31214/Distilleries
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
26K
employees, 2023
26K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 1,349 US Distilleries business locations employed 26,177 people and paid $1.7 billion in annual payroll, $64,384 per employee on average. Employment was up 10.3% from 2022. Kentucky had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
1,349
+5.3% vs 2022
Employees
26,177
+10.3% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$1.7B
+6.2% vs 2022
Average pay
$64,384
-3.7% 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 Distilleries 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 71 | 6,911 | $77,053 | 0.40% |
| Tennessee | 60 | 2,833* | $68,218 | 0.10% |
| Texas | 89 | 1,710 | $74,393 | 0.01% |
| Indiana | 25 | 1,201 | $53,774 | 0.04% |
| Colorado | 78 | 1,014 | $46,656 | 0.04% |
| Illinois | 40 | 935 | $80,255 | 0.02% |
| New York | 93 | 821 | $41,756 | 0.01% |
| Pennsylvania | 77 | 796 | $42,152 | 0.01% |
| California | 90 | 773 | $64,279 | 0.00% |
| Michigan | 44 | 727 | $36,298 | 0.02% |
| Minnesota | 32 | 719 | $54,453 | 0.03% |
| Massachusetts | 16 | 654 | $107,044 | 0.02% |
| Missouri | 26 | 633 | $73,692 | 0.02% |
| Florida | 53 | 565* | $64,888 | 0.01% |
| Washington | 56 | 433 | $53,543 | 0.01% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 49.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Distilleries employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 35 | 5,029 | $78,769 |
| Frankfort, KY | 7 | 1,309 | $73,082 |
| Sevierville, TN | 21 | 1,056 | $32,892 |
| Tullahoma-Manchester, TN | 3 | 983* | $123,460 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 33 | 896* | $82,577 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 27 | 718 | $65,320 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 16 | 685 | $98,169 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 19 | 661 | $86,469 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 21 | 637 | $57,122 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 10 | 518 | $68,564 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 11 | 384 | $62,633 |
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | 9 | 378* | $42,669 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 44 | 372 | $53,589 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 33 | 347 | $46,634 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 25 | 302 | $68,285 |
Business size
US Distilleries business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 578 | 42.9% |
| 5 to 9 | 293 | 21.7% |
| 10 to 19 | 252 | 18.7% |
| 20 to 49 | 137 | 10.2% |
| 50 to 99 | 43 | 3.2% |
| 100 to 249 | 28 | 2.1% |
| 250 to 499 | 12 | 0.9% |
| 500 to 999 | 5 | 0.4% |
| 1,000 or more | Not published | - |
Related industries
Distilleries and the 1 industry directly below it
Part of Manufacturing 31-33Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing 312Beverage Manufacturing 3121
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 312140 | Distilleries | 26,177 | $64,384 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Distilleries in the US?
26,177 people worked at 1,349 US Distilleries business locations in 2023, up 10.3% from 2022. That is 0.02% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Distilleries?
$64,384 a year per employee in 2023, from $1.7 billion in annual payroll (down 3.7% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Distilleries jobs?
Kentucky had the most, with 6,911 employees in 2023, followed by Tennessee (2,833) and Texas (1,710).
Which metro areas have the most Distilleries jobs?
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN (5,029), Frankfort, KY (1,309), Sevierville, TN (1,056) had the most Distilleries employees in 2023.
Are most Distilleries businesses small?
83.3% of the 1,348 Distilleries business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 5 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.