Wine bar statistics sit at the intersection of two industries: wine production and drinking places. In 2024, the United States produced 647,701,604 wine gallons, while the drinking-places industry counted 40,835 employer establishments. The same year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 182,290 bartenders employed in drinking places in May, with a $15.00 median hourly wage.
Table of contents
- National wine production and supply
- State wine production leaders
- State production across the country
- Wine withdrawals and distribution measures
- Drinking-place industry scale
- Bartender employment and pay
National wine production and supply
The TTB 2024 Annual State Statistical Report - Wine recorded 647,701,604 gallons of national wine production in 2024. This is a production measure: it describes wine made during the year, not the number of bottles sold by retailers or poured by bars.
The same TTB report recorded 583,023,963 gallons in national taxable wine withdrawals in 2024. Taxable withdrawals are a separate measure from production because wine can be produced in one period and withdrawn in another, and because withdrawals classify wine moving into taxable distribution channels.
National tax-free wine withdrawals totaled 153,766,427 gallons in 2024, according to the TTB 2024 Annual State Statistical Report - Wine. Tax-free withdrawals should therefore be read separately from taxable withdrawals rather than treated as a second estimate of bar sales.
At the end of 2024, national wine stocks on hand were 1,088,962,899 gallons, according to the same TTB source. Stocks on hand represent inventory at the measurement point and are not a forecast of future consumption. For wine bars, the figure provides broad context for the size of the national supply available across the market, but it does not identify the amount held by hospitality businesses.
| 2024 national measure | Gallons | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Wine production | 647,701,604 | Wine produced during 2024 |
| Taxable withdrawals | 583,023,963 | Wine withdrawn through taxable channels |
| Tax-free withdrawals | 153,766,427 | Wine withdrawn through tax-free channels |
| Stocks on hand at year-end | 1,088,962,899 | Reported inventory at the end of 2024 |
Source: TTB 2024 Annual State Statistical Report - Wine. The measures above are reported figures for 2024 and should not be combined into a single total.
State wine production leaders
State-level figures show that production is concentrated in a relatively small number of major wine-producing states. California produced 508,246,015 wine gallons in 2024, according to the TTB 2024 Annual State Statistical Report - Wine. Washington produced 25,739,185 wine gallons, New York produced 27,915,784, and Oregon produced 18,013,531.
Those four states are the largest production figures in the supplied state data. Their measures are production values, except where the source explicitly identifies a withdrawal measure. A state’s production volume does not by itself measure the size of its wine-bar scene, the number of tasting rooms, or local consumer demand.
Other substantial 2024 production figures included Michigan at 5,004,494 wine gallons; Ohio at 6,370,873; New Jersey at 2,515,854; Virginia at 2,503,625; North Carolina at 2,361,967; Texas at 2,169,086; Wisconsin at 2,077,940; Florida at 2,067,177; Missouri at 1,925,934; and Vermont at 1,678,896.
The range between states is wide. California’s reported production was 508,246,015 wine gallons, while Delaware’s was 15,980, Nevada’s was 9,561, and North Dakota’s was 23,871. These figures describe the volume attributed to production in the TTB report and should not be interpreted as a ranking of wine quality or hospitality activity.
State production across the country
The TTB 2024 Annual State Statistical Report - Wine also recorded production in many states with smaller reported totals. Alabama produced 28,135 wine gallons; Alaska produced 166,667; Arizona produced 376,911; Colorado produced 685,283; Connecticut produced 155,967; and Georgia produced 488,071.
Idaho produced 522,663 wine gallons in 2024, while Iowa produced 186,019, Kansas produced 83,734, Maine produced 459,496, Maryland produced 400,462, Minnesota produced 342,823, and Montana produced 279,777.
Mississippi produced 26,708 wine gallons; Nebraska produced 306,808; New Hampshire produced 169,633; New Mexico produced 288,393; Oklahoma produced 56,493; Rhode Island produced 65,665; South Dakota produced 70,373; Tennessee produced 292,612; Utah produced 97,707; West Virginia produced 30,501; and Wyoming produced 26,450.
The remaining production figures in the supplied TTB state data include Kentucky at 9,346,956 wine gallons, Pennsylvania at 44,297,315 taxable wine-withdrawal gallons, and New Jersey at 2,515,854 wine gallons. Pennsylvania’s number is a withdrawal measure, not a production measure, so it should not be placed directly beside production figures as though the categories were identical.
For a wine bar, these state numbers can frame the breadth of the domestic supply landscape. They cannot, on their own, establish how many local producers sell to restaurants, how much wine is allocated to on-premise service, or which styles are most popular with guests.
Wine withdrawals and distribution measures
Several state entries in the TTB report are identified as withdrawals rather than production. Arkansas recorded 146,135 taxable wine-withdrawal gallons in 2024. Illinois recorded 13,098,476 taxable wine-withdrawal gallons, Indiana recorded 3,808,934, Louisiana recorded 38,041, and Massachusetts recorded 10,222,382.
Pennsylvania recorded 44,297,315 taxable wine-withdrawal gallons in 2024. South Carolina recorded 7,962 tax-free wine-withdrawal gallons. Hawaii recorded 32,822 taxable wine-withdrawal gallons.
These figures are useful for understanding movement through reported tax-related channels, but they do not equal restaurant or wine-bar pours. A withdrawal may serve multiple types of buyers and destinations. The TTB source also reports national taxable and tax-free withdrawals separately, which is why the state measures should retain their original labels.
The distinction matters when comparing markets. A state with a high production figure may be a major origin for wine shipped elsewhere. A state with a high withdrawal figure may be an important distribution destination without producing the same volume locally. Neither measure alone identifies the number of wine bars or the value of their sales.
Drinking-place industry scale
The Census 7224 Drinking Places profile counted 40,835 employer establishments in the drinking places (alcoholic beverages) industry. This industry category is broader than wine bars: it can include businesses whose primary offering includes alcoholic beverages but does not isolate wine-focused concepts.
The establishment count is therefore a useful scale indicator for the surrounding hospitality labor market, not a count of wine bars. It also does not describe independent businesses without employees if they are outside the employer-establishment measure.
Within that industry context, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 182,290 bartenders employed in drinking places in May 2024 in the May 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. This is an occupation-and-industry employment measure, rather than a count of people working exclusively in wine bars.
The different units are important: 40,835 is a count of employer establishments, while 182,290 is a count of bartenders. The figures should not be divided to estimate staffing per establishment because they come from separate published profiles and the supplied data does not establish a compatible matching methodology.
Bartender employment and pay
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a $15.00 median hourly wage for bartenders in drinking places in May 2024 in its Bartenders Occupational Outlook Handbook. A median is the midpoint of the reported wage distribution: half of the workers are below it and half are above it. It is not an average wage, a guaranteed starting wage, or a full compensation measure.
The May 2024 OEWS industry figure of 182,290 bartenders gives the employment context for drinking places. The Bartenders Occupational Outlook Handbook separately reports that bartender employment is projected to grow 6% from 2024 to 2034. That 6% figure is a forecast for the projection period, not a count of jobs already added and not a wine-bar-specific forecast.
| Labor-market measure | Reported value | Date or period | Source label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bartenders employed in drinking places | 182,290 | May 2024 | BLS May 2024 OEWS |
| Median hourly wage for bartenders in drinking places | $15.00 | May 2024 | BLS Bartenders OOH |
| Projected bartender employment growth | 6% | 2024–2034 | BLS Bartenders OOH |
| Drinking-place employer establishments | 40,835 | Reported industry profile | Census 7224 Drinking Places profile |
The employment projection is the only forward-looking figure in this set. The wine production, withdrawal, stocks, establishment, employment, and wage figures describe reported historical or current-period measures tied to their stated dates. They should not be read as a forecast of wine-bar openings, wine demand, staffing costs, or revenue.
For readers evaluating the operating environment around a wine bar, the combined picture is descriptive rather than predictive: the TTB data shows a large national wine supply and substantial variation among states; Census identifies the scale of the broader drinking-places industry; and BLS provides a May 2024 employment and wage snapshot plus a 2024–2034 occupational projection. Each source answers a different question, so keeping the categories and measurement periods visible is essential.