Number of craft breweries in the U.S. in 2023, by state

California had the most craft breweries of any state in the United States in 2023, by far. The state had 987 craft breweries in total, compared to 2nd and 3rd place New York and Pennsylvania who had 539 and 530 craft breweries respectively. Washington D.C. was in last place with 14 craft breweries. California also produced the most barrels of craft beer in 2023, 3.25 million in total.

The definition of a craft brewer

The Brewers Association qualifies a brewery as a craft brewery if it adheres to three pillars. Firstly, the production must be small, 6 million barrels of beer or less a year. Secondly, the operation must be mostly independent; at least seventy-five percent of the brewery must not be owned by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not a craft brewer. Lastly, the brewery must have a Brewer’s Notice from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, and they must make beer.