Field tests were conducted in 1997 and 1998 in Georgia and Florida to compare the effects of 10 and 12 peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivars, respectively, on epidemics of spotted wilt caused by tomato spotted wilt Tospovirus. Epidemics of spotted wilt were suppressed for the moderately resistant standard Georgia Green, and in Southern Runner, Florida MDR 98, ViruGard, and NC-V11. The reponse of these five cultivars to spotted wilt were similar and resulted in lower final disease intensity and areas under the disease progress curves than in the susceptible standard Georgia Runner, and in SunOleic 97R and Tamrun 96. Southern Runner and Florida MDR-98 consistently had higher yields than the TSWV-susceptible Georgia Runner. Georgia Green and NC-V11 had higher yields than Georgia Runner in three of the four tests. No consistent differences were found among the cultivars for numbers of adult tobacco thrips (Frankliniella fusca) or western flower thrips (F. occidentalis). Differences among cultivars for numbers of larvae of Frankliniella spp. also were few and inconsistent. There was no indication that differences in thrips populations were responsible for differences in severity of spotted wilt in the field.