Beer sales took a hit during the pandemic. Even though you may remember drinking lots of it at home in 2020, closures of restaurants, bars and sports venues were rough for the suds industry. People lost their jobs, unsold beer ended up spoiled.
But in 2021, overall U.S. beer volume sales rebounded, and today America’s beer industry contributes more than $331 billion to the U.S. economy and supports more than two million jobs, according to the Beer Institute.
The number of breweries in the U.S. has increased five-fold since 2010, thanks to an increase in the popularity of craft breweries, according to the Brewers Association.
It’s kind of a “golden age” for beer in the U.S., with more choices than ever before, the Beer Institute says. California alone has 1,466 breweries, more than twice any other state. New York has 680, Pennsylvania has 642, and Washington state has 633. But even with all those breweries, California isn’t even one of the 30 biggest drinkers of beer (and the most popular beer in the Golden State is Budweiser.)
So which states drink the most beer? Here’s the per-capita consumption of the 30 biggest beer-drinking states, according to 2020 data from the Beer Institute.
1. New Hampshire
Annual gallons per capita: 41.5
Favorite beer: Budweiser
2. Montana
Annual gallons per capita: 41.1
Favorite beer: Budweiser
3. North Dakota
Annual gallons per capita: 37.5
Favorite beer: Fargo
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4. South Dakota
Annual gallons per capita: 37.3
Favorite beer: Budweiser
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5. Vermont
Annual gallons per capita: 34.0
Favorite beer: Bud Light
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6. Wisconsin
Annual gallons per capita: 33.7
Favorite beer: Spotted Cow
7. Maine
Annual gallons per capita: 32.5
Favorite beer: Budweiser
8. South Carolina
Annual gallons per capita: 32.5
Favorite beer: Budweiser
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9. Texas
Annual gallons per capita: 31.9
Favorite beer: Lone Star
10. Mississippi
Annual gallons per capita: 31.6
Favorite beer: Lazy Magnolia
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11. Nebraska
Annual gallons per capita: 31.6
Favorite beer: Nebraska Black Betty
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12. Iowa
Annual gallons per capita: 31.0
Favorite beer: Budweiser
13. Wyoming
Annual gallons per capita: 29.8
Favorite beer: Snake River
14. Alabama
Annual gallons per capita: 29.1
Favorite beer: Budweiser
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15. Nevada
Annual gallons per capita: 29.0
Favorite beer: Coors Light
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16. Louisiana
Annual gallons per capita: 28.4
Favorite beer: Abita
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17. Colorado
Annual gallons per capita: 28.1
Favorite beer: Denver Beer Co.
18. Delaware
Annual gallons per capita: 27.9
Favorite beer: Dogfish Head
19. Kansas
Annual gallons per capita: 27.8
Favorite beer: Coors Light
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20. West Virginia
Annual gallons per capita: 27.8
Favorite beer: Budweiser
21. New Mexico
Annual gallons per capita: 27.7
Favorite beer: La Cumbre
22. Oregon
Annual gallons per capita: 27.7
Favorite beer: Budweiser
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23. Minnesota
Annual gallons per capita: 27.1
Favorite beer: Budweiser
24. Arizona
Annual gallons per capita: 27.0
Favorite beer: Dos Equis
25. Missouri
Annual gallons per capita: 26.9
Favorite beer: Budweiser
26. Oklahoma
Annual gallons per capita: 26.8
Favorite beer: Budweiser
27. Hawaii
Annual gallons per capita: 26.7
Favorite beer: N/A
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28. Alaska
Annual gallons per capita: 26.1
Favorite beer: N/A
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29. Illinois
Annual gallons per capita: 25.9
Favorite beer: Goose Island
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30. North Carolina
Annual gallons per capita: 25.8
Favorite beer: Bud Light
Sources: The Beer Institute, The Brewers Association, Visual Capitalist
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