Permit class · United States
U.S. Wholesalers
Wholesaler Basic Permit holders, the middle tier of the three-tier system, between producers/importers and retailers.
- 38,648
- Wholesaler permits
- 46%
- of all alcohol permits
- CA
- top state
- 52
- states covered
U.S. wholesalers in one line
38,648 businesses hold a federal Wholesaler Basic Permit - 46% of all U.S. alcohol permits, led by California with 9,309.
- 38,648
- federal wholesalers
- California
- top state
- 46%
- of all alcohol permits
- 52
- states & territories
Source: TTB List of Permittees, April 2025.
States with the most wholesalers
Bar length = Wholesaler Basic Permit holders in the state
- CA
California
9,309 wholesalers
- NY 2,699
New York
2,699 wholesalers
- FL 2,662
Florida
2,662 wholesalers
- TX 2,124
Texas
2,124 wholesalers
- WA 1,902
Washington
1,902 wholesalers
- OR 1,451
Oregon
1,451 wholesalers
- IL 1,136
Illinois
1,136 wholesalers
- PA 1,000
Pennsylvania
1,000 wholesalers
- NC 983
North Carolina
983 wholesalers
- IA 927
Iowa
927 wholesalers
- SC 907
South Carolina
907 wholesalers
- KS 895
Kansas
895 wholesalers
What this shows California leads U.S. wholesalers; distribution hubs track population and port access.
Wholesaler permit holders
A sample of wholesalers from the registry, open any state to see its full list.
Other permit classes
Frequently asked questions
How many wholesalers are federally permitted in the U.S.?
38,648 businesses hold a federal Wholesaler Basic Permit from the TTB, about 46% of all 83,590 federal alcohol permits.
Which state has the most wholesalers?
California leads with 9,309 wholesalers, ahead of New York (2,699) and Florida (2,662).
Are breweries counted here?
No. Breweries do not hold an FAA Basic Permit, they file a Brewer's Notice under the Internal Revenue Code, which is protected from disclosure, so they are not in the public TTB List of Permittees.
Where does this data come from?
The TTB FOIA "List of Permittees," published April 2025, public U.S. government data.
Source: TTB FOIA List of Permittees, published April 2025 by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau - reformatted without alteration. Verify with the TTB →
Every figure on PlainAlcohol is rendered directly from federal TTB permit data, no number is typed in by an editor. This count is rendered directly from the TTB List of Permittees, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.