California Pesticide Use

California leads the U.S. in pesticide use. Between 2004 and 2015 more than 2 billion pounds of active ingredients were applied in California alone.

These pesticides are applied in schools, in and around homes, on roadsides and on farmland. Picked up by winds and water, these chemicals are distributed to nearly every corner of the state and are commonly found on food, in surface water and groundwater, and in the air. Nearly 20% of the total pesticides used in the U.S. are used in California, a startling statistic considering that California cropland represents only 2-3% of the total planted acreage in the U.S. This high use of pesticides is clearly related to California’s production of many high-value fruit, nut and vegetable crops, as well as its large urban populations. Reported use in California has remained consistent over the past twenty years at about 200 million pounds of active ingredients each year. This figure only includes farm use and professional pesticide use. Not included are consumer and much institutional pesticide use. Also not included in this figure are so-called ‘inert’ ingredients. U.S. pesticide use is about one billion pounds each year, and worldwide pesticide use is about 5 billion pounds each year. 

Many Pesticides Used in California Among the Most Hazardous

A significant fraction of pesticides used in California are “Bad Actor” pesticides capable of causing acute poisoning, cancer, birth defects, sterility, neurotoxicity, damage to the developing child and/or contamination of California groundwater. Of 213 million pounds of pesticides reported used in 2015 in California, 23% meet one or more of these criteria.

Pesticide Use Data and Maps

For more information about all pesticide use in California, visit Department of Pesticide Regulation’s Pesticide Use Reporting Data Report Summaries.

You can also check out the CalEnviroScreen 4.0 Pesticides Map, which focuses only on agricultural pesticide use.

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