Authors: Alicia Rihn, Melinda Knuth, Charlie Hall, Ariana Torres

The U.S. environmental horticulture industry, commonly referred to as the green industry, is an economically important sector that encompasses firms involved with the production and sales of horticultural products and services, including greenhouses, wholesale nurseries, turfgrass sod producers; landscape design, construction, and maintenance firms; and wholesale and retail distribution channels including garden centers, mass merchandisers, and allied trade suppliers. The Green Industry has been a consistent contributor to the U.S. economy, with national impact studies conducted since the 1980s documenting its employment, output, and GDP (gross domestic product) contributions using national surveys and IMPLAN input-output modeling (Hall et al. 2006; Hodges et al. 2011; Hodges et al. 2015; Hall et al. 2020). Between 2013 and 2018 alone, industry contributions grew by 16.2% in employment and 17.3% in output in inflation-adjusted terms (Hall et al. 2020), underscoring the sector’s resilience and economic footprint.

The present study extends this research to 2023, providing updated national estimates and a focused look at economic contributions across southern U.S. regions. In the U.S., the south includes key states involved with producing horticultural products. Eight regions were used for the analysis: Southeast, Southcentral, Appalachian, Northeast, Midwest, Great Plains, Mountain, and Pacific (Figure 1). The data presented here was collected by the Green Industry Research Consortium, which has collected data on industry-related topics for more than 30 years. The Consortium is a multi-state research project group of agricultural economists and horticulturists that conduct economic impact statements for the Green Industry in the U.S. every five years. Results from the latest data collected by the group are presented below and are based on Knuth et al. (2026). Understanding where economic activity is concentrated within the South has direct implications for resource allocation decisions, Extension programming priorities, and industry advocacy efforts at the state level. 

Total U.S Green Industry Economic Impacts

In 2023, across industry sectors, the U.S. green industry supported approximately 2.9M jobs and generated $519.7B in total economic output (Table 1). Compared to 2018 estimates of 2.3M jobs and $348.1B in output (Hall et al. 2020), this represents roughly a 27% increase in employment and nearly 50% growth in output over five years, a notable trajectory for an industry that had been characterized as entering a mature, slow-growth phase in prior decades. These gains likely reflect post-pandemic rebounds in residential landscaping demand, increased consumer investment in outdoor living spaces, and growth in green infrastructure spending. 

Value-added output, the industry’s direct contribution to GDP, reached $302.7B, with labor income accounting for $175.1B of that total. These figures underscore that the green industry is not only large in terms of sales volume but also generates substantial wages and benefits for millions of workers across production, services, and retail segments. The industry also contributed $69.1B in taxes across all levels of government, including $11.7B in local taxes, $15.2B in state taxes, and $42.1B in federal taxes. Federal taxes accounted for the largest proportion of the industry’s tax contribution, which is not surprising given the size of the green industry workforce.

Southern Region Green Industry Economic Impacts

Three regions will be focused on for this section, including the Southeast, Southcentral and Appalachian regions which consist of 15 states across the South. Collectively, these three regions accounted for roughly 35% of national green industry employment (1.0M jobs) in 2023, with the largest portion being in the Southeast region, followed by the Southcentral and Appalachian regions (Figure 2). The regions accounted for $174.8B in total economic output (34% of total economic output in 2023) with a similar trend where the Southeast region has the highest output ($75.9B), followed by the Southcentral and Appalachian regions. The Southeast region led all three southern regions across these economic indicators, more than the Southcentral and Appalachian regions combined. This is consistent with the concentration of nursery and floriculture production, landscaping services, and retail distribution in states like Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia, which have historically ranked among the top green industry states nationally (Hall et al. 2020).

Value-added output across the three regions totaled $103.0B, led by the Southeast region, then the Southcentral region, and the Appalachian region. The regions had $59.3B in labor income and $23.6B in total taxes. The federal taxes were $14.3B, while state taxes were $5.2B, and local taxes were $4.0B. The distribution of tax contributions mirrors the employment pattern, with the Southeast region generating the largest fiscal impact at all levels of government, followed by the Southcentral region and Appalachian region.

Summary

The U.S. green industry remains a major economic force, supporting approximately 2.9M jobs and generating $519.8B in output nationally in 2023—representing roughly 27% employment growth and nearly 50% output growth since 2018, demonstrating continued resilience despite broader economic disruptions. The industry’s $302.7B in value-added contributions and $175.1B in labor income reflect its deep integration into the broader U.S. economy, while its $69.1B in tax contributions across federal, state, and local levels underscore its fiscal significance. Southern states play a particularly prominent role, with the Southeast, Southcentral, and Appalachian regions collectively accounting for approximately one-third of national green industry employment and output. Among these, the Southeast region dominates across all economic indicators, driven by the concentration of nursery and floriculture production, landscaping services, and retail distribution in states such as Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia. These findings have direct implications for multiple stakeholders: green industry firms can use the data to inform investment decisions, business planning, and competitive positioning within their respective markets; Extension professionals can leverage regional economic profiles to prioritize programming efforts and tailor educational resources to areas of greatest industry concentration; and industry associations and advocacy groups can employ these economic impact figures to strengthen policy arguments, justify workforce development initiatives, and secure support for infrastructure investments that benefit the sector. Understanding where economic activity is concentrated also helps state and local governments recognize the green industry’s contributions to employment and tax revenues, potentially influencing decisions related to land use, water access, and labor policy.

Figure 1. U.S. Regions Used in the Economic Impact Analysis.

Table 1. Economic Contributions of the U.S. Green Industry Nationally and By Region.