The U.S. brewing industry is a dynamic part of our national economy, contributing billions of dollars in wages and taxes. An indication of beer’s importance is its inclusion in the basket of goods the government uses to calculate the Consumer Price Index.

The industry today includes more than 2,000 brewers and importer establishments and over 2,700 beer distributor facilities across the country. Our retail partners are also important contributors, the current official beer outlet count for the industry by TDLinx includes over 531,000 beer selling retail establishments. The industry’s economic ripple effect benefits agriculture, manufacturing, construction, transportation and many other businesses whose livelihood depends on the beer industry.

Directly and indirectly, the beer industry employs approximately 1.7 million Americans, paying them almost $55 billion in wages and benefits. The industry pays over $36 billion in business, personal and consumption taxes, including $5.2 billion in excise taxes and $6.2 billion in sales, gross receipts, and other taxes.

The industry’s contributions to our economy continue to grow. In 2006, the industry recorded 2.2% growth, hitting an all-time record of over 210 million barrels of beer.

Consumer interest in beers, ales, and other malt beverages also grows. Today there are more than 3,500 malt beverage brands, more than three times the number of a decade ago. Because of the growing popularity of microbreweries and brewpubs, there are now five times more breweries in the country than a decade ago.

U.S. brewers also continue to develop growing markets abroad, now exporting products to nearly 100 countries.

For a table of U.S. statistics on jobs, wages, and taxes, select your state from the pulldown to the right.

For various analyses of the brewing industry, you may refer to research reports from the Beer Institute.