Our Nation’s Favorite Season, According to Farmers’ Almanac Readers

If you ask Farmers’ Almanac readers to fill in the blank on “My favorite season is _____,” you are not going to get one-word answers for long.

We posed that exact question on Facebook, and the responses poured in, with plenty of passion, personality, and a few curveballs. Some readers picked a clear winner. Others refused to choose. A few skipped the four traditional seasons entirely and went straight for “baseball,” “deer season,” and even “taco.”

The research angle: our Facebook poll matched what national pollsters have been finding for years. YouGov has run a nationwide “favorite season” question annually since 2013, and fall has held the top spot for four straight years, with roughly 29 percent of adults naming it their favorite in the most recent survey. Our reader vote just took that same result and made it louder.

Once we grouped the replies into categories, one season stood above the rest.

Fall was the runaway favorite. Spring and summer were neck-and-neck behind it, winter had a smaller but loyal following, and a sizable group of readers said they loved more than one season, or all of them.

Why fall won

The love for fall was easy to understand. Again and again, readers named the same things: cooler air, colorful leaves, fewer bugs, hoodie weather, football, harvest time, and relief from summer heat. One fan summed it up simply: “Autumn. Because of the comfort and joy of colors.” Another wrote, “Fall. Beautiful colors, no mosquitoes or sweat.”

That tracks with the way many people experience the season. Fall brings a sensory reset: crisp mornings, changing leaves, apple picking, baking spices, and the feeling that the year is turning a page. It also lines up with what climate researchers call “shoulder-season comfort”: daytime highs in the 60s and 70s Fahrenheit, low humidity, and long clear skies that put most of North America inside its comfort band for the first time since May.

Spring’s strongest argument: everything wakes up

If fall won on comfort, spring won on optimism.

Readers used words like rebirth, renewal, awakening, and new life over and over. One wrote, “Spring, the re-awakening of Mother Earth.” Another said, “Spring. The Earth is giving birth.” And one especially vivid comment captured the feeling perfectly: “Spring, snow melts, all the green, new growth, blossoms, and animal babies!”

Spring fans clearly love that first burst of green after a long winter, even if more than one commenter admitted the allergies are a downside. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports that seasonal allergies now affect roughly 26 percent of US adults, and the spring tree-pollen window has stretched by about 20 days since 1990. That is a big reason the spring vote splits: half the country wants the daffodils, the other half wants the daffodils without the sneezing.

Summer loyalists want warmth, and they mean it

Summer may not have won overall, but its fans were enthusiastic. Their reasons were familiar and heartfelt: beach days, grilling, gardens, swimming, vacations, and long evenings outdoors.

One commenter wrote, “Summer! Warm weather, beach time, grillin’ and chillin’.” Another simply answered, “The heat of summer!!”

Many summer fans were not just choosing a season. They were choosing a feeling: freedom, sunshine, and being outside as much as possible. That preference tends to skew southern in national polling, which fits: below the Mason-Dixon line, summer is where the calendar year gets its longest and most memorable evenings.

Winter had fewer votes, but very dedicated ones

Winter drew the smallest share among the traditional seasons, but the people who chose it really chose it. Their comments leaned cozy rather than harsh: snow, stillness, beauty, and the excuse to stay indoors without guilt.

One reader wrote, “Winter all day! Cold, so you stay in.” Others answered with emphatic responses like “WINTER!!!” and “WINTER.”

Winter may not win a popularity contest, but it definitely inspires devotion. Winter loyalty is highest in the Upper Midwest and New England in national data, which lines up with our comment section: the readers most likely to type “WINTER” in all caps live where snow is a season, not a novelty.

Many readers refused to choose just one

One of the most interesting findings was how many people resisted picking a single season at all. Quite a few said things like “All of them,” “Each one has their own beauty,” or named a favorite pair such as “Spring and fall.”

That may be the most Farmers’ Almanac answer of all.

After all, every season has its purpose. Spring brings planting and growth. Summer brings abundance. Fall brings harvest. Winter brings rest. Farmers’ Almanac notes that meteorological seasons follow the full months: spring begins March 1, summer June 1, fall September 1, and winter December 1, while astronomical seasons begin with the equinoxes and solstices.

A few answers deserve honorable mention

Not everyone stayed inside the lines, and honestly, that made the thread better.

Among the more memorable responses were:

• “Rabbit season… Duck season… Rabbit season…” (a nod to Looney Tunes)
• “Football season”
• “Fishing season”
• “Baseball”
• “taco.”

And that is part of what made this question so fun. It was not just about weather. It was about mood, memory, traditions, hobbies, and what people most look forward to every year.

The big takeaway

If this Facebook thread proves anything, it is that people do not just experience the seasons, they identify with them.

Some love the fresh start of spring. Some crave the freedom of summer. Others live for the colors and coziness of fall. And a faithful few are waiting all year for snow.

At Farmers’ Almanac, that kind of seasonal passion makes perfect sense. The publication has been helping readers plan around weather, gardening, and the rhythms of the year for more than 200 years.

So now we will turn it back to you:

What is your favorite season, and why?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is America’s favorite season?

In the Farmers’ Almanac Facebook reader poll, fall was the runaway favorite, with spring and summer tied nearly neck-and-neck behind it, and winter drawing a smaller but very loyal share. National polling by YouGov has shown the same fall preference among American adults for four years running.

Why do so many people prefer fall?

Readers named the same handful of reasons over and over: cooler air, colorful leaves, fewer bugs, hoodie weather, football, harvest time, and relief from summer heat. Fall brings a sensory reset that summer and winter both stretch too long to deliver.

When does each season actually start?

Meteorological seasons follow full calendar months: spring begins March 1, summer June 1, fall September 1, and winter December 1. Astronomical seasons begin at the equinoxes and solstices, which shift by a day or two year to year. Farmers and gardeners tend to use the meteorological start dates because they line up cleanly with monthly weather records.

Why does spring rank so high with older readers?

Spring’s core pitch is optimism. Readers used words like rebirth, renewal, awakening, and new life over and over. For anyone who has lived through a long or icy winter, that first burst of green after months of gray is not a mood, it is a full body reset.

Do more people love summer or winter?

Summer, in almost every poll. In the Farmers’ Almanac reader poll, summer had a large following, with beach days, grilling, gardens, and long evenings outdoors carrying the vote. Winter drew the smallest share among the four traditional seasons but the most devoted comments, and its fans lean toward snow, stillness, and permission to stay indoors.

Are there really people who refused to pick a season?

Plenty. Quite a few Farmers’ Almanac readers picked all four, or a favorite pair, most often spring and fall. Every season has its purpose: spring brings planting, summer brings abundance, fall brings harvest, and winter brings rest. That is the most Farmers’ Almanac answer of all.

What were the funniest write-in seasons?

Reader write-ins skipped the four traditional seasons entirely for “Rabbit season, Duck season, Rabbit season” (a Looney Tunes callback), plus football season, fishing season, baseball, deer season, and, memorably, “taco.” That kind of range is part of why we ask.