Every year, Americans buy billions of dollars worth of beer. Whether it was from Big Beer — brands like Miller Lite, Coors, Busch, or Budweiser — or from an independent craft brewer, chances are you or someone you know purchased beer recently.
A new study found some U.S. cities may be better than others for beer drinkers.
In its eighth annual analysis of nearly 400 cities, SmartAsset has ranked the 50 best for beer drinkers based on the number of breweries and bars (in total and per capita) as well as the average selection per brewery and the average cost of a pint.
With its 33 breweries, equating to 11 per 100,000 residents, Pittsburgh held its top ranking for the second straight year, followed by Bend, Oregon, and Milwaukee.
These 10 cities were found to be the best for beer drinkers:
- Pittsburgh
- Bend, Oregon
- Milwaukee
- St. Louis
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Cincinnati
- New Orleans
- Fort Collins, Colorado
- Austin
- Missoula, Montana
Though not listed above, Chicago had the most breweries on the list at 103, vastly outranking second-ranked Portland by 21. Asheville, with 26 breweries, has the most per 100,000 residents at 27.6. Portland, Maine, was close behind at 26.3 breweries per 100,000 residents.
Breweries in Lexington, Kentucky, have, on average, a higher number of beers across its 10 total breweries, SmartAsset found. Breweries in Springfield, Illinois, had the fewest, but the city boasts the lowest average price for a pint at $2.75.
Colorado had the most cities ranked among the top 50 at five: Fort Collins, Denver, Loveland, Colorado Springs, and Longmont. Ohio and Wisconsin were close behind at four each. Cities from 27 states were included on the list, which can be found at SmartAsset.com.
