Oregon brewers are not just kicking back sipping a top-quality pint. They have an economic impact of about $2.44 billion and employ about 5,650 workers in breweries and pubs.
BY BRANDON SAWYER
Oregon brewers are not just kicking back sipping a top-quality pint. They have an economic impact of about $2.44 billion and employ about 5,650 workers in breweries and pubs, according to the Oregon Brewers Guild. Oregon comes in a close second behind Vermont in capita per brewery, and third behind California and Washington for total number of breweries in 2010. Portland remains the epicenter of the state’s craft-brewing empire with 51 operating breweries at the Guild’s last count, more than any other city in the world. However, the Rose City is easily beaten in capita per brewery by other renowned Oregon brew towns — Hood River, Bend and Eugene. Many U.S. cities and states claim to be the Saudi Arabia of beer, but Oregon — and Portland, especially — remain solid contenders for the title.
| Oregon cities with the most brewery locations | ||||||
| RANK 2010 | CITY | BREWERY LOCATIONS | 2010 CAPITA PER BREWERY | |||
| 1 | PORTLAND | 66 | 8.845 | |||
| 2 | BEND | 12 | 6,387 | |||
| 3 | EUGENE | 7 | 7,023 | |||
| 4 | CORVALLIS | 5 | 10,892 | |||
| 5 | SALEM | 5 | 30,927 | |||
| Top 5 states for number of breweries, 2010 | |||||
| RANK 2010 | STATE | BREWERIES | |||
| 1 | CALIFORNIA | 245 | |||
| 2 | WASHINGTON | 123 | |||
| 3 | OREGON | 121 | |||
| 4 | COLORADO | 118 | |||
| 5 | MICHIGAN | 85 | |||
| Top 5 states for capita per brewery, 2010 | |||||
| RANK 2010 | STATE | 2010 CAPITA PER BREWERY | |||
| 1 | VERMONT | 29,797 | |||
| 2 | OREGON | 31,662 | |||
| 3 | MONTANA | 36,645 | |||
| 4 | COLORADO | 42,620 | |||
| 5 | MAINE | 42,850 | |||
