The Drunkest City in Every State [MAP]
It’s no secret that Americans love to drink. Every year, they take down billions — yes, billions — of gallons of booze nationwide in the form of beer, wine, and spirits. While consumption is relatively high across the board — approximately 2.51 gallons of alcohol are consumed per capita annually — some regions are better known for their drinking than others. And thanks to data from independent financial news website 24/7 Wall St, we now know the drunkest cities in every state.
To determine the most intoxicated places in all 50 states, 24/7 Tempo — a subsect of 24/7 Wall St. media company — analyzed data from the 2023 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a report compiled by the University of Wisconsin Public Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The organization then singled out the percentage of men and women over the age of 18 who reported either heavy or binge drinking. Each metropolitan area with the highest rate in each state was then selected as the drunkest city.
Some of the drunkest cities aren’t all that shocking. Take Lincoln, Neb., home to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Big 10 school known for its robust social scene. In the capital city, 24.1 percent of the over-18 population reports overconsumption. The situation is similar in fellow college town Bloomington, Ind. There, 19.1 percent of people over 18 report heavy or binge drinking.
Other states were much more of a surprise. New Jersey’s drunkest city doesn’t even allow for the sale of alcohol: Ocean City, nestled along the state’s 130-mile coastline, has been a dry town since it was established in 1879 and the manufacture and sale of alcohol has been expressly prohibited since 1909. That clearly hasn’t stopped citizens from imbibing, though, with 23.3 percent of people over the age of 18 reporting excessive consumption.
Curious to find out which city drinks the most in your home state? Keep reading to check out our state-by-state list of the drunkest metropolitan areas in every state.
State
City
Percentage of Adults Who Drink Excessively
Alabama
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
19.0%
Alaska
Anchorage
21.6%
Arizona
Lake Havasu City-Kingman
22.3%
Arkansas
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers
18.0%
California
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
23.2%
Colorado
Fort Collins
22.2%
Connecticut
Norwich-New London
20.8%
Delaware
Dover
16.1%
Florida
Homosassa Springs
21.6%
Georgia
Gainesville
17.5%
Hawaii
Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina
21.5%
Idaho
Lewiston
20.3%
Illinois
Kankakee
17.2%
Indiana
Bloomington
19.4%
Iowa
Dubuque
27.4%
Kansas
Lawrence
20.6%
Kentucky
Louisville/Jefferson County
18.1%
Louisiana
Houma-Thibodaux
22.7%
Maine
Portland-South Portland
20.3%
Maryland
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson
17.1%
Massachusetts
Barnstable Town
24.2%
Michigan
Bay City
23.8%
Minnesota
Duluth
24.2%
Mississippi
Gulfport-Biloxi
18.3%
Missouri
Cape Girardeau
20.8%
Montana
Missoula
24.9%
Nebraska
Lincoln
24.1%
Nevada
Reno
22.6%
New Hampshire
Manchester-Nashua
20.7%
New Jersey
Ocean City
23.3%
New Mexico
Albuquerque
17.0%
New York
Glens Falls
22.3%
North Carolina
Wilmington
20.3%
North Dakota
Bismarck
23.1%
Ohio
Columbus
20.5%
Oklahoma
Enid
15.2%
Oregon
Bend
22.6%
Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh
23.0%
Rhode Island
Providence-Warwick
20.0%
South Carolina
Charleston-North Charleston
21.8%
South Dakota
Rapid City
21.1%
Tennessee
Rashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin
17.3%
Texas
Sherman-Denison
21.1%
Utah
Salt Lake City
14.0%
Vermont
Burlington-South Burlington
20.7%
Virginia
Staunton
18.9%
Washington
Bellingham
22.9%
West Virginia
Wheeling
16.8%
Wisconsin
Wausau-Weston
27.2%
Wyoming
Casper
19.0%
*Image retrieved from Krzysztof Wiktor via stock.adobe.com
The article The Drunkest City in Every State [MAP] appeared first on VinePair.