It's not your imagination, breweries really are popping up everywhere. In December of 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released a "Spotlight on Statistics" for the brewing industry. Titled "Industry on Tap: Breweries," the report examines historical employment trends for breweries and the other component industries that make up the beverage manufacturing industry. It also looks at wages, the number of establishments, prices, and injury rates for the brewing industry and compares them with similar measures for other industries involved in beverage manufacturing, namely distilleries, wineries, and the soft drink and ice manufacturing industry.
A few key takeaways from the report:
- U.S. employment in the brewery industry has nearly doubled, to 58,580, from 2012 to 2016.
- Breweries accounted for over half the jobs gained in beverage manufacturing from 2006 to 2016.
- The number of breweries in the U.S. has increased more than five-fold from 2010-2016, with California and Colorado leading the way.
- As the number of breweries has increased, average weekly wages in breweries have decreased 25% since 2006. Wages in the winery and distillery industries have returned to pre-recession levels.
It remains to be seen whether the brewery industry will maintain its sustained growth.
Ready to join the industry? Bowditch & Dewey's Craft Brewers group has decades of experience in all issues that a burgeoning brewery can and will face.
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