15+ U.S. Beverage Industry Statistics [2023]: Refreshing Trends, Facts, And Stats

Research Summary. The production, distribution, and sale of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages generate billions of dollars in the United States and worldwide every year. We set out to uncover just how successful the U.S. beverage industry is. After extensive research, our data analysis team concluded:

• The United States’ non-alcoholic beverage industry is valued at about $760 billion as of the end of 2022.

• Non-alcoholic drink revenue in the U.S. has amounted to $447.38 billion in 2022.

• On average, American adults consume 341.1 drink calories, and American children consume 312.6 drink calories every day.

• The global beverage market is valued at $1.8 trillion as of 2022.

For further analysis, we broke down the data in the following ways:
Trends | Segments | Consumers

U.S. Sales of Non-Alcoholic Beverages 2014-2022

General U.S. Beverage Industry Statistics

• Soft drink sales accounted for $297.5 billion of the U.S. beverage revenue in 2022.

  Carbonated soft drink sales across the nation amounted to over $297 billion of the nation’s $447 billion beverage industry revenue in 2022.

• Soft drink sales represent one of the fastest-growing categories of the beverage market. The industry grew by $200 million between 2018 and 2019 alone. Bottled water represents the second-most profitable category, with $1.2 billion in retail sales in 2019.

  That same year, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar was listed as the fastest-growing soft drink, increasing 11.5% in retail value and 8% in volume during that time.

• As of December 2022, the U.S. beverage industry has a total market cap of $762.3 billion.

  In the United States, the non-alcoholic beverage industry brings in roughly $447.38 billion in revenue each year.

• PepsiCo is the biggest beverage company in the United States’ beverage market.

  When analyzed by net revenue, PepsiCo is the largest food and beverage company in North America and the third largest beverage firm globally. Founded in 1965, PepsiCo generates roughly $66.415 billion in revenue annually.

  When looking at the international beverage industry, Anheuser-Busch InBev holds the title of the world’s largest beverage company.

U.S. Beverage Industry Trends and Predictions

• The U.S. alcoholic beverage industry has grown by $76,097 million since 2006.

  The alcoholic beverage industry grew by more than $76,097 million between 2006 and 2019. Alcoholic sales generated $176,723 million in 2006 and $252,820 million in 2019.

• The beverage industry is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 1.7%.

  The global beverage industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 1.7% between 2021 and 2026. At this rate, the market will be valued at more than $1.691 billion by the end of 2026.

U.S. Beverage Industry Segment Statistics

• Beer is the largest segment in the alcoholic beverage market by volume of sales.

  Beer is the largest segment in the U.S. alcoholic beverage market, with a volume value of $109,028 million. It’s estimated that the average American adult consumes 94.38 liters of alcoholic drinks, a cost of about $748.20, every year.

• Across the nation, beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage.

  The beer segment of the beverage industry includes fermented alcoholic beverages made from malted cereal grains, hops, and water. Such drinks most often have an alcohol content of roughly 5%.

  The largest beer distributors across the United States include Anheuser-Busch InBev, Heineken, Diageo, Kirin Holdings, Molson Coors, and Pernod Ricard, among others.

• Water is the most popular non-alcoholic beverage in the United States.

  Water is the most popular non-alcoholic beverage in the U.S., accounting for 51.2% of the nation’s total non-alcoholic beverage consumption between 2015 and 2018. Coffee is the second most popular non-alcoholic beverage, accounting for 14.9% of non-alcoholic drink consumption.

  Behind water and coffee, non-alcoholic beverage consumption consists of 10.2% sweetened beverage consumption, 8.7% tea consumption, 5.6% fruit beverage consumption, 5.5% milk consumption, and 3.8% diet beverage consumption.

U.S. Beverage Consumer Statistics

• Half of Americans drink soft drinks every day.

  50% of American adults and 60.7% of American children consume soda or sugary beverages every day. Those numbers are down from 2003 when 61.5% of American adults and 79.7% of American children drink daily sugary drinks.



• Non-Hispanic Black Americans consume the most sweetened beverages.

  Non-alcoholic beverage consumption among non-Hispanic Black Americans consists of 14.5% sweetened beverages.

  For comparison, sweetened beverage consumption is valued at 14.3% among Hispanics, 9% among non-Hispanic White Americans, and 4.4% among non-Hispanic Asian Americans.

  The CDC defines sweetened beverages as soft drinks, sports and energy drinks, nutritional beverages, and grain drinks. It should be noted that diet soft drinks are not included in the sweetened beverage category but rather accounted for in the diet beverages segment.

• American’s over the age of 60 consume the most coffee, while those between 20 and 39 years old consume the most water.

  Coffee accounts for 20.5% of non-alcoholic beverage consumption among Americans age 60 and older. The report also illustrated water contributed to 46.9% of non-alcoholic beverage consumption among U.S. seniors.

  Meanwhile, for Americans between 20 and 39 years old, water accounts for 56.5% of non-alcoholic beverage consumption, while coffee accounts for just 9.2% of consumption.

U.S. Beverage Industry FAQ

1. How big is the beverage industry in the U.S.?

   In the United States, the beverage industry is valued at about $760 billion, according to its total market cap in December 2022. The U.S. drink industry includes both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage production and distribution. On average, alcoholic beverage sales generate roughly $252.82 billion annually across the nation, while non-alcoholic drink sales bring in an estimated $447.38 billion per year.

2. What is the top-selling beverage in the U.S.?

   Water and beer are the most popular non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages in the U.S. The nation’s beer industry is currently valued at $109,028 million. As for non-alcoholic drinks, water accounted for 51.2% of the nation’s total non-alcoholic beverage consumption between 2015 and 2018.

3. Is the beverage industry growing?

   Yes, the beverage industry is growing. Current projects predict that the global beverage market will reach a value of more than $1.691 billion by the end of 2026. At that rate, the industry will grow at a steady compound annual growth rate of 1.7% over the next five years.

4. What is the world’s biggest soft drink company?

   PepsiCo is the largest soft drink company globally, followed closely by the Coca-Cola Company and Unilever. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is the fastest-growing soft drink in the U.S., however. More specifically, the drink’s retail value increased by increasing 11.5% in 2019, and its volume increased by 8%.

5. How competitive is the beverage industry?

   The beverage industry is extremely competitive. New entrants have to match consumers’ low pricing, attractive packaging, and flavor standards. Not to mention that big players like Coca-Cola and Anheuser Busch already control a significant share the of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverage markets.

   Despite heavy competition, many small beverage companies attempt to compete in the energy, health, and “functional” beverage markets, which have less dominant companies than the traditional soft drink market. And of course, local craft breweries have become increasingly popular for younger generations.

6. What is the fastest growing segment of the beverage industry?

   Bottled water is the fastest-growing segment of the beverage industry. It is expected to grow at an annual compound rate of 7.4% between 2021-2026, much faster than the 1.7% CAGR the beverage industry is expected to experience over the same period.

7. What is America’s favorite beverage?

   America’s favorite beverage is bottled water, as it accounts for 24% of beverage consumption in the United States. Coffee comes in second place, making up about a fifth of beverage consumption.

   About 60% of American adults drink each regularly, according to self-reporting.

8. How many jobs are available in beverages?

   There are an average of 955,100 job openings in the U.S. food and beverage industry each year. Of course, this is also an average and the actual number of jobs per year can vary.

   For example, in 2021 specifically, there were approximately 11.38 million jobs available in the industry.

Conclusion

From soft drinks and fruit juices to diet beverages and alcohol, the United States beverage market is, indeed, a profitable one. The success of the industry is illustrated by the nation’s extensive consumption of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Current estimates value the U.S. non-alcoholic beverage market at an impressive $760 billion.

Across the globe, the United States continues to be a leader in the beverage industry. Today, Americans generate a whopping $252.82 billion in alcoholic beverage sales and roughly $447.38 billion in non-alcoholic drink sales every year.

With the market expected to continue growing at a steady compound annual growth rate of 1.7% over the next five years, the future of the U.S. beverage industry looks bright.

References

1. Market Watch. “Beverage Market Size Worth 1,691,470 Million USD.” Accessed on September 15, 2021.

2. The Coca-Cola Company. “Report: U.S. Sales Of Non-Alcoholic Beverages Grow More Than $5 Billion In 2019.” Accessed on September 15, 2021.

3. Beverage Companies. “Top 100 Beverage Companies.” Accessed on September 15, 2021.

4. The New York Times. “Americans Are Putting Down The Soda Pop.” Accessed on September 15, 2021.

5. Statista. “Alcoholic Drinks.” Accessed on September 15, 2021.

6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Non-alcoholic Beverage Consumption Among Adults: United States, 2015-2018.” Accessed on September 15, 2021.

7. Statista. “Non-Alcoholic Drinks – United States.” Accessed on March 2, 2023.

8. Simply Wall St. “U.S. Beverage Industry Analysis.” Accessed on March 6, 2023.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.