Colorado placed 28th in U.S. ranking for alcohol sales taxes collected in 2023

Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera
Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera - Colorado Government Official Website
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In 2023, Colorado collected $56.1 million in alcoholic beverages sales taxes, placing it 28th among all U.S. states, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections (STC).

This marked a 0.9% increase from the $55.6 million generated in the previous year.

For comparison, Texas topped the national rankings in 2023, collecting $1.8 billion in alcoholic beverages sales taxes.

The State Government Tax Collections (STC) survey tracks five major tax categories and up to 25 subcategories, gathering data from all 50 state governments and their dependent agencies.

The Census Bureau notes that it defines tax classifications consistently across states, which may differ from how individual states categorize them.

All figures in this article reflect taxes collected by state governments only, based on the STC. They do not include local taxes, such as most property taxes, which make up a significant portion of overall taxes paid by residents.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, state and local governments collect a wide range of taxes to fund public programs and services. These revenues are typically allocated to areas such as transportation, education, and public safety. In 2024, state tax collections alone amounted to nearly $1.5 trillion nationwide, representing a significant part of overall government operations.

U.S. Alcoholic Beverages Sales Taxes by State in 2023
Rank State Amount
1 Texas $1,788,584,000
2 North Carolina $591,322,000
3 Washington $490,367,000
4 Pennsylvania $476,580,000
5 California $421,647,000
6 Tennessee $319,575,000
7 Florida $317,400,000
8 Illinois $316,296,000
9 Alabama $282,537,000
10 Virginia $282,498,000
11 New York $281,942,000
12 Georgia $227,079,000
13 South Carolina $222,332,000
14 Michigan $204,578,000
15 Kentucky $192,789,000
16 New Jersey $181,349,000
17 Oklahoma $177,614,000
18 Kansas $169,223,000
19 Ohio $119,171,000
20 Minnesota $109,108,000
21 Massachusetts $99,090,000
22 Arizona $91,425,000
23 Connecticut $80,024,000
24 Louisiana $79,719,000
25 Arkansas $78,615,000
26 Wisconsin $77,641,000
27 Indiana $59,088,000
28 Colorado $56,055,000
29 Hawaii $54,513,000
30 Montana $48,793,000
31 Nevada $47,269,000
32 Missouri $47,085,000
33 Mississippi $41,729,000
34 Alaska $41,621,000
35 Maryland $37,482,000
36 Nebraska $33,926,000
37 Delaware $32,230,000
38 New Mexico $24,400,000
39 West Virginia $23,679,000
40 Rhode Island $22,225,000
41 South Dakota $20,727,000
42 Iowa $19,715,000
43 Oregon $19,196,000
44 Utah $18,555,000
45 Maine $18,456,000
46 New Hampshire $12,933,000
47 Vermont $12,388,000
48 Idaho $11,050,000
49 North Dakota $10,543,000
50 Wyoming $2,201,000

Information in this story was obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections (STC). The source data can be found here.



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