How to Read the USDA Cost of Pollination Report — Price per Colony vs per Acre, Colonies Used and Total Value

As of 5 November 2026, 01:29 KST (retrieved by this page at that time); most recently published report: Cost of Pollination, released February 13, 2026 by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), with 2024 and 2025 regional estimates. On the NASS 2026 release-date list, the row for Cost of Pollination shows February 13, 2026 and December 11, 2026, so the next report is scheduled for December 11, 2026. Primary source: https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/795775/cospol25.txt^[1][2][3]

Comparison basis: values are as published, with prices in dollars and total values in thousands of dollars; the report's text rounds the percent changes to whole numbers. Calculated percentage changes are this page's, rounded half up to one decimal. Estimates are published for regions, not states; Regions 6 and 7 (Arizona, California and Hawaii) are combined, and crops below the publication threshold are grouped under "All other".^[1]

In three lines

1. This annual NASS report estimates what crop growers pay to rent honey bee colonies for pollination, by region and crop: price per colony, price per acre, colonies used and total value.
2. For almonds in Regions 6 & 7, the price per colony rose 15 percent to 209 dollars in 2025, while colonies used fell to 1,630,000.
3. The total value of all pollination in Regions 6 & 7 was 364 million dollars, up 3 percent.^[1]

What is measured. "The Cost of Pollination survey, conducted annually in all 50 states, collects information on acreage pollinated, colonies used, and dollars spent for a variety of different crops." "Data is presented in a price per acre, colonies used, price per colony, and total value of pollination by class and type of fruit." "The 2025 sample size was 15,092 and the 2024 sample size was 15,046."^[1][2]

What each price leaves out. For the price per acre: "Acres pollinated for free or on a nonmonetary basis were not included in this calculation." For the price per colony: "Colonies owned by the operation or used on a nonmonetary basis were not included." Colonies used, by contrast, counts all colonies regardless of ownership or payment, and the total value of pollination is the price per colony multiplied by colonies used. For regional totals: "Regional total price per colony is total value of pollination divided by colonies used."^[1]

Grouping and revisions. "Regions 6 and 7 were combined." "Due to the differences in regions and years, the aggregate and other published estimates may include different crops." "The previous year's estimates are subject to revision when current year's estimates are made."^[1]

Precision. The estimates come from a probability sample, so they are subject to sampling variability, measured by the coefficient of variation. "For individually published crops, coefficients of variation can be found using USDA, NASS's Quick Stats searchable database." The report itself prints no coefficients of variation, and this page does not test whether any 2024-to-2025 change is significant.^[1]

Total value vs money paid. Because colonies used include owned and unpaid colonies while the price per colony counts only paid ones, the total value of pollination is a valuation of all colonies at the paid price, not a sum of payments. For almonds in 2025, 1,630,000 colonies at 209.0 dollars give the published 340,670 thousand dollars.^[1]

Per colony vs per acre. The almond price per colony rose 15.5% and the price per acre 1.6% (this page's calculations), while colonies used fell 9.4% and paid pollinated acres 1.9%. The two prices have different bases: per acre covers only paid acres, per colony only paid colonies. Colonies used include unpaid colonies while paid pollinated acres cover paid acres only, so the two cannot be divided into a colonies-per-acre figure. The report does not establish why the two price measures changed by different amounts.^[1]

Almonds vs everything else. The six published regional totals add to 408,153 thousand dollars in 2025 and 398,489 thousand in 2024 (+2.4%, this page's sums; the report does not print a national total). Almonds in Regions 6 & 7 were 340,670 thousand dollars, 83.5% of the 2025 sum in this page's calculation.^[1]

Large percent changes in small regions. Region 4's total value fell from 687 to 346 thousand dollars (-49.6%, this page's calculation; the text says down 50 percent), a small base where one crop group can move the total; the "All other" group can also include different crops from year to year.^[1]