How Many Cotton Gins Are in the United States?

There were 419 active cotton gins in the United States during the 2025 ginning season, down from 446 in 2024, according to USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Those gins ginned 13,539,200 running bales across 17 states. Texas had the most gins by far, 150, followed by Georgia with 55.

419active U.S. gins, 2025 crop
446active gins, 2024 crop
150in Texas, the most of any state
13.54Mrunning bales ginned, 2025 crop

Cotton gins by state (2025 crop)

Active gins and running bales from USDA NASS, next to the number of active gins in the cottongins.org directory. State names link to each state's full gin list.

State	Active gins (USDA)	Running bales	Share of U.S. bales	Gins in our directory
Texas	150	5,280,150	39.0%	147
Georgia	55	1,740,400	12.9%	45
Mississippi	31	715,050	5.3%	28
Arkansas	26	1,421,950	10.5%	23
North Carolina	26	654,250	4.8%	28
Alabama	23	550,450	4.1%	22
Tennessee	17	341,950	2.5%	17
California	16	402,900	3.0%	7
Missouri	16	681,750	5.0%	18
Louisiana	14	224,000	1.7%	13
Arizona	10	260,000	1.9%	7
Oklahoma	10	525,700	3.9%	8
South Carolina	10	284,050	2.1%	11
Florida	4	90,100	0.7%	4
Kansas	4	162,000	1.2%	3
Virginia	4	173,000	1.3%	3
New Mexico	3	31,500	0.2%	2
United States	419	13,539,200	100%	386

Counties with the most cotton gins

Counties with 5 or more active gins for the 2025 crop, per USDA NASS. NASS withholds bale totals marked "withheld" to avoid disclosing individual gins' data.

County	Active gins (USDA)	Running bales	Gins in our directory
Lubbock, TX	7	562,150	5
San Patricio, TX	7	488,950	8
Dunklin, MO	7	377,050	7
Hale, TX	7	241,950	6
Floyd, TX	7	237,450	6
Kings, CA	7	withheld	3
Mississippi, AR	6	393,400	6
Dooly, GA	6	220,700	5
Gaines, TX	6	195,800	5
Terry, TX	6	125,550	5
Hockley, TX	5	250,850	5
Craighead, AR	5	226,500	5
Pinal, AZ	5	179,750	3
Colquitt, GA	5	173,300	5
Coahoma, MS	5	171,900	5

Counties that gin the most cotton

The 10 counties with the largest published running-bale totals for the 2025 crop. Many big counties aren't shown because NASS withholds their totals.

Lubbock, TX: 562,150 bales, 7 active gins
San Patricio, TX: 488,950 bales, 7 active gins
Mississippi, AR: 393,400 bales, 6 active gins
Dunklin, MO: 377,050 bales, 7 active gins
Hockley, TX: 250,850 bales, 5 active gins
Hale, TX: 241,950 bales, 7 active gins
Floyd, TX: 237,450 bales, 7 active gins
Craighead, AR: 226,500 bales, 5 active gins
Dooly, GA: 220,700 bales, 6 active gins
Gaines, TX: 195,800 bales, 6 active gins

Cotton gins by region

Lubbock & the South Plains, TX: 61 gins listed, 66 active per USDA (same counties)
Texas Panhandle: 21 gins listed, 20 active per USDA (same counties)
South Texas: 32 gins listed, 31 active per USDA (same counties)
Central Texas: 12 gins listed, 12 active per USDA (same counties)
South Georgia: 44 gins listed, 51 active per USDA (same counties)

How big are U.S. cotton gins?

Most active gins are large. For the 2025 crop, 251 of the 419 (60%) ginned 20,000 running bales or more, up from 58% the season before.

Running bales ginned (2025 crop)	Active gins
1 to 2,999	12
3,000 to 4,999	12
5,000 to 6,999	16
7,000 to 9,999	22
10,000 to 14,999	51
15,000 to 19,999	55
20,000 to 39,999	130
40,000 and over	121

Why our count differs from USDA's

USDA counts every gin that ran during the season. Our directory lists 386 gins marked active, so it is missing some gins and may still list a few that sat idle in 2025. Lubbock County, Texas is one example: USDA counted 7 active gins there and we list 5 (see the Lubbock County page). Georgia is another: 55 by USDA's count, 45 in our directory. If you know of a gin we are missing, or one that has closed, the gin listings are updated as we confirm changes.

Frequently asked questions

How many cotton gins are in the US?

419 active gins ginned cotton during the 2025 season, per USDA NASS. That is down from 446 in 2024.

Which state has the most cotton gins?

Texas, with 150 active gins for the 2025 crop, more than a third of the U.S. total. Georgia (55), Mississippi (31), Arkansas (26), North Carolina (26) and Alabama (23) come next.

How many cotton gins are in Texas?

USDA NASS counted 150 active gins in Texas for the 2025 crop, which ginned 5,280,150 running bales, 39% of the U.S. total. Our directory lists 147. See all cotton gins in Texas.

Which county has the most cotton gins?

Six counties tied with 7 active gins each for the 2025 crop: Lubbock, Hale, Floyd and San Patricio in Texas, Dunklin in Missouri and Kings in California. Lubbock County ginned the most of the published totals, 562,150 running bales.

How many cotton gins are in Georgia?

USDA NASS counted 55 active gins in Georgia for the 2025 crop, which ginned 1,740,400 running bales. Our directory lists 45. See all cotton gins in Georgia.

Why does the number of cotton gins keep falling?

USDA's numbers show fewer, larger gins. The count fell from 446 to 419 in one season, while the share of gins processing more than 20,000 bales rose from 58% to 60%.

Sources: USDA NASS, Cotton Ginnings 2025 Summary (May 2026), tables "All Cotton Running Bales Ginned â€¦ Active Gins â€¦ Counties, Districts, States, and United States: 2025 Crop" and "Number of Active Gins by Size Group", plus the 2025 Cotton Ginning Comments (2024 count of 446). Release archive: USDA ESMIS, Cotton Ginnings. Directory counts: cottongins.org, Oct 2026.