Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the Beer Institute and the National Beer Wholesalers Association released their Beer Serves America economic report on the nation’s beer industry just ahead of Memorial Day, which marks one of the top beer selling holidays of the year and the start of the summer beer-selling season. The study found the U.S. beer industry supports more than 2.1 million good-paying, local jobs in a wide range of industries, including farming, manufacturing, construction and transportation in every community across the country.

America’s beer industry contributes more than $328 billion to our economy with 7,000 active breweries and more than 3,000 distributors. Brewers and beer distributors directly employ more than 200,000 Americans, and every job in a brewery supports another 31 jobs in other industries.

“Beer is more than America’s most popular alcohol beverage. The beer industry is vital to the United States, generating more than 2.1 million jobs and contributing $328 billion to the American economy,” said Jim McGreevy, President and CEO of the Beer Institute. “Beer Serves America demonstrates how brewers, beer importers and beer industry suppliers are creating jobs, providing wages and benefits to working Americans and supporting the economy in every state and every congressional district.”

“America’s 3,000 independent beer distribution companies are proud to employ 141,600 hardworking Americans with jobs that pay a collective $9.5 billion in wages, offer solid benefits and provide the opportunity for advancement,” said Craig Purser, President and CEO of the National Beer Wholesalers Association. “Independent beer distributors are Main Street businesses whose economic contributions are felt in every community and congressional district across the country as they work with brewers large and small to grow brands and safely deliver America’s favorite alcohol beverage to more than 640,000 licensed retailers nationwide.”

Beer Serves America is a biennial report outlining the economic contributions, jobs and taxes the beer industry provides in every state and congressional district. More information can be found at: http://beerservesamerica.org/

Key findings from the Beer Serves America report include:

• Brewers and beer importers directly employ nearly 70,000 Americans. Large and mid-sized brewers and beer importers provide about 58 percent of brewing jobs.
• The number of distributor jobs has increased by more than 19 percent in the last decade, to nearly 141,600.
• Overall, the beer industry contributes about $328.4 billion in economic output which is equal to about 1.6 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product.
• Suppliers to the brewing industry – enterprises that manufacture bottles and cans, cardboard case boxes, brewing equipment or marketing displays – generate nearly $102.0 billion in economic activity and are responsible for almost 436,650 jobs alone.

The Beer Serves America study was compiled by the independent economics firm John Dunham & Associates. It is the most comprehensive analysis of the industry available, using data collected directly from private companies, Infogroup, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.