Jan. 18, 2018

It might seem like a lot of breweries have opened in recent years in Sioux Falls, but a new report finds that’s the case nationwide.

The research firm C+R Research recently released a detailed analysis of the U.S. craft beer industry, which surpassed 7,000 breweries in 2018. A decade earlier, there were about 1,500 breweries.

The report looked at the number of breweries per 100,000 people. By that analysis, South Dakota is slightly above average at 2.6. The report estimates it equates to an economic impact of $345 per capita.

Vermont has the highest number of craft breweries per capita at 11.5, followed by Montana and Maine at 9.6.

Craft breweries are growing fastest in New Jersey and Kentucky, the report found. Breweries there have increased by 43 percent since 2015.

“Much of it can be attributed to more liberal laws. In recent years, licensing laws in New Jersey have changed, which have allowed for microbreweries to sell beer by the glass and by the keg,” it said. “In Kentucky, changes in laws have increased a brewing cap, allowing breweries to produce more beer.”

To see the full report, click here.