Individuals who store on the greater than 8,700 farmers markets working within the U.S. both year-round or seasonally normally fall into six distinct teams. 3 of them are extra all for farmers markets than the others. I find out about native meals methods as a strategic communications pupil, and that’s the primary takeaway from a find out about that I carried out with a number of colleagues.
As we defined within the March 2026 version of British Meals Magazine, individuals who fall into the ones teams have other ranges of passion in farmers markets but additionally have some issues in commonplace. Most of the people who store at them are motivated to head as a result of they would like wholesome, contemporary meals, they reinforce native farmers and so they suppose going to the farmers marketplace is a laugh.
This isn’t a distinct segment process. An previous find out about I labored on discovered that 81% of U.S. adults stated that they store at a farmers marketplace once or more a 12 months.
For each research, we pulled survey knowledge from a nationally consultant pattern of five,141 U.S. shoppers that was once carried out Aug. 2-11, 2023. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 share issues.
Researchers outline farmers markets and native meals in several tactics. So we requested respondents to easily bring to mind farmers markets as puts the place they may be able to purchase meals without delay from multiple dealer and the place all or many of the pieces are in the community grown, raised or made. We outlined native meals as being grown of their state or 250 miles or much less from their houses.
Extremely engaged, health-focused and rising passion
We made up our minds that about 18% of the ones surveyed are “highly engaged” farmers marketplace consumers. They care so much about meals and experience purchasing, getting ready and consuming contemporary meals. They’re enthusiastic about many sides of farmers markets, which might be puts the place this staff retail outlets for quite a lot of causes, comparable to supporting native farmers, purchasing nutritious, scrumptious meals and connecting with group.
Just about 65% of those consumers have been ladies. This staff was once probably the most numerous, with 27% of respondents figuring out as Hispanic, 20% Black and four% multiracial. Additionally they had considerably decrease reasonable annual family earning than different teams, averaging US$40,000-$50,000.
We discovered that any other 18% of the folks surveyed have been “health-focused.” Just like the extremely engaged consumers, they make purchasing and maintaining a healthy diet meals a top precedence. Then again, this staff doesn’t experience cooking as a lot. The health-focused staff has a tendency to keep away from genetically changed meals, in addition to handy choices like takeout meals, frozen dinners and microwave-ready foods.
About 58% of them have been ladies and their reasonable age was once 57, making them the oldest of the teams. More or less 70% of the health-focused staff was once white, making it much less numerous than the extremely engaged staff however extra numerous than one of the vital different teams.
After all, about 19% of the respondents have been what we known as “emerging interest” farmers marketplace consumers. They price comfort and finding out about meals. This staff was once the perhaps to peer going to the farmers marketplace as a a laugh process.
Rising passion consumers have been just about flippantly break up via gender, with 52% ladies. Their reasonable age was once 44 years outdated, making them the youngest of the teams.
It’s no longer all the time a love of radishes that pulls consumers to those stalls.
Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket by the use of Getty Photographs
Comfort, practicality and happenstance
We additionally known 3 teams of shoppers who have been much less all for farmers markets than the extremely engaged, health-focused and rising passion consumers, despite the fact that a few of them do every so often store on the markets anyway.
About 16% of farmers marketplace consumers are other folks we known as “convenience” consumers. They’re much more likely to consume frozen dinners and purchase takeout. They hardly prepare dinner foods from scratch the use of produce and different contemporary elements.
About 43% of them say they by no means or hardly store at a farmers marketplace. Round 59% of them are males and 37% are other folks of colour.
Tashana Small sells mac and cheese ‘cupcakes’ crowned with pulled red meat, Buffalo rooster tenders and Cajun shrimp at a farmers marketplace on Lengthy Island in 2023.
Erica Marcus/Newsday RM by the use of Getty Photographs
More or less 17% of those consumers fall right into a “practical” class. They methodically plan their grocery buying groceries and are a few of the least all for farmers markets, with greater than part announcing that they both hardly or by no means store at them.
Sensible shoppers have been with reference to flippantly break up via gender; 53% have been ladies. Their source of revenue tended to be the easiest of the teams, most often within the $60,000-$75,000 vary.
We known as the 12% of the patrons within the ultimate staff we surveyed “uninvolved.” This staff confirmed very no real interest in farmers markets or some other food-related actions. About 3 in 4 hardly or by no means pass to farmers markets. Just about 70% of uninvolved farmers marketplace consumers have been males and 76% have been white.
When anyone within the uninvolved staff is going to a farmers marketplace, they is also going out of happenstance or as a result of anyone of their existence needs them to head – no longer because of any non-public passion.
In the event you overlook, you’ll leave out it
We consider this knowledge may just assist farmers markets higher serve their shoppers and in all probability draw in extra consumers.
Other folks can, in fact, pass to farmers markets for multiple explanation why, and no longer everyone suits smartly into this type of classes. And everybody we surveyed had one thing in commonplace: Forgetting to head was once the largest explanation why consumers of a wide variety didn’t make a travel to the farmers marketplace in a given week.
