USA: Per capita beer consumption up 1% in 2006

Final per capita beer consumption estimates for the United States show consumption by adults 21 and above grew by three tenths of a gallon from 30.0 in 2005 to 30.3 in 2006, a 1% increase in contrast to the -1.6% change from 2004-2005, according to Beer Institute’ Bulletin of March 2007.

Compared to 2005 when only five states showed positive changes in per capita consumption, thirty-eight states ended 2006 with increased levels of per capita consumption and three states experienced no change. Only ten states experienced a decline in per capita consumption. The two states showing the largest decrease, Alaska and Delaware, have smaller legal drinking age populations. However, Michigan, Florida, and Ohio-some of the nations most populous states-showed declines in estimated per capita consumption This is likely due to the greater magnitude of growth in legal drinking age population in Florida and Ohio, which had positive and flat growth in beer shipments respectively.

The thirty-eight states posting positive growth in per capita consumption averaged an increase of 0.5 gallons. The 10 states with the greatest growth in estimated per capita consumption averaged an increase of 1.1 gallons. While most of the states registering the greatest positive change are those with smaller populations, California had the sixth largest increase in estimated per capita consumption at 0.9 gallons. Also, the District of Columbia posted an increase of 0.2 gallons per capita in consumption.

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