Craft brewers’ economic contribution reaches USD 34 billion

According to a new analysis by the Brewers Association (BA), small and independent American craft brewers contributed USD 33.9 billion to the U.S. economy in 2012 – this corresponds to a 17 percent growth of the craft brewing market.

"With a strong presence across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, craft breweries are a vibrant and flourishing economic force at the local, state and national level,” said Bart Watson, staff economist, Brewers Association. In addition to the national impact, the BA examined the output of the craft brewing scene by state. The top five states are: California, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania and Colorado. The 2347 operating craft brewers sold an estimated 13,235,917 barrels of beer in 2012 – the overall U.S. beer sales were approximately 200,028,520 barrels during this timeframe.