Alcohol purchased for immediate consumption at bars, pubs, taverns, restaurants, and similar venues is measured as “alcoholic beverages away from home” in U.S. household data and “alcoholic drinks away from home” in UK household data. U.S. consumer units spent an average of $343 on these beverages in 2023, while U.S. drinking places reported $33.65 billion in 2022 revenue. In the UK, households averaged £8.00 per week on alcoholic drinks away from home in the financial year ending March 2018.
Contents
- U.S. household spending
- Away-from-home and at-home purchases
- U.S. price changes
- The U.S. drinking-place industry
- UK national spending
- UK regional patterns
U.S. household spending
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports annual average spending by consumer units. These are nominal dollars, so the figures describe the amounts spent in each year rather than inflation-adjusted purchasing power. The series covers 2013 through 2023 and shows both a broad upward movement and a sharp disruption in 2020.
According to BLS, “A toast to the New Year”, average spending on alcoholic beverages consumed away from home was $184 in 2013. It rose to $214 in 2014 and $225 in 2015. Spending then measured $217 in 2016, before increasing to $280 in 2017 and $290 in 2018.
The annual average was $263 in 2019. It fell to $147 in 2020, the lowest figure in the supplied series. Spending recovered to $249 in 2021, reached $297 in 2022, and rose to $343 in 2023. The 2023 figure is the highest reported annual average in this series.
The year-by-year figures are useful for bar management because they distinguish a longer spending pattern from the exceptional 2020 low. The values also show that recovery was not a single-step return: the average moved from $147 in 2020 to $249 in 2021, then to $297 in 2022 and $343 in 2023.
Away-from-home and at-home purchases
The same BLS source places on-premise purchases beside alcoholic beverages purchased for consumption at home. The comparison is between average annual spending by U.S. consumer units, not between venue sales and retail sales.
| Year | Away from home | At home |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | $184 | $261 |
| 2014 | $214 | $249 |
| 2015 | $225 | $290 |
| 2016 | $217 | $267 |
| 2017 | $280 | $278 |
| 2018 | $290 | $293 |
| 2019 | $263 | $316 |
| 2020 | $147 | $331 |
| 2021 | $249 | $305 |
| 2022 | $297 | $286 |
| 2023 | $343 | $294 |
In 2013, consumer units spent $184 away from home versus $261 at home. The gap narrowed in 2014, when the corresponding amounts were $214 and $249, and in 2015, when they were $225 and $290. In 2016, away-from-home spending was $217 compared with $267 at home.
The two categories were nearly level in 2017: $280 away from home and $278 at home. In 2018, the figures were $290 and $293. Away-from-home spending was again lower in 2019, at $263 versus $316 at home.
The largest separation in the table appears in 2020, when away-from-home spending was $147 and at-home spending was $331. The relationship changed in the following years. In 2021, the amounts were $249 away from home and $305 at home. In 2022, away-from-home spending was $297 versus $286 at home, and in 2023 it was $343 versus $294.
These figures do not identify individual bar visits, drink counts, venue types, or customer segments. They do show how annual household spending was distributed between the two BLS categories in each year.
U.S. price changes
Spending totals and prices measure different things. The BLS CPI observations below are not seasonally adjusted 12-month changes for alcoholic beverages away from home. They indicate how prices changed over the stated comparison period, rather than how much households spent.
The BLS “A toast to the New Year” reports a 3.3% 12-month CPI increase in November 2020 and a 2.7% increase in November 2021. The increase reached 4.2% in January 2022, 5.6% in June 2022, and 7.1% in November 2022.
The BLS review of consumer price trends in 2023 reports a 4.6% year-over-year increase in December 2023 for alcoholic beverages away from home. In the same month, alcoholic beverages at home rose 1.2% year over year. That comparison describes a 3.4-percentage-point difference between the two CPI changes.
The BLS “A toast to the New Year” source also reports a 2.7% 12-month CPI increase for alcoholic beverages away from home in November 2024. Because the observations use different months, they should be read as dated points in the price series rather than as a continuous annual average.
For operators, these measurements help separate a higher sales total from a higher price environment. The CPI figures do not state how a particular tavern priced a specific beer, cocktail, pour, or package, and they do not provide a margin calculation.
The U.S. drinking-place industry
The U.S. Census Bureau provides a business-side view through industry classifications. NAICS 722410 covers drinking places, while the supplied Census note identifies NAICS 7224 as the broader drinking-place industry for the nonemployer series. The employer and nonemployer datasets are separate statistical universes and should not be added together.
In Census Bureau 2022 summary statistics, U.S. drinking places classified under NAICS 722410 reported $33,653,442,000 in revenue in 2022. The same classification reported $9,885,752,000 in annual payroll, had 39,627 establishments, and employed 40,911 people.
The Census Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics series reports $34,036,998,000 in sales, shipments, or revenue for U.S. nonemployer firms in NAICS 7224 in 2022. It counts 66,304 nonemployer firms.
The employer figures describe revenue, payroll, establishments, and employment for NAICS 722410. The nonemployer figures describe sales, shipments, or revenue and firm counts for NAICS 7224. Their different labels and universes matter when using these numbers for market sizing or operational comparisons.
UK national spending
The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports household expenditure in pounds per week. FYE 2018 means April 2017 through March 2018. These figures therefore use a financial-year period rather than a calendar year.
In ONS Family spending in the UK, UK households spent an average of £8.00 per week on alcoholic drinks away from home in FYE 2018. Away-from-home alcoholic drinks accounted for 21% of UK household spending on catering services during that period.
UK households spent an average of £8.70 per week on alcoholic drinks brought home in FYE 2018. All alcoholic drinks combined averaged £16.70 per week. ONS also reports that, across FYEs 2016–2018, households spent an average of £7.80 per week on alcoholic drinks away from home, representing 49% of spending on all alcoholic drinks.
The longer comparison in the same ONS source shows £10.90 per week on alcoholic drinks away from home in 2007, representing 57% of alcoholic-drink spending. For FYE 2018, the corresponding away-from-home amount was £8.00 per week, representing 48% of alcoholic-drink spending. The source also describes the FYEs 2016–2018 average as 49%, so the percentage depends on the stated measurement period.
These UK measures are household averages and do not describe the turnover of pubs, bars, restaurants, or individual venues. They also should not be converted into U.S. dollars without an explicitly selected exchange-rate period.
UK regional patterns
ONS regional estimates combine three financial years, FYEs 2016, 2017, and 2018, and are averaged across households. They show both the weekly amount spent away from home and the share of alcoholic-drink spending represented by that category.
| Region or country | Weekly amount | Share of alcohol spending |
|---|---|---|
| London | £9.30 | 56% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £8.90 | 53% |
| North East | £8.70 | 54% |
| North West | £8.30 | 49% |
| South East England | £8.30 | 49% |
| England | £8.10 | 50% |
| East of England | £7.80 | 48% |
| East Midlands | £7.50 | 46% |
| South West England | £6.80 | 44% |
| West Midlands | £6.70 | 47% |
| Scotland | £6.50 | 44% |
| Northern Ireland | £6.40 | 44% |
| Wales | £5.90 | 44% |
| UK | £7.80 | 49% |
London had the highest reported weekly amount, at £9.30, and 56% of alcoholic-drink spending. Yorkshire and the Humber averaged £8.90 and 53%, while the North East averaged £8.70 and 54%.
The North West and South East England each averaged £8.30 per week and 49%. England overall averaged £8.10 and 50%. The East of England averaged £7.80 and 48%, and the East Midlands averaged £7.50 and 46%.
The South West England estimate was £6.80 per week and 44%. The West Midlands estimate was £6.70 and 47%. Scotland averaged £6.50 and 44%, Northern Ireland £6.40 and 44%, and Wales £5.90 and 44%.
For context, the UK-wide three-year estimate was £7.80 per week and 49%. Regional results are not forecasts and do not establish current demand; they describe the FYEs 2016–2018 combined period reported by ONS.