Michigan's In Recovery, and It's Partly Because of Beer

Beer is a pretty big deal in Michigan, where more than 35,500 jobs are a direct result of the beer industry, according to a new report from the Beer Institute and National Beer Wholesalers Association. (Photo by Joel Olives via Flickr)

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Michigan is in recovery, and beer is one of the reasons.

That’s according to the Beer Serves America report scheduled for release Tuesday at a congressional hearing by the Beer Institute and National Beer Wholesalers Association.

The study showed the beer industry had a $6.6 billion economic impact on Michigan’s economy in 2014, provided more than 35,500 direct jobs paying $2.2 billion, and generated more than $1.15 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue.

The jobs are across several sectors, including agriculture, mining, construction, real estate, manufacturing, retail, transportation, travel and entertainment, and wholesale.

In Michigan, the top beer-related jobs are in brewing (more than 1,100), wholesaling (more than 4,200) and the biggest sector, retail (more than 30,000 jobs). Wages paid to workers in those three sectors of the industry topped $1 billion a year.

There are 191 brewing facilities and 163 beer wholesalers in the state, according to the report.

Local, state and federal taxes paid by beer-related industries totaled almost $320.5 million, $174 million of it going into state and local government treasuries.

Michigan ranked eighth in the U.S. for total beer-related jobs, and 14th for total economic output. California ranked first in both of those categories.

Nationally, the beer industry represented 1.5 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product in 2014, and had a $253 billion economic impact. More than 1.75 million Americans are employed directly or indirectly by the beer industry.

Also nationally, local state and federal taxes amounted to more than $48.5 billion in 2014, including taxes on sales, gross receipts and revenue collected from state and federal excise taxes on beer.

To find information specific to a congressional district, click here.

Michigan’s full report is attached below.