DETROIT – New numbers have been released that reveal how much the liquor business is booming in Michigan, and it's showing no signs of letting up.
Residents in Michigan have always loved to tip a few back, but it seems like folks are drinking now more than ever, according to new numbers released by the State Liquor Control Commission.
The report is 335 pages long, and it consists of a county by county tally of hard liquor sales, not including beer or wine. It lists the best-selling stores, including BB's Liquor & Fine Wine, Macomb County's best seller, which does more than a million dollars per year in gross sales.
By far, Michigan's largest liquor retailer is Meijer, accounting for 15 percent of all liquor sales. In Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties, most Meijer stores each see more than a million dollars per year.
Last year, Michigan sold $1.3 billion worth of liquor, which accounts for eight drinks a week for every man, woman and child in the state. Most of that consumption comes in Southeast Michigan. Macomb County accounted for nearly $116 million in sales, Oakland County accounted for nearly $183 million and Wayne County accounted for more than a third of a billion dollars.
The Southeast Michigan sales total is $625 million, or 48 percent of all sales.
You can view the 2014 revenue, sales and licensing statistics here.
You can view the 2016 county sales data on the MLCC website here.
You can watch Rod Meloni's full story in the video posted above.