California’s citrus acreage showed mixed changes across major categories in 2026, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture and USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report was released on August 5 following a survey of approximately 4,300 citrus growers.
Detailed acreage data show that lemons had 52,866 acres standing in 2026, comprising 51,803 bearing and 1,063 non-bearing acres. This compares with 52,725 total acres in 2024, when 49,770 acres were bearing, and 2,954 were non-bearing.
Navel and miscellaneous oranges remained the largest category, with 110,461 acres standing in 2026, including 108,587 bearing and 1,874 non-bearing acres. This was down from 112,366 total acres in 2024. Valencia orange acreage declined from 25,297 acres in 2024 to 24,589 acres in 2026.
Mandarins and hybrids totaled 68,536 acres in 2026, consisting of 66,802 bearing and 1,734 non-bearing acres, compared with 68,830 total acres in 2024. Among varieties, Tango accounted for 20,243 acres, including 19,383 bearing and 860 non-bearing acres. W. Murcott Afourer totaled 9,898 acres, while Clementines accounted for 15,500 acres.
Grapefruit acreage, excluding pummelos and hybrids, decreased from 9,053 acres in 2024 to 8,443 acres in 2026. Pummelos and hybrids moved in the opposite direction, increasing from 1,262 acres to 1,964 acres.
The statewide bearing acreage estimates for the 2024-25 season were 9,300 acres for grapefruit, 54,000 for lemons, 110,000 for Navel and miscellaneous oranges, 25,000 for Valencia oranges, and 68,000 for tangerines and mandarins. The report notes that these statewide estimates include an allowance for incomplete survey responses and therefore differ from the detailed acreage figures.