These 10 States Had the Biggest Crop losses due to drought

The United States is in the midst of one of its worst droughts in years. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 60% of land area in the Lower 48 are reporting a moderate drought or worse – the largest share since November 2022. With the summer months rapidly approaching, dangerously dry conditions across the country are setting the stage for a potentially devastating wildfire season. In the last decade, wildfires have directly resulted in 383 fatalities and another 638 injuries in the United States, according to the National Weather Service. 

But while many wildfires are partially and indirectly caused by dry conditions, droughts can also have immediate consequences of their own. Depending on the severity, droughts can lead to loss of grazing pasture, restrictions on water usage, reduced water quality, damage to natural ecosystems, impassable commercial shipping channels, and widespread crop failures. The economic impact of these occurrences can be dramatic. Estimates from the Department of Agriculture, as reported by the NWS, indicate that the U.S. lost nearly $1.7 billion of crops due to drought alone since 2016. The vast majority of these losses were reported in fewer than a dozen states – places that have not only suffered through major droughts in recent years, but also many of those for which agriculture is a major economic pillar. 

Using data compiled by the National Weather Service, Climate Crisis 247 identified the states with the greatest crop losses due to drought. We ranked all 50 states on the total value of crops destroyed in a drought between 2016 and 2025. Only the 10 states with the greatest losses are listed. Supplemental data on crop production by type are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and data on farming as a share of state GDP is from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. 

Among the states on this list, the total value of crops lost to drought since 2016 ranges from $18.7 million to nearly $750 million. Cumulatively, these states alone account for nearly 98% of the total value of crop losses due to drought conditions in the U.S. since 2016. Nationwide, farming accounts for only about 0.7% of annual gross domestic product, and in a majority of states on this list, farming is far more important economically – generating as much as 7.7% of economic output per year. 

 10. Maine

• Total crop damage due to drought, 2016-2025: $18.7 million
• Highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $18.7 million in damage in 2020
• 2nd highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: N/A
• Largest crop in state by production value: Potatoes; $257.3 million in 2025
• Farming as a share of GDP, 2024: 0.5%

 9. Nebraska

• Total crop damage due to drought, 2016-2025: $33.6 million
• Highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $25.5 million in damage in 2022
• 2nd highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $6.7 million in damage in 2023
• Largest crop in state by production value: Corn; $8.3 billion in 2025
• Farming as a share of GDP, 2024: 4.9%

 8. Mississippi

• Total crop damage due to drought, 2016-2025: $57.5 million
• Highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $53.0 million in damage in 2023
• 2nd highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $4.4 million in damage in 2016
• Largest crop in state by production value: Soybeans; $1.1 billion in 2025
• Farming as a share of GDP, 2024: 2.0%

 7. Kansas

• Total crop damage due to drought, 2016-2025: $59.6 million
• Highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $45.2 million in damage in 2022
• 2nd highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $9.1 million in damage in 2023
• Largest crop in state by production value: Corn; $3.8 billion in 2025
• Farming as a share of GDP, 2024: 2.9%

 6. New Hampshire

• Total crop damage due to drought, 2016-2025: $61.5 million
• Highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $61.5 million in damage in 2020
• 2nd highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: N/A
• Largest crop in state by production value: Hay; $11.6 million in 2025
• Farming as a share of GDP, 2024: 0.1%

 5. Minnesota

• Total crop damage due to drought, 2016-2025: $108.8 million
• Highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $48.5 million in damage in 2023
• 2nd highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $34.5 million in damage in 2022
• Largest crop in state by production value: Corn; $6.7 billion in 2025
• Farming as a share of GDP, 2024: 1.7%

 4. Missouri

• Total crop damage due to drought, 2016-2025: $131.8 million
• Highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $99.9 million in damage in 2023
• 2nd highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $19.8 million in damage in 2024
• Largest crop in state by production value: Soybeans; $2.9 billion in 2025
• Farming as a share of GDP, 2024: 1.2%

 3. Iowa

• Total crop damage due to drought, 2016-2025: $184.6 million
• Highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $83.3 million in damage in 2022
• 2nd highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $70.3 million in damage in 2023
• Largest crop in state by production value: Corn; $11.4 billion in 2025
• Farming as a share of GDP, 2024: 5.3%

 2. Texas

• Total crop damage due to drought, 2016-2025: $230.3 million
• Highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $122.4 million in damage in 2023
• 2nd highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $107.8 million in damage in 2022
• Largest crop in state by production value: Hay and haylage; $1.5 billion in 2025
• Farming as a share of GDP, 2024: 0.5%

 1. South Dakota

• Total crop damage due to drought, 2016-2025: $749.8 million
• Highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $489.4 million in damage in 2022
• 2nd highest annual crop damage due to drought since 2016: $143.6 million in damage in 2023
• Largest crop in state by production value: Corn; $4.1 billion in 2025
• Farming as a share of GDP, 2024: 7.7%