In the past few years, the USDA has started paying more attention to farmers markets. They now conduct a yearly survey asking all market managers in the country to stand up and be counted:
It’s safe to say that farmers markets are booming. They have more than doubled in the past decade (151% growth), and show strong growth every year:
- 2011 – 17%
- 2010 – 16%
- 2009 – 13%
- 2008 – 7%
- 2006 – 18%
For reference, there were 36,569 supermarkets in the U.S. in 2011.