Cotton has been important to North Carolina for many years, both in agricultural production and in the textile industry.

Cotton acreage reached its height in 1926, when North Carolina producers planted right at 2 million acres. The boll weevil arrived in the state that year and acreage dropped until the weevil was eradicated in the late 70s and early 80s. Cotton acreage rebounded without the boll weevil to contend with in the 80s and 90s, reaching almost a million acres in 2001.

Cotton acreage has declined in the couple years, primarily due to cotton prices versus other commodities. North Carolina planted about 450,000 acres in 2013, which places the state third in cotton acreage behind Texas and Georgia. The value of the raw cotton and cottonseed produced in the state is worth about half a billion dollars. This does not include value added through the North Carolina’s textile industry.