A resistance management strategy based on a high dose of Bt toxin in plants and mandatory refuges of non-Bt cotton is credited with sustaining efficacy of Bt cotton since its introduction in 1996. Appropriate configuration and placement of refuges is critical for thwarting resistance but these variables have economic implications for producers. From 2000 to 2003, we evaluated efficacy against pink bollworm and cotton yields of single-row in-field refuges versus conventional embedded block refuges. Relative to conventional block refuges, single-row in-field refuges reduced producer technology fees and pink bollworm damage, and allowed for uniform distribution of susceptible moths throughout Bt cotton fields. Lower numbers of pink bollworm produced within in-field refuges should be compensated for by planting a minimum of 10% non-Bt cotton. Single-row in-field refuges are inappropriate in regions where cotton bollworm infestations are an expectation.