Jobs, on-premise sales, and the number of operating craft breweries continue to grow

Boulder, Colo. — The Brewers Association (BA)—the trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers¹—today released annual production figures for the U.S. craft brewing industry.²

The number of operating craft breweries continued to climb in 2023, reaching an all-time high of 9,761, including 2,092 microbreweries, 3,502 brewpubs, 3,910 taproom breweries, and 257 regional craft breweries. The total U.S. operating brewery count was 9,906, up from 9,824 in 2022. Throughout the year, there were 495 new brewery openings and 418 closings. Openings decreased for a second consecutive year, with the trend reflecting a more mature market. The closing rate increased in 2023 but continued to remain relatively low, at approximately 4%.

Driven by the growing number of breweries and a continued shift to hospitality-focused business models, craft brewers directly employed 191,421 people in 2023, a 1.1% increase from 2022.

“2023 was another competitive and challenging year for small and independent brewers,” said Bart Watson, vice president of strategy and chief economist of the Brewers Association. “Nevertheless, even as growth has downshifted, small brewers have proved quite resilient, as seen in the increase in number of breweries, relatively low closing rates, and gains in onsite sales and jobs.”

Collectively, small and independent brewers produced 23.4 million barrels of beer in 2023, a decline of 1.0% from 2022³, though craft’s overall beer market share by volume grew to 13.3%, up from 13.1% in 2022 as craft’s declines were smaller than overall beer volume losses.

The overall beer market* shrank 5.1% by volume in 2023. Retail dollar value was estimated at $28.9 billion, representing a 24.7% market share and 3% growth over a comparable value in 2022. Sales growth was stronger than volume primarily due to pricing but also due to slightly stronger onsite sales growth versus distribution.

“As always, the beverage alcohol market and consumer demand continue to evolve,” added Watson. ”Many brewers are accordingly updating their operations to match those changes, focusing on their business models, go-to-market strategies, and brand strategies to help their businesses match those shifts.”

In addition, the Brewers Association also released its annual list of the top 50 producing craft brewing companies and overall brewing companies in the U.S., based on beer sales volume. Of the top 50 overall brewing companies in 2023, 40 were small and independent craft brewing companies.⁴ 

“While distribution is as competitive as ever, we continue to see success stories and pockets of growth across the top 50 list,” said Watson. “Even in an era of slow growth, the strongest brands still resonate with beer drinkers, regardless of company size or location.”

• View and download the list of the top 50 producing craft brewing companies 

Top 50 Craft Brewing Companies

Top 50 Overall Brewing Companies⁵

Note: Numbers are preliminary. For additional insights from Bart Watson, visit Insights & Analysis on the Brewers Association website. The full 2023 industry analysis will be published in the May/June 2024 issue of The New Brewer, highlighting regional trends and production by individual breweries. 

* Does not include FMBs/FSBs. With those included, total taxed-as-beer products decreased 5%. 

¹An American craft brewer is a small and independent brewer. Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3% of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships. Independent: Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer. Brewer: Holds a Brewer’s Notice issued by the Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau, or its successor, or control the intellectual property for one or more brands of beer, has that brand or brands brewed for it in the United States, and have as its primary business purpose the resale of the brand or brands it controls.

²Absolute figures reflect the dynamic craft brewer data set as specified by the craft brewer definition. Growth numbers are presented on a comparable basis.

³Volume by craft brewers represents total taxable production.

⁴Figure based on companies that met the craft brewer definition for all or part of 2023. 

⁵Updated 4/17/2024.

View a list of brands included under the companies in the overall brewing category.

Media contact: Meg Papanastassiou (on behalf of the Brewers Association) 970-963-4873 x1212

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About the Brewers Association

The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers, and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents 5,600-plus U.S. breweries. The BA’s independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. The Brewers Association organizes events, including the World Beer Cup^®, Great American Beer Festival^®, Craft Brewers Conference^® & BrewExpo America^®, National Homebrew Competition, and American Craft Beer Week^®. The BA publishes The New Brewer^® and Zymurgy^® magazines, and Brewers Publications^® is the leading publisher of brewing literature in the U.S. Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com^® and about homebrewing via the American Homebrewers Association^®. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

The Brewers Association is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital/familial status. The BA complies with provisions of Executive Order 13672 and the rules, regulations, and relevant orders of the Secretary of Labor.