According to Riverbird Research, the concentration of jobs in Beverage Manufacturing across an 18 county area of WNC was four times greater than the national average in 2022. 

The 2017-2022 jobs growth rate of 63% over those five years was slightly lower than the entire state’s 66% growth rate, with 2,556 jobs at 105 payrolled business locations earning an average annual wage of $41,548. 

Beverage manufacturing in Buncombe County supports 1,295 of those jobs, followed by Henderson County’s beverage manufacturing businesses which support 613 jobs.

According to the Brewers Association, the total economic impact of the craft brewing industry in the state was $2,259,801,000 in 2021. For the Asheville Metro Area in 2019, a combination of effects from labor income and value added contributions produced $934,964,990, according to the Asheville Breweries Contribution Report produced in 2021.