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Mapped: How Much a Case of Beer Costs in Each U.S. State
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Key Takeaways
- Alaska is the most expensive state to buy Bud Light or Miller Lite, at $33.62 per case.
- Beer by the case is cheapest in Illinois at $16.43 for a 24-pack.
- Distribution costs and market competition could explain these price differences
Beer preferences vary widely across America, with different generations favoring different brands.
But how do beer costs compare across states? An alcohol delivery company investigated by collecting the average price of a 24-pack of Bud Light or Miller Lite in all 50 states.
They sourced data from wholesalers in January 2024, covering both urban and rural zip codes.
This map highlights the beer costs by state. Note: Prices exclude sales tax and recycling fees.
Ranked: Cost of a Case of Beer by State
Alaska is the most expensive state to buy Bud Light or Miller Lite, averaging $34 per case. This works out to about $1.40 per can.
Wyoming is second at nearly $29/case and Illinois is the cheapest state to buy beer (around $16/case).
| Rank | State | Code | Retailer Price ($/ Case) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | AK | $33.62 |
| 2 | Wyoming | WY | $28.78 |
| 3 | Hawaii | HI | $24.17 |
| 4 | Montana | MT | $24.06 |
| 5 | Tennessee | TN | $24.03 |
| 6 | Vermont | VT | $23.25 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | PA | $23.21 |
| 8 | Nevada | NV | $22.62 |
| 9 | Oregon | OR | $22.51 |
| 10 | Washington | WA | $22.26 |
| 11 | Maryland | MD | $22.04 |
| 12 | Texas | TX | $21.72 |
| 13 | Louisiana | LA | $21.59 |
| 14 | Alabama | AL | $21.17 |
| 15 | Maine | ME | $21.17 |
| 16 | North Dakota | ND | $21.00 |
| 17 | New Jersey | NJ | $20.84 |
| 18 | Ohio | OH | $20.54 |
| 19 | Delaware | DE | $20.51 |
| 20 | Kentucky | KY | $20.45 |
| 21 | Idaho | ID | $20.26 |
| 22 | Mississippi | MS | $20.26 |
| 23 | Georgia | GA | $20.25 |
| 24 | Nebraska | NE | $19.95 |
| 25 | Utah | UT | $19.71 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | MA | $19.62 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | WI | $19.62 |
| 28 | South Dakota | SD | $19.54 |
| 29 | Colorado | CO | $19.49 |
| 30 | West Virginia | WV | $19.49 |
| 31 | Arkansas | AR | $19.44 |
| 32 | Minnesota | MN | $19.41 |
| 33 | California | CA | $19.30 |
| 34 | New Mexico | NM | $19.06 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | OK | $18.94 |
| 36 | Florida | FL | $18.59 |
| 37 | Iowa | IA | $18.58 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | NH | $18.54 |
| 39 | Missouri | MO | $18.51 |
| 40 | Indiana | IN | $18.21 |
| 41 | Virginia | VA | $18.18 |
| 42 | Connecticut | CT | $17.77 |
| 43 | Arizona | AZ | $17.48 |
| 44 | Kansas | KS | $17.30 |
| 45 | Michigan | MI | $17.30 |
| 46 | North Carolina | NC | $17.30 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | RI | $17.26 |
| 48 | New York | NY | $16.72 |
| 49 | South Carolina | SC | $16.54 |
| 50 | Illinois | IL | $16.43 |
Why are Alaska and Wyoming so much more expensive than the rest of the country?
It’s hard to say definitely.
Their large size and sparse populations make distribution harder and pricier. This may result in fewer beer options as well, giving leverage to sellers to set their prices.
By contrast, more populous states seem to have lower prices, suggesting brewers may accept lower margins to sell higher volumes.
More populous states may also attract more competition from other brands, or microbreweries, which could force Bud Light and Miller Lite to position (and price) their beer differently.
The Effect of Taxes on Beer Costs
Here’s a fun fact: all states tax beer, while some don’t tax wine and quite a few don’t tax spirits.
Most beer taxes are collected as a form of excise, paid by manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer, baked into the final consumer cost (before the final sales tax).
For example, Tennessee and Alaska both have higher state excises than California and New York, driving up the final cost.
And there’s a federal excise as well, ranging from$0.11–0.58 per gallon, depending on alcohol content and location.
In fact, according to the Tax Foundation, taxes are the single-most expensive ingredient in beer.
One report estimated that taxes alone contributed to nearly 40% of the price of beer.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
As popular as beer is in America, the U.S. ranks 31st by per capita consumption. Wondering who ranks first? Check out: Ranked: Beer Consumption per Capita, by Country for a full breakdown.
The post Mapped: How Much a 24-Pack of Beer Costs in Each U.S. State appeared first on Visual Capitalist.