
77.0

81.3
28.6
48.0
52.7
38.6
54.0
76.5
50.0
42.3
65.1

Iowa .................................................
Maryland ..........................................
Massachusetts .................................
Michigan ..........................................
Minnesota ........................................
New Jersey ......................................
New York .........................................
North Carolina .................................
Ohio .................................................
Oregon ............................................

42
53
75
272
93
119
181
86
169
92

43
58
86
279
96
116
188
88
175
91

59.5
64.2
52.0
72.4
47.3
48.7
51.4
50.0
65.1
59.8

58.1
58.6
68.6
71.3
52.1
43.1
51.6
56.8
55.4
52.7

Pennsylvania ...................................
South Carolina .................................
Tennessee .......................................
Texas ..............................................
Utah .................................................
Virginia ............................................
Washington .....................................
Wisconsin ........................................

190
16
32
115
27
69
69
137

195
25
34
104
30
73
62
135

56.8
75.0
59.4
58.3
59.3
39.1
55.1
61.3

57.4
72.0
58.8
60.6
46.7
41.1
62.9
63.0

Other States 1 ..................................

363

363

52.1

52.9

3,187

3,255

55.6

55.5

United States
1

Other States includes Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada,
New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Floriculture Crops Methodology and Quality Measures (August 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

5

Commercial Floriculture Survey Weighted Item Response Rates: To assist in evaluating the performance of the
estimates in the Floriculture Crops report, the weighted item response rate is displayed by program State and nationally
for each plant category and in total for 2022 and 2023.
Quality Metrics for Value of All Sales by Plant Category - States and United States: 2022 and 2023
[Operations with $100,000+ sales]
Weighted item response rate
State

Annual bedding/garden
2022

Herbaceous perennial

2023

(percent)

2022

(percent)

Total bedding/garden

2023

(percent)

2022

(percent)

2023

(percent)

(percent)

Alabama .........................
Alaska .............................
California ........................
Colorado .........................
Connecticut .....................
Florida .............................
Georgia ...........................
Hawaii .............................
Illinois ..............................
Indiana ............................

24.7
10.9
21.0
18.8
40.8
71.7
91.8
(D)
32.9
44.7

36.0
(D)
77.5
49.3
29.4
3.6
80.6
(D)
41.9
41.0

95.3
0.3
38.7
25.2
42.6
79.2
41.7
(D)
38.0
58.9

97.1
(D)
56.4
55.7
33.9
40.8
92.9
(D)
44.5
32.8

37.9
10.0
25.4
20.6
41.5
73.8
81.6
65.0
36.0
49.2

44.6
(D)
72.9
51.0
31.2
13.6
83.7
(D)
43.3
38.7

Iowa ................................
Maryland .........................
Massachusetts ................
Michigan .........................
Minnesota .......................
New Jersey .....................
New York ........................
North Carolina .................
Ohio ................................
Oregon ............................

80.7
31.6
33.4
71.8
31.3
19.2
60.7
17.0
75.2
57.4

48.9
36.2
57.0
67.3
76.3
22.6
46.7
68.9
42.1
58.7

76.8
39.5
17.3
54.4
33.1
37.9
76.5
17.1
92.9
30.5

35.7
38.9
34.7
56.1
69.7
26.7
49.5
68.4
57.9
25.0

79.6
34.4
27.8
67.8
31.6
26.5
64.9
17.1
83.9
48.3

45.5
37.2
47.7
65.1
74.9
24.2
47.5
68.8
49.6
46.9

Pennsylvania ..................
South Carolina ................
Tennessee ......................
Texas ..............................
Utah ................................
Virginia ............................
Washington .....................
Wisconsin .......................

62.9
(D)
29.4
37.3
70.1
40.3
51.4
48.2

59.5
80.3
14.3
26.4
22.7
31.9
60.2
59.5

71.0
(D)
93.9
40.5
53.3
30.8
81.9
46.4

64.2
2.8
32.1
44.0
5.6
23.3
73.2
73.5

65.4
11.6
41.7
37.9
64.9
37.7
65.8
47.8

60.9
7.8
17.5
29.5
17.2
29.7
66.3
63.3

Other States 1 .................

51.6

43.6

29.9

54.7

51.5

45.9

United States

49.3

48.3

50.4

45.6

49.6

See footnote(s) at end of table.

6

47.5
--continued

Floriculture Crops Methodology and Quality Measures (August 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Quality Metrics for Value of All Sales by Plant Category - States and United States:
2022 and 2023 (continued)
[Operations with $100,000+ sales]
Weighted item response rate
State

Foliage plants for indoor
or patio use

Potted flowering plants
2022

2023

(percent)

2022

(percent)

Cut flowers

2023

(percent)

2022

(percent)

2023

(percent)

(percent)

Alabama ..........................
Alaska .............................
California .........................
Colorado ..........................
Connecticut .....................
Florida .............................
Georgia ...........................
Hawaii .............................
Illinois ..............................
Indiana ............................

87.1
1.6
37.0
19.9
52.5
57.6
85.6
66.3
25.0
56.4

87.1
0.1
50.7
44.4
34.6
33.1
64.7
62.7
45.5
34.5

92.5
(D)
28.6
17.5
82.9
34.4
91.1
60.3
54.6
25.6

(D)
21.1
73.7
(D)
(D)
29.8
80.0
67.9
21.8
43.8

(D)
30.5
11.6
(D)
59.5
(D)
57.7
0.5
84.9

77.5
29.3
20.5
86.1
92.4
(D)
83.5
17.9
96.3

Iowa .................................
Maryland ..........................
Massachusetts .................
Michigan ..........................
Minnesota ........................
New Jersey ......................
New York .........................
North Carolina .................
Ohio .................................
Oregon ............................

85.8
20.2
43.8
54.3
32.0
63.0
90.3
21.2
90.0
61.5

25.9
22.2
48.4
55.9
65.7
58.0
20.8
74.5
39.1
48.7

(D)
97.2
67.6
(D)
78.4
(D)
(D)
(D)
79.0
82.3

(D)
(D)
74.4
41.5
(D)
(D)
(D)
78.2
51.0
79.2

83.9
90.8
(D)
(D)
(D)
81.6
33.8
(D)
91.3

78.2
47.6
98.3
(D)
41.1
43.1
87.5
98.9
61.6

Pennsylvania ...................
South Carolina .................
Tennessee .......................
Texas ..............................
Utah .................................
Virginia ............................
Washington .....................
Wisconsin ........................

42.2
74.0
88.4
64.1
44.4
29.3
61.1
65.0

38.0
79.7
28.4
38.1
1.7
27.9
54.9
60.8

54.0
(D)
90.5
20.1
(D)
(D)
33.5
82.3

60.6
(D)
77.9
(D)
96.3
57.3
(D)
40.7

33.9
(D)
(D)
(D)
(D)
12.6
18.5
(D)

33.6
(D)
(D)
(D)
(D)
24.7
10.7
(D)

Other States 1 ..................

48.1

28.4

67.1

32.7

63.0

93.0

United States

53.2

43.2

38.2

39.7

40.0

See footnote(s) at end of table.

Floriculture Crops Methodology and Quality Measures (August 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

40.2
--continued

7

Quality Metrics for Value of All Sales by Plant Category - States and United States:
2022 and 2023 (continued)
[Operations with $100,000+ sales]
Weighted item response rate
State

Propagative floriculture
material

Cut cultivated greens
2022

2023

(percent)

2022

(percent)

Total value of all
plant categories

2023

(percent)

2022

(percent)

2023

(percent)

(percent)

Alabama .........................
Alaska .............................
California ........................
Colorado .........................
Connecticut .....................
Florida .............................
Georgia ...........................
Hawaii .............................
Illinois ..............................
Indiana ............................

(D)
81.9
41.3
(D)
67.4
(D)
-

50.4
(D)
20.1
85.5
(D)
-

(D)
68.7
1.0
(D)
58.7
100.0
17.4
(D)
99.4

(D)
41.7
30.7
(D)
32.7
(D)
52.1
(D)
96.7

45.1
12.6
33.4
15.4
43.1
49.7
84.5
60.9
34.5
51.0

49.4
34.8
55.8
47.4
32.9
27.7
80.7
62.7
45.7
40.6

Iowa ................................
Maryland .........................
Massachusetts ................
Michigan .........................
Minnesota .......................
New Jersey .....................
New York ........................
North Carolina .................
Ohio ................................
Oregon ............................

(D)
(D)
(D)
(D)
(D)
(D)
76.4

(D)
(D)
100.0
(D)
(D)
(D)
100.0
64.8

(D)
(D)
(D)
59.9
3.7
5.0
18.1
94.7
30.7
11.9

(D)
69.3
(D)
85.3
21.6
6.8
11.1
(D)
16.5
81.7

83.1
34.9
30.7
66.2
27.1
37.1
67.7
21.6
80.6
54.4

53.1
37.8
51.5
66.9
73.4
32.6
33.9
71.6
47.6
52.9

Pennsylvania ..................
South Carolina ................
Tennessee ......................
Texas ..............................
Utah ................................
Virginia ............................
Washington .....................
Wisconsin .......................

100.0
(D)
(D)
-

34.0
(D)
(D)
(D)
(D)

93.6
(D)
(D)
(D)
23.6
(D)
(D)

99.7
(D)
15.1
(D)
(D)
71.4
(D)

66.4
12.9
49.1
41.7
61.7
35.3
57.7
53.1

66.7
10.2
22.0
26.6
15.3
28.8
57.5
67.8

Other States 1 .................

47.7

92.3

83.1

71.8

52.9

42.7

United States

49.5

33.1

54.3

56.3

48.6

45.8

- Represents zero.
(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.
1
Other States includes Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska,
Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming, and any data
withheld above.

8

Floriculture Crops Methodology and Quality Measures (August 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Information Contacts
Process

Unit

Telephone

Email

Estimation .............................
Data Collection .....................
Questionnaires .....................
Sampling and Editing ............
Analysis and Estimators ........
Dissemination .......................
Media Contact & Webmaster

Crops Branch
Survey Administration Branch
Data Collection Branch
Sampling, Editing & Imputation Methodology Branch
Summary, Estimation & Disclosure Methodology Branch
Data Dissemination Office
Public Affairs Office

(202) 720-2127
(202) 690-4847
(202) 720-6201
(202) 690-8141
(202) 690-8141
(202) 720-3869
(202) 720-2639

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

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