312120/Breweries
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
99K
employees, 2023
99K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 5,218 US Breweries business locations employed 98,647 people and paid $4.6 billion in annual payroll, $46,767 per employee on average. Employment was up 3.6% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
5,218
+1.0% vs 2022
Employees
98,647
+3.6% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$4.6B
+9.2% vs 2022
Average pay
$46,767
+5.4% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Breweries in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 561 | 12,106 | $55,429 | 0.07% |
| Pennsylvania | 260 | 6,271 | $43,496 | 0.11% |
| New York | 316 | 5,542 | $43,132 | 0.06% |
| Colorado | 257 | 5,458 | $61,974 | 0.21% |
| North Carolina | 263 | 5,070 | $39,835 | 0.12% |
| Texas | 216 | 4,558 | $58,882 | 0.04% |
| Ohio | 191 | 4,343 | $50,491 | 0.09% |
| Virginia | 176 | 4,011 | $48,486 | 0.11% |
| Florida | 227 | 3,751 | $43,003 | 0.04% |
| Wisconsin | 118 | 3,432 | $51,059 | 0.13% |
| Missouri | 80 | 3,139 | $78,319 | 0.12% |
| Michigan | 146 | 2,995 | $40,930 | 0.07% |
| Washington | 253 | 2,962 | $43,019 | 0.10% |
| Georgia | 112 | 2,917 | $56,195 | 0.07% |
| Illinois | 155 | 2,545 | $41,120 | 0.04% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Breweries employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 131 | 2,993 | $74,116 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 31 | 2,416 | $93,603 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 122 | 2,198 | $46,815 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 107 | 2,087 | $61,031 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 101 | 1,952 | $45,704 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 144 | 1,822 | $47,220 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 70 | 1,764 | $49,937 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 84 | 1,716 | $42,766 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 23 | 1,689* | $61,672 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 103 | 1,688 | $30,750 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 83 | 1,685 | $31,008 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 46 | 1,676 | $57,839 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 60 | 1,657 | $37,917 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 48 | 1,473 | $71,181 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 36 | 1,450* | $86,512 |
Business size
US Breweries business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 1,341 | 25.7% |
| 5 to 9 | 1,375 | 26.4% |
| 10 to 19 | 1,337 | 25.6% |
| 20 to 49 | 867 | 16.6% |
| 50 to 99 | 199 | 3.8% |
| 100 to 249 | 66 | 1.3% |
| 250 to 499 | 14 | 0.3% |
| 500 to 999 | 18 | 0.3% |
| 1,000 or more | Not published | - |
Related industries
The industries this code belongs to
Part of Manufacturing 31-33Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing 312Beverage Manufacturing 3121Breweries 31212
Questions and answers
How many people work in Breweries in the US?
98,647 people worked at 5,218 US Breweries business locations in 2023, up 3.6% from 2022. That is 0.07% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Breweries?
$46,767 a year per employee in 2023, from $4.6 billion in annual payroll (up 5.4% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Breweries jobs?
California had the most, with 12,106 employees in 2023, followed by Pennsylvania (6,271) and New York (5,542).
Which metro areas have the most Breweries jobs?
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (2,993), St. Louis, MO-IL (2,416), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (2,198) had the most Breweries employees in 2023.
Are most Breweries businesses small?
77.7% of the 5,217 Breweries business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 18 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.