West coast of US has highest concentration of organic consumers - report

San Francisco, California and Seattle, Washington are the biggest markets in the US for organics consumers, making the west coast of the country an organic stronghold, according to a new report.

Scarborough Research analysed 79 markets in the USA and compared them to the national average, where 17% of US consumers are organic product users (which is defined as those who have used organic products in the last month). 23 markets were identified as "organic markets," meaning that the percentage of consumers buying or using organic products was higher than the national average.

In San Francisco, 35% of consumers had used organic products in the last month, the consultancy found, while in Seattle, 32% of consumers went organic.

The top five were rounded out with Portland, Oregon (29%), Denver, Colorado (26%), and Washington, DC (26%, making it the city with the highest concentration of organic product users east of the Mississippi river.)

"Cities such as San Francisco and Seattle have long been known for active, healthful lifestyles, and therefore it makes sense that these are the top markets for organics users," explains Alisa Joseph, vice president of advertiser agency services at Scarborough. "However, the industry should keep an eye on the Southern region of the U.S. , as many markets there have a significant presence of organics consumers as well."

Unsurprisingly, the consultancy found that organics users also had household salaries higher than the national average and spent more on their weekly grocery bills ($127 versus $115). They are also young, and often with families: these consumers are 19% more likely to be between the ages of 18 and 34, and 13% more likely to have two or more children, according to the report.

The Culinary Digest wonders whether California is more likely to have organic consumers because it is location for much of the United States' home-grown fruit, vegetables and wine. Whether these organics products are locally sourced - or, quite likely, imported - is a very important question to answer.

Top local markets for organic product consumers

San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, CA - 35%
Seattle/Tacoma, WA - 32%
Portland, OR - 27%
Washington, D.C. - 26%
Denver, CO - 26%
San Diego, CA - 24%
Austin , TX - 23%
Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, CA - 22%
Boston, MA - 21%
Phoenix, AZ - 21%
Atlanta, GA - 21%
Los Angeles, CA - 21%
Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM - 21%
Colorado Springs/Pueblo, CO - 21%
Spokane, WA - 21%
New York, NY - 20%
Salt Lake City, UT - 20%
Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville/Anderson, SC - 20%
Tucson, AZ - 20%
Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY - 19%
Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, FL - 19%
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX - 18%
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN - 18%
Hartford/New Haven, CT - 17%
Detroit, MI - 17%
Milwaukee, WI -17%
Las Vegas, NV - 17%
Philadelphia, PA - 17%
Chicago, IL - 16%
Providence/New Bedford, RI - 16%
Bakersfield, CA - 16%
Honolulu, HI - 16%
Raleigh/Durham, NC - 16%
Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL - 15%
El Paso, TX - 15%
Houston, TX - 15%
Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne, FL - 15%
Baltimore, MD - 15%
Charlotte, NC - 15%
West Palm Beach/Fort Pierce, FL - 15%
Columbus, OH - 15%
Fresno/Visalia, CA - 15%
Harrisburg/Lancaster/Lebanon/York, PA - 15%
Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, NC - 13%
Jacksonville, FL - 13%
Indianapolis, IN - 13%
Chattanooga, TN - 13%
Cincinnati, OH - 13%
Oklahoma City, OK - 13%
Cleveland/Akron, OH - 13%
Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News, VA - 13%
Rochester, NY - 13%
Dayton, OH - 12%
Mobile/Pensacola, FL - 12%
San Antonio, TX - 12%
Wichita/Hutchinson, KS - 12%
Syracuse, NY - 12%
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA - 12%
Kansas City, MO - 11%
Lexington, KY - 11%
Knoxville, TN - 11%
Nashville, TN - 11%
Buffalo, NY - 11%
Richmond/Petersburg, VA - 11%
Flint/Saginaw/Bay City, MI - 10%
St. Louis, MO - 10%
Louisville, KY - 10%
Tulsa, OK - 10%
Pittsburgh, PA - 10%
Fort Myers/Naples, FL - 10%
Memphis, TN - 10%
Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA - 10%
Green Bay/Appleton, WI - 10%
Little Rock/Pine Bluff, AK - 10%
Toledo, OH - 10%
Charleston/Huntington, WV - 9%
Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, MI - 8%
Birmingham, AL - 8%
Des Moines/Ames, IA - 8%
(source: Scarborough Research)