
The state is also home to one of the nation’s best craft breweries, and a major player in the craft beer movement.
In fact, Wisconsin ranks third in the nation in craft beer production.
In 2015, Wisconsin ranked second in the country for the number of breweries in the state, according to the Brewers Association.
And the state has more breweries than any other state.
In 2018, Wisconsin boasted 2,933 breweries, making it the third-most in the U.S. That number is expected to increase next year.
Wisconsin beer has also been one of America’s best-selling beers, with the state ranking second in craft brewing in 2018, according the Brewers association.
But, Wisconsin’s beer isn’t cheap.
While craft beer has been a boon for Wisconsin, the state’s brewers have struggled to keep up with demand.
Last year, sales in the Badger State were down 14 percent compared to the year before, according, the Brewers.
And last year, the median retail price of a pint of craft beer was $2.20, the second lowest of the 50 states, according data from Nielsen.
The Brewers association estimates that Wisconsin is responsible for roughly 2 percent of the beer consumed in the United States.
Wisconsin has also faced some challenges in the industry.
Since opening its first brewery in Milwaukee in 1879, the United State has produced about 1.8 million barrels of beer, according Nielsen.
But that number has dropped to about 1 million barrels annually since the early 2000s.
Additionally, there are fewer breweries in Wisconsin now than at any time since 1980, according a 2016 report from the Brewers, with only 8 percent of breweries currently producing beer.
The trend is likely due to the state experiencing an economic downturn and the state legislature passing legislation that would cap the amount of beer breweries can produce.
Wisconsin is home to more than 1.2 million breweries, according an analysis by the Brewers and the National Brewers Association, a trade group for the nation.
While the state may have the lowest brewery production per capita in the region, that number is projected to drop in the future, said Jeff Pfeiffer, senior director of the Brewers beer and wine program.
“The state is going to grow very slowly over the next few years and we’re going to see a gradual increase in production,” he said.
“And the growth is going down.”
In 2017, the Wisconsin Department of Commerce released a report which ranked the state fifth in the entire nation for craft beer sales.
The report found that Wisconsin was second to Texas, with an average of 8.2 breweries per capita.
In 2017 alone, the total number of beer and cider shops in Wisconsin jumped by more than 300,000.
That trend is expected continue this year, according Pfeiffs report.
And though the state is expected see its production growth continue, Pfeffers report also highlighted the challenges brewing in Wisconsin has faced.
“Wisconsin has been hit with a lot of challenges,” he told Business Insider.
“One of the biggest ones was the Great Recession.
There was a lot less beer making in the Midwest and the Midwest is where the majority of the growth happened.”
But with the economy booming, the number and quality of craft breweries in state is growing.
The state was home to an increase of 2,600 craft breweries last year.
And more are expected to be added this year.
The Wisconsin Brewers Association estimates that the state will see a 1,300 percent increase in breweries in 2021.
The growth rate for craft breweries is expected at around 30 percent per year.
That is more than twice the national average.
And that growth will continue.
Pfeffer says that by 2021, Wisconsin will have more breweries per person than the state of Georgia, which is home the largest population of breweries.