The total number of cotton acres planted this year is expected to sink to a 10-year low, according to National Cotton Council (NCC) and USDA reports.
An NCC survey estimates 9.6 million acres will be planted this year, while the most recent USDA Prospective Plantings report estimates 9.87 million acres.
Those numbers indicate planted cotton acreage would be at its lowest level since 2015, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Prospective Plantings report released March 31, 2025.
In addition, these numbers represent an approximate decline of 14% to 15% from the 2024 planting season.
States Where Cotton Acres Are In Decline
The Southwest, which includes Texas, continues to hold the largest share of total U.S. cotton acreage but also faces the largest acreage decline compared with its 3-year average, the USDA reported in a news release on Wednesday.
Farmers in Texas are expected to plant nearly 1 million fewer acres of cotton in 2025 compared with its 2022-24 average, as lower cotton prices have encouraged acres to shift into corn and sorghum.
In the Southeast, cotton area is also expected to decline in response to weak cotton prices, with acreage shifting to other crops, including corn and peanuts, the release said. Georgia, the largest producing state in the Southeast, accounts for 39% of the region’s decline, USDA noted.
The Delta region is likewise expected to see cotton acreage fall because of an anticipated increase in corn acreage.
The West, which has the least acreage of the four main cotton-producing regions, is reporting the smallest year-to-year change, with improved water availability and favorable crop rotation opportunities supporting an increase in plantings in Arizona.
Some exceptions to the overall reduction trend do exist, with Arizona, Virginia, and Kansas all expected to plant more cotton than their respective 3-year averages, as farmers adjust planting decisions to their own relative prices, weather, and agronomic conditions.
The chart below is drawn from the April 2025 Cotton and Wool Outlook, published by the USDA Economic Research Service.
