1 Including all other countries not listed
US production and trade
The total US production of dry beans was 1.78 million MT in 2020. North Dakota, Michigan, and Minnesota were the three leading dry beans–producing states in 2020 (Table 1.4); together, these three states represented about 76% of total US production, with 41.62%, 17.27%, and 16.69% share, respectively. Michigan was once the leading dry beans–producing state; however, North Dakota has now been the leader for over two decades. Since 1990, Minnesota and North Dakota have recorded significant increases of 230.26% and 190.90%, respectively. Five states have shown a decrease in dry beans production since 1990, with percent decrease shown in parenthesis: California (79.59%), Colorado (74.48%), Idaho (53.20%), Wyoming (33.99%), and Nebraska (30.32%).
Table 1.4. Leading dry beans producing states in the US for selected years since 1990 (metric tons).
Source: USDA‐ERS (2011), USDA‐ERS (2020a).
| State1 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | % Change (1990–2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 254,270 | 386,765 | 521,500 | 739,683 | +190.90 |
| Michigan | 276,623 | 209,563 | 192,273 | 306,847 | +10.93 |
| Minnesota | 89,820 | 121,928 | 139,182 | 296,635 | +230.26 |
| Nebraska | 254,219 | 163,586 | 145,136 | 177,148 | −30.32 |
| Idaho | 180,859 | 87,178 | 115,727 | 84,637 | −53.20 |
| Colorado | 217,184 | 100,590 | 57,000 | 55,425 | −74.48 |
| Washington | 46,333 | 32,514 | 62,545 | 52,835 | +14.03 |
| Wyoming | 49,025 | 38,712 | 46,545 | 32,361 | −33.99 |
| California | 155,356 | 104,604 | 66,455 | 31,701 | −79.59 |
| Other states | 121,267 | 102,521 | 99,136 | nr2 | ‐‐ |
| Total (U.S.) | 1,644,956 | 1,347,961 | 1,445,499 | 1,777,272 | +8.04 |
1 Ranked by 2020 production data
2 Not reported (USDA stopped reporting data since 2019 for Montana and Texas, which comprised other states)
Lucier and Davis (2020) reported that the US imported dry beans from 69 countries and the top‐five countries reported by the Department of Commerce include Canada, Mexico, Nicaragua, China, and India, which together represented 72% of all US dry bean imports. The most predominant dry bean classes imported in the 2019–2020 season were mung beans (23%), kidney beans − dark red, light red, and other kidney beans (19%), black beans (12%), and pinto beans (9%). Mung beans in the United States are mostly used for bean sprouts in salads or used in soup mixes and bean flour. US dry bean exports overall are down by 4% in 2020, which continued a downward trend in recent years.
Pinto and navy beans have been the two leading classes of dry beans produced in the US (Figure 1.4). While pinto beans continue to lead all classes; more recently, chickpeas, lentils, and black beans have surpassed navy beans, as per 2019 production figures. Both pinto and navy beans have recorded significant decreases in production since 1990, i.e., 50% and 54%, respectively. By contrast, since 1990 chickpeas have experienced a phenomenal growth of about 230‐fold increase in production as the popularity of plant‐based proteins and products (e.g., hummus) continues to grow among consumers. Similarly, both lentils and black beans have recorded a 4.6‐fold increase in production. Kidney beans production has remained fairly flat over a 30‐year period, whereas great northern and lima (baby and large) beans have experienced a significant decrease over the same period.
Small red, pink, and blackeye beans are other classes of commercial significance, with 28,805, 14,784, and 13,158 metric tons production, respectively, in 2019. Data on cowpeas was not reported for 2019 by USDA, most