Study: Alcohol is good for Texas businessDallas Business Journal

Alcohol is big business in Texas, according to a study released Wednesday by The Perryman Group.

Business activity associated with alcoholic beverages generated $36.6 billion in total annual spending, $19.2 billion in yearly output and more than 301,000 jobs last year. Tax receipts to the state rang up at $2.1 billion a year, with local governments seeing gains of about $622 million per year.

By allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages, a community can expect millions of dollars in increased economic activity, hundreds of additional jobs and a steady source of new tax revenue, according to the study.

“Our analysis found that even after all other economic trends and retail patterns are taken into account, there is a statistically significant increase in retail sales following a change from ‘dry’ to ‘wet,'" says Ray Perryman, president of The Perryman Group. “And, an area can reasonably expect a substantial gain in retail sales taxes the year after approval of a local option alcohol election.”

Of Texas’ 254 counties, 35 were dry, 134 were partial wet and 85 were wet as of May, according to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

The dry counties are mainly rural, with 23 having populations of less than 10,000.

Waco-based Perryman performed the study, “The Economic and Fiscal Impact of Alcoholic Beverage Sales in Texas: An Analysis with Emphasis on Various Representative Communities,” for the Austin-based Texas Hospitality Association.