Wisconsin loves beer so much that our MLB team’s name is the Brewers, for Pete’s sake! It’s led to some interesting economic dynamics and a surprising national ranking.
Here’s Five Fast Facts About Beer in Wisconsin:
- 🍺 On Tap - Wisconsin state tax on beer is only $0.06. Which is the second lowest in the country (tied with Missouri – Bud Light? Really?) That hasn’t changed since 1969! Wyoming tops the list at lowest tax of $0.02 and Tennessee ranks 50th with the highest beer tax of $1.29.
- 🇺🇸Ratio, Ratio - Why is it so cheap? The federal liquor tax is $13.50 per proof gallon (one gallon of 100 proof liquor) but our state liquor tax is based on the volume of beer in liters and does NOT consider the alcohol content.
- 🍻 Demand - Strangely, beer prices are actually more expensive in Wisconsin than surrounding states. We pay $19.62 for a case of beer, while Illinois forks over $16.43 (the lowest in the country).
- 🥴 We’re #1! - We’ve been ranked the drunkest state in the country for three years running. That’s based on hard data. We also have the drunkest city in the country: Milwaukee. In 2021, 41 of the 50 heaviest drinking counties were in Wisconsin.
- 😔Downside - While our national ranking is pretty funny in some ways, it’s also hitting our wallets. Excessive drinking cost the US almost $250B with $2 of every $5 paid for by the government and 75% of the cost was due to binge drinking. The median cost per state was $3.5B.
🔥Bottom line: Are any of these numbers surprising? Our ranking is definitely pretty good for a laugh. The Paychecklogy crew loves beer, too, but we have to wonder if these numbers are way more depressing than we all might think.
What do you think of these numbers?
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