It’s no secret that 2024 was a tough year for the craft brewing industry. But even in the face of tremendous challenges, craft brewers carry on.
The Brewers Association (BA) recently released its annual production report recounting the state of the craft brewing industry in the United States. Last year, the number of craft breweries that closed outpaced the total number of brewery openings nationwide for the first time since 2005. Over the course of 2024, 529 breweries closed their doors, while only 430 opened them. Even so, the total number of breweries in the U.S. still managed to increase from 9,838 in 2023 to 9,922. Of those, 9,796 are operational craft breweries, including 3,936 taproom breweries, 3,552 brewpubs, 2,092 microbreweries, and 279 regional craft breweries.
Craft beer production was also down last year, with just 23.1 million barrels of beer brewed, a 3.9 percent decrease year-over-year. It was enough of a decline to see small and independent brewers’ share of the total U.S. beer market by volume shrink by 1.2 percent. That said, there were quite a few bright spots in the craft industry last year, including a 3 percent increase in retail dollar share. Employment in craft brewing was also up by 3 percent in 2024, with the BA citing a shift toward hospitality-focused service models like brewpubs and taprooms.
“In a mature market, not every year is going to be defined by substantial growth. While progress may not come in additional production volume, it can still come in honing operations, business practices, and world-class beer,” the BA’s staff economist Matt Gacioch said in the report. “Even in this changing environment, small brewers have demonstrated that they have the skills and resilience to fight through this period to be better positioned for the months and years ahead.”
When considering which states are best for enjoying craft beer in today’s market, it might be tempting to look to states like California and New York. As two of the nation’s most populous states, it’s only natural that they would host the most number of craft breweries in the U.S. But take a look at the number of breweries per capita, and things change drastically.
On a per capita basis, Vermont takes the crown for the most number of breweries per 100,000 adults over 21 with 15.4 breweries. In second place is Maine, which has 14.4 breweries per capita, despite only having 158 total. Taking the bronze is Montana with 12.8 breweries per 100,000 adult residents.
Conversely, Mississippi, which has fewer than two dozen craft breweries in total, has just 1 craft brewery per capita. Alabama and Louisiana, which respectively have 53 and 52 craft breweries in total, have just 1.4 and 1.6 craft breweries per capita, respectively.
Keep reading to check out our color-coded maps and discover how many craft breweries were functional in your home state in 2024.
The States With the Most Craft Breweries Per Capita
| Rank | State | Number of Craft Breweries Per Capita |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | 15.4 |
| 2 | Maine | 14.4 |
| 3 | Montana | 12.8 |
| 4 | Wyoming | 11.8 |
| 5 | Alaska | 11.4 |
| 6 | Colorado | 10.3 |
| 7 | Oregon | 9.4 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | 9.3 |
| 9 | Washington | 7.5 |
| 10 | Idaho | 7.1 |
| 11 | New Mexico | 6.8 |
| 12 | South Dakota | 6.7 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | 5.9 |
| 14 | Michigan | 5.6 |
| 15 | Minnesota | 5.6 |
| 16 | Iowa | 5.4 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | 5.4 |
| 18 | North Carolina | 5.3 |
| 19 | Virginia | 5.3 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | 5.0 |
| 21 | Delaware | 4.9 |
| 22 | Nebraska | 4.9 |
| 23 | Ohio | 4.8 |
| 24 | Connecticut | 4.5 |
| 25 | Massachusetts | 4.3 |
| 26 | Kansas | 4.0 |
| 27 | Missouri | 4.0 |
| 28 | Indiana | 3.9 |
| 29 | North Dakota | 3.9 |
| 30 | New York | 3.7 |
| 31 | California | 3.3 |
| 32 | South Carolina | 3.3 |
| 33 | Illinois | 3.2 |
| 34 | Kentucky | 3.1 |
| 35 | Tennessee | 3.0 |
| 36 | Maryland | 3.0 |
| 37 | District of Columbia | 2.7 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | 2.7 |
| 39 | West Virginia | 2.7 |
| 40 | Arkansas | 2.6 |
| 41 | Georgia | 2.4 |
| 42 | Hawaii | 2.4 |
| 43 | New Jersey | 2.4 |
| 44 | Arizona | 2.3 |
| 45 | Florida | 2.2 |
| 46 | Nevada | 2.1 |
| 47 | Utah | 2.1 |
| 48 | Texas | 2.0 |
| 49 | Louisiana | 1.6 |
| 50 | Alabama | 1.4 |
| 51 | Mississippi | 1.0 |
The States With the Most Craft Breweries
| Rank | State | Number of Craft Breweries |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 946 |
| 2 | New York | 545 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | 533 |
| 4 | Colorado | 456 |
| 5 | Washington | 444 |
| 6 | Texas | 440 |
| 7 | North Carolina | 430 |
| 8 | Ohio | 421 |
| 9 | Michigan | 420 |
| 10 | Florida | 391 |
| 11 | Virginia | 345 |
| 12 | Oregon | 307 |
| 13 | Illinois | 296 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 262 |
| 15 | Minnesota | 234 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | 228 |
| 17 | Indiana | 194 |
| 18 | Georgia | 190 |
| 19 | Missouri | 181 |
| 20 | New Jersey | 168 |
| 21 | Maine | 158 |
| 22 | Tennessee | 157 |
| 23 | Maryland | 134 |
| 24 | South Carolina | 131 |
| 25 | Arizona | 127 |
| 26 | Iowa | 127 |
| 27 | Connecticut | 122 |
| 28 | Montana | 109 |
| 29 | New Mexico | 107 |
| 30 | Kentucky | 103 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | 102 |
| 32 | Idaho | 100 |
| 33 | Kansas | 85 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | 78 |
| 35 | Vermont | 77 |
| 36 | Nebraska | 70 |
| 37 | Alaska | 61 |
| 38 | Arkansas | 58 |
| 39 | Alabama | 53 |
| 40 | Louisiana | 52 |
| 41 | Wyoming | 51 |
| 42 | Nevada | 50 |
| 43 | Utah | 48 |
| 44 | South Dakota | 44 |
| 45 | Rhode Island | 42 |
| 46 | Delaware | 38 |
| 47 | West Virginia | 36 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 26 |
| 49 | Mississippi | 22 |
| 50 | North Dakota | 22 |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 14 |
*Image retrieved from chika_milan via stock.adobe.com
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