United States

Production by State

The Pacific Northwest dominates: Idaho + Washington + Oregon together produce 62% of all US potatoes. Idaho alone delivers 32% (135.2 M cwt = 6.13 M tonnes) from the Magic Valley and Snake River Plain; Washington adds 23% (98.9 M cwt = 4.49 M t) from the Columbia Basin. Wisconsin, Oregon, North Dakota, Colorado, Michigan, Maine, and Minnesota round out the top tier. State-level yields range from Washington's world-leading 659 cwt/acre (73.8 t/ha) to ~300 cwt/acre in shorter-season states.

Source: USDA NASS “Potatoes 2024 Summary”; NPC 2025 Yearbook; state-level cwt converted at 1 cwt = 45.36 kg.

The Russet Burbank Story

Selected by Luther Burbank in 1876 in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, Russet Burbank still occupies ~40% of all US potato acreage and 60–70% of Idaho's commercial production 150 years later. The variety's commercial dominance is the result of a single 1965 supply-chain decision: J.R. Simplot's contract with Ray Kroc to supply McDonald's with frozen Russet Burbank fries. That deal locked the entire global fast-food industry into Russet Burbank's long cylindrical tuber shape, high specific gravity, white flesh, and low reducing sugars — the four properties that produce the iconic golden, crispy McDonald's fry.

The variety is notoriously difficult to grow well: susceptible to scab, PVY, late blight, and Verticillium wilt; prone to internal defects (hollow heart, brown center, sugar ends) under stress; and requires precise irrigation + nitrogen management. The Tri-State Variety Development Program (USDA-ARS Aberdeen + University of Idaho + Oregon State + Washington State) was created specifically to breed superior alternatives — releasing Ranger Russet (1991), Umatilla Russet (1998), Clearwater Russet (2008), Alpine Russet (2008), and Galena Russet (2018). Adoption is slow because processor specifications + storage infrastructure are calibrated to Burbank's exact characteristics.

Read the full Russet Burbank history → · What Potatoes Does McDonald's Use? →

Variety Portfolio

US russet varieties together cover ~70% of national acreage (USDA ERS 2024). The portfolio splits cleanly into processing russets (Burbank + Tri-State releases), fresh-market russets (Norkotah and selections), chip varieties (Atlantic, Snowden, Lamoka), heritage table varieties (Yukon Gold, Kennebec, Red Pontiac), and early reds (Norland). The Tri-State program has driven the modern russet pipeline since 1991.

Source: USDA ERS variety acreage shares 2024; USDA-ARS Tri-State release documentation; NDSU + USDA breeder records.

Pacific Northwest Growing & Yield Story

The US holds the world's highest commercial potato yield at 51.4 t/ha — more than 2.3× the global average of 22.8 t/ha. Washington State exceeds even the national figure at 659 cwt/acre (73.8 t/ha), making it the highest-yielding potato region anywhere on Earth. The yield advantage is the product of four reinforcing factors:

• Center-pivot irrigation: 100% of Idaho's commercial potato crop is irrigated. The Snake River and tributaries deliver ~22 inches of supplemental water per growing season — the natural Snake River Plain rainfall is only 8–12 inches/year, far below the 20–25 inches potato needs.
• Long growing season: Pacific Northwest plantings run mid-April through October — ~140 frost-free days, with extended daylight hours during tuber bulking that maximises photosynthate accumulation.
• Solar radiation profile: the Columbia Basin and Magic Valley receive among the highest summer solar radiation of any potato-growing region, supporting heavy tuber bulking.
• Precision agriculture: GPS-guided planting, variable-rate nitrogen, soil-moisture sensors, and real-time yield monitoring are universal at commercial scale.

Major regions: Idaho's Magic Valley (south-central, Snake River Plain), Washington's Columbia Basin (Franklin / Adams / Grant / Benton counties), Oregon's Columbia Basin + Klamath Basin, Wisconsin's Central Sands, North Dakota's Red River Valley, Colorado's San Luis Valley (high-altitude seed production), Maine's Aroostook County (heritage potato region).

Source: USDA NASS 2024; University of Idaho Extension; Washington State Potato Commission; Bureau of Reclamation Snake River data.

Processing Industry & Major Players

69–71% of US potatoes are processed, the highest processing share of any major producer (vs. India's 7–8% and China's 15%). In 2024, processors purchased 269 million cwt — roughly 12.2 million tonnes — with the bulk going to frozen French fries (36% of total US potato production), chips (23%), dehydrated products (8%), and refrigerated convenience products (4%) (Potatoes USA 2024 Utilization Report; USDA NASS).

Source: USDA NASS Potatoes 2024 Summary; NPC 2025 Yearbook; company filings (Lamb Weston, Simplot, McCain Foods); USDA FAS global market reports.

Read more: How Potatoes Are Processed →

Trade Profile

The US set an all-time record of $2.3 billion in potato exports in the July 2023 – June 2024 period (NPC 2025 Yearbook), up 4.0% year-over-year. Frozen French fries dominate the mix at $1.5 B / 1.5 M tonnes — 64% of total export value — with Japan, Mexico, and South Korea as the top three destinations. Despite this volume, the US ranks #4 globally in frozen-fry exports by value (behind Belgium, Netherlands, and Canada) per USDA FAS.

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce Foreign Trade Division; NPC 2025 Yearbook; USDA FAS Global Agricultural Trade System.

Consumption & American Cuisine

Americans consume approximately 120 lbs (54 kg) of potatoes per person per year — comparable to Canada (55 kg) but well below Belgium (80 kg) or the UK (84 kg). What sets US consumption apart is the form: 71% of US potatoes are processed — the highest processing share of any major producer. The fast-food fry industry plus retail frozen-product growth has progressively replaced fresh-potato cooking at home.

Source: Potatoes USA 2024 Utilization Report; USDA Economic Research Service.

Cultural identity dishes: the McDonald's fry (the global standard since 1965), the Idaho baked potato (Russet Burbank with sour cream + chives), hash browns, scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes (especially Thanksgiving), tater tots, Wisconsin/Pennsylvania-style potato salad, and chip culture (Lay's Wavy, Ruffles, Pringles). McDonald's alone consumes an estimated 3.4 billion lbs of potatoes annually — roughly 9% of the entire US potato crop.

The Tri-State Breeding Program

The Tri-State Potato Variety Development Program — a research collaboration among USDA-ARS Aberdeen (Idaho), the University of Idaho, Oregon State University, and Washington State University — has been the primary engine of US russet variety improvement since the 1980s. Each Tri-State release goes through 10–12 years of multi-state field trials before commercial release.

The breeding pipeline targets four priority traits: processing quality (high specific gravity, excellent fry color, low reducing sugars, low internal defects), disease resistance (late blight, Verticillium wilt, PVY, golden nematode, corky ringspot, common scab), agronomic performance (yield, water-use efficiency, heat tolerance), and storage characteristics — especially cold sweetening resistance, the trait that has driven nearly every recent release. Cold-sweetening resistance lets processors store potatoes at lower temperatures (slowing sprouting, extending storage life, reducing CIPC chemical use) without losing fry color.

Major releases: Ranger Russet (1991), Umatilla Russet (1998), Western Russet (2004), Blazer Russet (2005), Premier Russet (2006), Gem Russet (2002), Alpine Russet (2008), Classic Russet (2008), Clearwater Russet (2008), Teton Russet (2011), Mountain Gem Russet (2013), Payette Russet (2015), Galena Russet (2018) — twelve major commercial releases over three decades. The Western Regional Russet Variety Trial Reports (annual, USDA-ARS) document each release's performance against Russet Burbank.

Source: USDA-ARS Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit (Aberdeen, Idaho); University of Idaho Extension; Tri-State release documentation; Western Regional Russet Variety Trial Reports.

Seed Certification System

The US operates a state-level seed certification system rather than a single federal authority. Each major seed-producing state runs its own certification agency — collectively delivering near-100% certified seed usage in commercial potato production, in stark contrast to India's 15%. The seed pipeline runs Generation 0 (G0, in-vitro tissue culture mini-tubers) through G5 (final certified seed sold to commercial growers).

Source: Idaho Crop Improvement Association; state seed certification programs; USDA-AMS Plant Variety Protection Office.

Industry Challenges

Despite world-leading yields and trade share, the US potato sector faces systemic pressures across water security, labor, disease, and the slow Burbank-replacement transition.

Source: Bureau of Reclamation Snake River projections; USDA APHIS pale cyst nematode quarantine documentation; Tri-State variety trial reports; CPRI / USDA late blight surveillance.