Brewers Association statistics show a U.S. craft brewing industry that remains economically significant while facing lower production and a shrinking brewery count. The figures below separate 2023, 2024, and 2025 measurements so changes in production, sales, employment, and brewery numbers are not blended across years.
Contents
- 2025 U.S. beer and craft market
- 2025 brewery counts
- How the Brewers Association defines craft
- 2024 craft brewing production and sales
- 2024 brewery openings and closures
- 2023 craft brewing baseline
2025 U.S. beer and craft market
The Brewers Association’s National Beer Sales & Production Data reports that overall U.S. beer production and imports fell 5.7% in 2025. Craft brewer volume sales declined 4% during the same year. These are different measures: the first covers overall U.S. beer production and imports, while the second describes craft brewer volume sales.
Small and independent brewers held 13.3% of the U.S. beer market by volume in 2025. Craft retail dollar sales were $27.8 billion, and craft represented 24.6% of the $113 billion U.S. beer market by retail sales. The Brewers Association also reported that craft sales declined 3.6% in retail dollars versus the prior year.
The volume and dollar measures present different views of the market. Volume share describes the portion of beer sold by quantity, while retail dollar share describes the portion of consumer sales by value. For readers comparing brewery performance, keeping those measures separate helps avoid treating a dollar percentage as a production percentage.
| 2025 measure | Brewers Association figure |
|---|---|
| Overall U.S. beer production and imports, year-over-year change | -5.7% |
| Craft brewer volume sales, year-over-year change | -4% |
| Small and independent brewers’ volume share | 13.3% |
| Craft retail dollar sales | $27.8 billion |
| Total U.S. beer market retail sales | $113 billion |
| Craft share of retail dollar sales | 24.6% |
| Craft retail dollar sales, year-over-year change | -3.6% |
Source: Brewers Association National Beer Sales & Production Data.
2025 brewery counts
The same 2025 Brewers Association data lists 9,724 total U.S. breweries and 9,578 craft breweries. Large/non-craft breweries accounted for 146 of the total. Within the craft count, there were 275 regional craft breweries, 1,994 microbreweries, and 3,525 brewpubs.
Compared with 2024, the total U.S. brewery count was down 2.9%, matching the reported decline in the craft brewery count. The category changes were uneven: regional craft breweries fell 0.4%, microbreweries fell 4.4%, and brewpubs fell 2.5%. Large/non-craft breweries increased 1.4%.
| Brewery category | 2025 count | Change versus 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Total U.S. breweries | 9,724 | -2.9% |
| Craft breweries | 9,578 | -2.9% |
| Regional craft breweries | 275 | -0.4% |
| Microbreweries | 1,994 | -4.4% |
| Brewpubs | 3,525 | -2.5% |
| Large/non-craft breweries | 146 | +1.4% |
These counts describe breweries in the United States in 2025, not worldwide brewery totals or home-brewing participants. They also should not be read as a count of individual beer brands, tap handles, or production facilities outside the categories reported by the Brewers Association.
Source: Brewers Association National Beer Sales & Production Data.
How the Brewers Association defines craft
The Brewers Association’s Craft Brewer Definition identifies a small craft brewer as one producing 6 million barrels of beer or less annually. The association states that 6 million barrels is approximately 3% of U.S. annual sales.
Ownership is part of the definition. A craft brewer must be less than 25% owned or controlled by a non-craft beverage alcohol industry member. The brewer must also hold a Brewer’s Notice issued by the TTB or control intellectual property for beer brands brewed in the United States.
The definition is useful when interpreting the statistics because “craft” is not simply a synonym for a small taproom, a local brand, or a particular beer style. The reported craft category depends on production, ownership, and U.S. brewing-related qualification criteria. The Brewers Association also says that the majority of Americans live within 10 miles of a craft brewer; this is a proximity statement, not a count of breweries or a percentage of beer sales.
Source: Brewers Association Craft Brewer Definition.
2024 craft brewing production and sales
The Brewers Association’s 2024 U.S. Craft Brewing Industry Figures report that craft brewers produced 23.1 million barrels of beer in 2024, down 3.9% from 2023. Craft’s beer market share by volume was 13.3%.
Craft retail dollar value was estimated at $28.8 billion in 2024, up 3% from the prior year. Craft represented 24.7% of total beer market retail dollar sales. The word “estimated” matters here: the retail dollar value is an estimate for the 2024 measurement period, rather than a directly stated audited total in the supplied figure.
Craft employment reached 197,112 people in 2024, an increase of 3.0% year over year. This employment figure is reported as craft employment, while the comparable 2023 figure below is described as direct employment. The labels should be retained when comparing the two years.
There were 9,796 operating U.S. craft breweries in 2024. The category breakdown included 2,029 microbreweries, 3,552 brewpubs, 3,936 taproom breweries, and 279 regional craft breweries. These category counts are part of the 2024 industry figures and are not interchangeable with the 2025 category structure above.
| 2024 craft measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Craft beer production | 23.1 million barrels |
| Change in craft production from 2023 | -3.9% |
| Craft market share by volume | 13.3% |
| Craft retail dollar value | Estimated $28.8 billion |
| Change in craft retail dollar value | +3% |
| Craft share of retail dollar sales | 24.7% |
| Craft employment | 197,112 people |
| Employment change year over year | +3.0% |
| Operating U.S. craft breweries | 9,796 |
Source: Brewers Association 2024 U.S. Craft Brewing Industry Figures.
2024 brewery openings and closures
In 2024, 430 new breweries opened and 529 breweries closed, according to the Brewers Association’s 2024 U.S. Craft Brewing Industry Figures. The association reported that closures outpaced openings for the first time since 2005. The craft closure rate was approximately 5%.
The opening and closure figures describe industry turnover during 2024. They are not a forecast for future openings or closures, and the approximately 5% closure rate should not be treated as a precise count of all brewery exits without the underlying denominator and methodology. The figures do show that the year’s reported closures exceeded its reported openings.
For a brewery owner or home brewer watching the commercial market, these statistics put the 2024 operating count into context. A count of operating craft breweries is a point-in-time industry measure; openings and closures describe movement during the measurement year. They answer related but different questions.
Source: Brewers Association 2024 U.S. Craft Brewing Industry Figures.
2023 craft brewing baseline
The Brewers Association’s 2023 U.S. Craft Brewing Industry Figures report that craft breweries produced 23.4 million barrels of beer, a 1.0% decline from 2022. Craft beer’s market share by volume was 13.3%.
Craft retail dollar value was $28.9 billion in 2023, up 3% from 2022. Craft represented $28.9 billion in retail dollar value and employed 191,421 people directly. Direct craft employment rose 1.1% from 2022.
The 2023 report listed 9,761 operating craft breweries. It also recorded 495 new brewery openings and 418 brewery closings. Those opening and closing figures are for 2023 and should not be combined with the 2024 counts as though they describe one year.
| 2023 measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Craft beer production | 23.4 million barrels |
| Change in craft production from 2022 | -1.0% |
| Craft market share by volume | 13.3% |
| Craft retail dollar value | $28.9 billion |
| Change in craft retail dollar value | +3% |
| Direct craft employment | 191,421 people |
| Direct employment change from 2022 | +1.1% |
| Operating craft breweries | 9,761 |
| New brewery openings | 495 |
| Brewery closings | 418 |
Source: Brewers Association 2023 U.S. Craft Brewing Industry Figures.