Washington and Oregon vital onion suppliers to U.S.
Led by Washington’s Columbia Basin output, onion production in Washington and Oregon accounts for more than four in 10 onions consumed in the U.S.
Washington accounted for 29.3% of U.S. domestic onion truck shipments in 2020, and Oregon’s volume represented a 13% share of total U.S. domestic truck shipments, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics.
Trends by region
In 2020, Washington’s Columbia Basin onion shipments totaled the equivalent of 27.4 million 50-pound bags, down slightly from 28.4 million bags in 2019 but up sharply from 22.9 million bags in 2015.
In Malheur County, Ore., the USDA reported shipments of 7.3 million bags in 2020, nearly unchanged from 7.25 million bags in 2019 but down from 9.23 million bags in 2015.
In Oregon’s Umatilla Basin, USDA reported 2020 shipments of 6 million 50-pound bags, up from 5.75 million bags in 2019 and 5.52 million bags in 2015.
Washington’s Walla Walla region reported shipments of 305,400 bags in 2020, down slightly from 316,000 bags in 2019 but up strongly from 224,200 bags in 2015.
Western Oregon onion shipments in 2020 were 152,200 bags, according to the USDA, down from 581,000 bags in 2019 and off even more from 653,600 bags in 2015.
