USA Economic Impact Report on Coffee
August 3 - 2022
Coffee Geography Magazine
Not only does coffee power our day, it also helps power the US economy. In a groundbreaking study, the National Coffee Association commissioned original research from the experts at Technomic to measure all the ways that coffee contributes to the U.S economy. The final report, which was produced in collaboration with the Specialty Coffee Association of America, has resulted in the first comprehensive study of the impact of coffee on the U.S. economy.
Coffee is the most commonly consumed beverage in the U.S. (even more than tap water). And the SCAA 2014 Economics of the Coffee Supply Chain report gave us a glimpse into the complexity of the coffee supply chain.
But it turns out that coffee touches communities across the country in amazing ways, from generating tax dollars to creating jobs, from the supermarket to the dairy farm.
The total economic impact of the coffee industry in the United States in 2015 was $225.2 billion
Coffee-related economic activity comprises approximately 1.6% of the total U.S. gross domestic product
Consumers spent $74.2 billion on coffee
The coffee industry is responsible for 1,694,710 jobs in the US economy
The coffee industry generates nearly $28 billion in taxes (including ancillary goods)
These numbers reflect all economic activity in the U.S. coffee economy, the majority of which is created in the foodservice sector, where coffee is prepared for consumers – a reflection of the investment in equipment, labor, and materials needed for service.
Elements of the coffee economy include:
Importers
Transportation, including shipping and trucking
Roasters and packaging
Whiteners, including milk and creamers
Sweeteners
Flavorings
Disposable products
Maintenance
Equipment sold, both to consumers and for commercial coffee service
Indirect services such as accounting, marketing, and promotion
Wages and taxes
Induced spending by those working in the coffee economy
This report was commissioned by NCA with support from the SCAA, and was produced by Technomic, Inc., a leading food and beverage industry consulting organization. Technomic's experts drew upon a wide variety of primary and secondary sources including interviews with industry experts, U.S. government statistics, published corporate reports, their own internal databases on the beverage industry and related sectors, and IMPLAN modeling software.