Fresh Trends 2023: Just how popular is watermelon among U.S. consumers?

Watermelon remains a familiar and popular fruit for many U.S. consumers.

Retail per capita availability of fresh watermelon has increased from 12.4 pounds in 2011 to 13.9 pounds in 2019, according to USDA estimates.

Forty-six percent of consumers surveyed in The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2023 poll said they purchased watermelons in the past year. That compares with 50% of consumers polled in 2022 and 48% in 2021.

By income bracket, Fresh Trends 2023 data showed 52% of those making $50,000 to $100,000 per year said they purchased watermelon in the previous year. That compares to 41% of those making under $25,000 a year, 46% for those making $25,000 to $50,000 annually and 45% of those making more than $100,000 per year.

By region, 51% of consumers in the Midwest said they purchased watermelon in the previous year, compared with 47% of consumers in the West, 45% of consumers in the South and 42% of consumers in the Northeast.

Forty-nine percent of women reported watermelon purchases in the past year, a notch up compared with 43% for men.

There was not a big difference in watermelon purchases between consumers with kids at home (45%) and consumers with no kids at home (47%), according to Fresh Trends data.

Fresh Trends research found that 68% of consumers who said they purchased watermelon in the previous year indicated they bought personal-sized or mini watermelons in the past year.

Seventy-three percent of consumers making less than $25,000 annually said they purchased mini or personal-sized watermelons, significantly more than the 64% of consumers making more than $100,000 per year.

Younger consumers were more frequent buyers of mini or personal-sized watermelons, according to Fresh Trends data. Only 57% of consumers aged 60 or older said they purchased personal-sized or mini watermelons, compared with 71% for the 18-29 age group, 78% for those aged 30-39 and 78% for the 40-49 age group.

The USDA reported the average terminal market price for cartons of watermelons was $34.63 in 2022, up 8% from $32.09 in 2021.

At retail, the USDA reported the average promoted price was $1.73 (all pack sizes), up from $1.49 in 2021.

The average weekly number of U.S. retail stores promoting watermelon in 2022 was 7,991, down from 9,447 stores in 2021.