By the numbers: a spirited month.

• Position: TRENDS & TRANSITIONS - Brief article - Statistical data

What better occasions than Octoberfest and Halloween to check in on the U.S. brewing industry? Business is booming. In 2012, 869 breweries were bottling the malted magic, more than double the number of breweries in pre-recession 2007. The soda pop market, conversely, lost fizz.

118%

Growth in number of breweries from 2007 to 2012, from 398 to 869

$28.3 billion

Value of beer shipments, up roughly 33.6 percent over 2007

22,077

Total number of brewery employees, up 17.2 percent over 2007

30

Average number of employees per brewery, down from 56 in 2007

31.6%

Portion of wine made in 2012 that was red; 29.2 percent was white, while rose and other berry wines totaled 2.6 percent

37,602

Employment in wineries in 2012, up from 33,390 in 2007

$4...