Nationwide Workforce

The U.S. brewing industry includes over 1,800 brewing related establishments and importers, 3,300 distributor establishments, and 547,000 retailer outlets. Numerous other businesses—including farmers, packaging manufacturers, and advertising agencies—depend on the industry for their livelihood.

Approximately 41,500 Americans work for the nation’s large and small breweries and importers, taking home $4.1 billion a year in salaries and wages, along with additional millions in benefits. The U.S. Department of Labor found their wages to be among the highest of 350 industries surveyed.

Over 98,000 people work for distributors and approximately 900,000 work for retail outlets that sell beer.

Directly and indirectly, the U.S. brewing industry employs 1.8 million Americans. These workers earn $71 billion in wages and benefits.