To celebrate International Stout Day today, we took the liberty of evaluating which cities give the beer drinker the most bang for his or her buck. If your city made the list, consider yourself lucky; you live in one of the places in the US with the highest quality brew selection, the most bars, and/or the smallest hit to the beer enthusiast’s wallet.
The Criteria
When setting out to find the American beer lover’s paradise, we took a couple of factors into consideration. We investigated:
- The number of breweries and brewpubs per capita (100,000 residents)
- The number of bars per capita
- The number of medals won at the Great American Beer Festival since the founding of the event in 1982
- The median 1 bedroom rent per month
- State beer tax
- The average price for a pint of beer
The Rankings
10. Billings, Montana – B+
Billings boasts a population of 166,855, making it the only city in Montana with over 100,000 people. And although Billings is ranked at #10 overall, it does rank first in terms of lowest rent. If you’re one of the lucky ones who lives here, congratulations, your city just made the cut.
- Breweries / pubs per capita: 0.7
- Wins at GABF: 24
- Average price per pint: $3.00
- Bars per capita: 13.1
- Median 1-bedroom rent: $585
9. Portland, Maine – B+
At number 9, the east coast Portland actually has more to brag about than it may seem. Namely, it takes the cake – keg? – for most breweries per capita at 2.6. What unfortunately brings it down this far is the 35-cent tax on beer, which ranks as the second most expensive out of the top 10. And for one last bit of trivia: that west coast Portland we all know and love was named after this little town.
- Breweries / pubs per capita: 2.6
- Beer tax: $0.35
- Wins at GABF: 17
- Average price per pint: $4.00
- Bars per capita: 59.8
- Median 1-bedroom rent: $1,450
8. Cincinnati, Ohio – A-
Populated by just shy of 300,000 people, Cincinnati is the 65th largest US city and the 8th best US city to live in if you love to drink beer. With an average of $3.50 for a pint and 66 bars per capita, I don’t even feel the need to mention that median rent of a humble $725.
- Breweries / pubs per capita: 0.5
- Wins at GABF: 13
- Average price per pint: $3.50
- Bars per capita: 66
- Median 1-bedroom rent: $725
7. Fort Collins, Colorado – A-
Home of Colorado State University, Fort Collins comes in at number 7 overall and number 2 in terms of breweries per capita. The average July temperature in these parts sits around a perfect 70*F, and with almost half the population being under the age of 24, Fort Collins could be the perfect spot for a college summer escape.
- Breweries / pubs per capita: 1.4
- Wins at GABF: 74
- Average price per pint: $5.00
- Bars per capita: 23.7
- Median 1-bedroom rent: $904
6. Rochester, New York – A-
Did you know that there are 19 places in the US named Rochester and half of them are named after this specific one? It’s no surprise, because in its time, Rochester has been named among the top 5 cities to live in and to raise a family in. And now, it’s in the top 6 best cities for beer drinkers.
- Breweries / pubs per capita: 0.8
- Wins at GABF: 23
- Average price per pint: $4.50
- Bars per capita: 44.2
- Median 1-bedroom rent: $725
5. Seattle, Washington – A-
One of the priciest cities to live in so far, Seattle makes up for it with upwards of 90 Great American Beer Festival wins and a whopping 78 bars per capita. Also not bad about Seattle: a booming tech industry, extreme bike-friendliness, and less rain than you think.
- Breweries / pubs per capita: 0.9
- Wins at GABF: 92
- Average price per pint: $5.00
- Bars per capita: 78
- Median 1-bedroom rent: $1,850
4. Salt Lake City, Utah – A-
Otherwise known as The Crossroads of the West, Salt Lake City is the most populous municipality in the state of Utah. Although it boasts the highest beer tax of the top 10 cities, it also has the second highest number of bars per capita, and a sub-$1,000 median monthly rent.
- Breweries / pubs per capita: 0.7
- Beer tax: $0.41
- Wins at GABF: 79
- Average price per pint: $4.00
- Bars per capita: 66.8
- Median 1-bedroom rent: $950
3. Eugene, Oregon – A
The first of two Oregon cities ranked in the top 3, Eugene is home to the University of Oregon Ducks, as well as being the original birthplace of the Nike corporation. Aside from a nearly perfect beer consumption situation, Eugene is also known for its plethora of outdoor activities, from rafting and kayaking to jogging and biking.
- Breweries / pubs per capita: 0.8
- Wins at GABF: 23
- Average price per pint: $3.00
- Bars per capita: 27.3
- Median 1-bedroom rent: $737
2. Portland, Oregon – A
This city, which earned its name as a result of a coin flip – seriously – boasts the second highest number of Great American Beer Festival wins as well as the third highest number of bars per capita. It’s also the only spot in the US where you can drink a beer within the same city limits as a volcano.
- Breweries / pubs per capita: 1.2
- Wins at GABF: 111
- Average price per pint: $4.10
- Bars per capita: 66.8
- Median 1-bedroom rent: $1,341
1. Denver, Colorado – A+
The Mile-High City. Colorado’s Capital. The Fastest Growing Major City In The US. Denver has many titles and nicknames, and it now has another one to add to the list: The #1 Best City For Beer Drinkers. With a chart-topping 153 Great American Beer Festival wins, Denver also ranks among the top 5 for both breweries and bars per capita. And for the most appropriate fun fact ever, the first permanent structure in Denver was – you guessed it – a saloon.
- Breweries / pubs per capita: 1.1
- Wins at GABF: 153
- Price per pint: $4.30
- Bars per capita: 66.5
- Median 1br rent: $1,246 (above avg for top 10 and top 251)
Full Data
| 1 Bedroom | 2 Bedrooms | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | City | Price | M/M % | Y/Y % | Price | M/M % | Y/Y % |
| 1 | Austin | $1,150 | 4.50% | -3.40% | $1,420 | 2.90% | -5.30% |
| 2 | Leander | $1,130 | 4.60% | 11.90% | $1,400 | 0.70% | 6.90% |
| 3 | Cedar Park | $1,090 | 4.80% | 4.80% | $1,320 | 3.10% | -4.30% |
| 4 | Hutto | $1,060 | 2.90% | 5.00% | $1,290 | -1.50% | -7.20% |
| 5 | Brushy Creek | $1,040 | -4.60% | 2.00% | $1,460 | 2.10% | 5.80% |
| 6 | Buda | $1,020 | 3.00% | 8.50% | $1,260 | 4.10% | 8.60% |
| 7 | Pflugerville | $1,000 | 0.00% | 2.00% | $1,340 | 4.70% | 5.50% |
| 8 | Georgetown | $990 | 1.00% | -1.00% | $1,230 | -4.70% | -8.20% |
| 8 | Round Rock | $990 | 0.00% | 4.20% | $1,210 | -0.80% | 0.80% |
| 10 | Jollyville | $960 | -1.00% | 0.00% | $1,260 | 4.10% | 1.60% |
| 10 | Kyle | $960 | 0.00% | 6.70% | $1,280 | -2.30% | 1.60% |
| 10 | Wells Branch | $960 | -2.00% | -1.00% | $1,300 | 4.80% | 3.20% |
| 12 | San Marcos | $880 | 0.00% | 2.30% | $970 | 2.10% | 3.20% |
Methodology
To determine the best cities for beer drinkers, we analyzed data from 251 cities (each of the five largest cities per state plus Washington D.C.) across the United States on six key metrics. These metrics included:
- Breweries and brewpubs per capita (100,000 residents) – brewery and brewpub data from BreweryDB.com; population data from the 2010 U.S. Census
- Bars per capita – bar data from Yelp.com; population data from the 2010 U.S. Census
- Medals won at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) – data from greatamericanbeerfestival.com
- Median 1 bedroom rent – data from Zumper.com
- State beer tax – Tax Foundation study conducted on March 17, 2016
- Average price per pint of beer – data from Numbeo.com
Each city then received a rank for each metric and then a weighted score for each metric. In terms of weightings, breweries and brewpubs per capita accounted for 40% of the final score, bars per capita / GABF wins for 20% each, median 1 bedroom rent for 10% and beer tax / average price per pint of beer for 5% each. This means that if a city was ranked at #1 for for brewpubs per capita, they received the full score for that metric (40 points). The final ranking was determined by adding up each city’s weighted scores to see who scored highest overall.
To convert scores into letter grades, all the cities were adjusted on a curve so that the top scoring city received the highest mark, an A+.
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