In 2016, Dr. Crawley partnered with the Maine Brewers Guild to assess the growth and economic contributions of Maine’s craft beer industry. This partnership has continued under the EDA University Center, and our group publishes regular reports on the state of the industry on behalf of the guild. The last report was published in 2022.
Quick Facts about Maine’s Craft Breweries
- The Maine Brewers Guild represents 154 licensed breweries as of 2020, which is up 200% from 2015. Most breweries are located in Cumberland county and the Portland area specifically, though Piscataquis, Aroostook and Oxford counties have seen significant growth since 2017.
- Breweries contributed $167 million directly to Maine’s economy and $260 million over all. This generated over $1.4 million in Maine income tax and $25 million in Maine state taxes.
- Breweries employed 1,883 people in the state and paid out over $28 million in labor income. The average small brewery (<10,000 barrel output) employs about 10 people and the average larger brewery (>10,000 barrel output) employs about 77 people.
- While over 87% of breweries reported a moderate to large impact from COVID-19, most breweries project between 25%-50% growth by 2026
EDA Sponsored Reports
Crawley, Andrew, Megan Bailey. “The Economic Contribution of the Craft Brewing Industry in Maine.” EDA UMaine Staff Paper 2022-106. April 2022.
Prior Reports
Crawley, Andrew, & Welch, Sarah. “The Economic Impact of the Craft Brewing Industry in Maine.” School of Economics Staff Paper SOE 630. February 2017.