States with the most TTB alcohol importer permits
U.S. states ranked by active alcohol importer Basic Permits in the TTB List of Permittees.
Research period: · data vintage
Class ranking in one line
California leads with 4,684 of 21,526 active alcohol importers in the TTB registry (21.8% of the national class); Florida is second at 2,816.
- 4,684
- alcohol importers in California
- 21,526
- U.S. alcohol importers total
- 15
- states shown
- August 2026
- TTB extract vintage
Source: TTB List of Permittees, August 2026. Registry counts only, not production volume or consumption.
How this ranking is built
Live query on states ordered by importer_count (top 15). Source: TTB List of Permittees, August 2026 extract - alcohol importers only.
Importer permits cover foreign alcohol entry and COLA obligations, not port throughput. Full methodology.
Top states by importer permit count
Bar length = active TTB Basic Permits in this class
The ranked top 15
Figures refresh when the TTB extract is rebuilt. Click a state for its full permit mix.
| # | State | alcohol importers | All permits | Share of class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 4,684 | 21,002 | 21.8% |
| 2 | Florida | 2,816 | 5,936 | 13.1% |
| 3 | New York | 1,962 | 5,887 | 9.1% |
| 4 | Texas | 1,665 | 5,153 | 7.7% |
| 5 | Illinois | 867 | 2,342 | 4.0% |
| 6 | New Jersey | 691 | 1,620 | 3.2% |
| 7 | Washington | 561 | 4,139 | 2.6% |
| 8 | Virginia | 506 | 2,025 | 2.4% |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 496 | 2,450 | 2.3% |
| 10 | Georgia | 462 | 1,503 | 2.1% |
| 11 | Colorado | 460 | 1,710 | 2.1% |
| 12 | Massachusetts | 441 | 1,329 | 2.0% |
| 13 | North Carolina | 427 | 1,913 | 2.0% |
| 14 | Maryland | 371 | 1,206 | 1.7% |
| 15 | Ohio | 359 | 1,680 | 1.7% |
Reading the import-permit geography
California registers 4,684 alcohol importer Basic Permits (21.8% of 21,526 U.S. importers), ahead of Florida (2,816). Importer permits authorize foreign beverage alcohol entry and COLA filing, not port tonnage.
Importer counts cluster near customs gateways and wholesale hubs. Compare the class chart above with the all-permit chart below: coastal states often lead imports while production states lead DSP or winery counts on the same ranking slice.
These counts reflect active FAA Basic Permits in the TTB List of Permittees for the importer class only. A permit means the holder has met federal eligibility for that class; it does not indicate production volume, revenue, market share, or whether the business is currently operating. Breweries are out of scope (Brewer's Notice under IRC §6103 is not in this public registry). This ranking is by absolute count and is not population-adjusted. Registry voice only, not consumption, retail, or opening-advice guidance.
Same states, total federal alcohol permits
Bar length = winery + distillery + importer + wholesaler permits
Sources
- Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) - List of Permittees, August 2026 extract - https://www.ttb.gov/foia/frl
- PlainAlcohol TTB permit database rebuild methodology - plainalcohol.com/methodology