21-05-2025
Colorado is one of the best states for jobs in the beer industry: Study
DENVER (KDVR) — The local beer industry supports many hard-working Coloradans, and not just by offering them a cold one to crack open when they get home from work.
Despite the loss of 41 breweries last year and sales dipping below the national average, beer is still a great contributor to Colorado's economy.
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More than 2.4 million people across the country make a living because of beer, according to a recent Beer Serves America report by the Beer Institute's chief economist, Andrew Heritage, and Colorado is one of the top states for jobs in the beer industry.
The beer industry accounts for about 1 in every 48 jobs in Colorado, the 8th most per capita of any state in the U.S.
Vermont – 1 in every 32 jobs
Maine – 1 in 38 jobs
Montana – 1 in 38 jobs
Oregon – 1 in 43 jobs
Nevada – 1 in 43 jobs
Wisconsin – 1 in 43 jobs
New Hampshire – 1 in 47 jobs
Colorado – 1 in 48 jobs
Idaho – 1 in 51 jobs
Hawaii – 1 in 52 jobs
According to the report, beer provides 61,262 jobs in Colorado, contributing $13.1 billion to the economy and $1.3 billion to taxes.
The nationwide impact is felt across many industries, with more than 43,000 agricultural jobs and 77,000 manufacturing jobs in the U.S. depending on the beer industry.
The over 61,000 jobs are spread out among different parts of the beer-making process, including:
6,253 brewing jobs
2,242 distributing jobs
18,886 retail jobs
1,400 agriculture jobs
1,585 manufacturing jobs
The jobs earn $4 billion for Coloradans' wages, according to the report.
More details and data, including a tool to pull up data for specific congressional districts, can be found in the full online report.
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