Excessive drinking is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States. According to research by the National Institutes of Health, alcohol was involved in 72,558 deaths in 2017, about 2.6% of all deaths in the country that year and more than double the number of alcohol-related deaths in 1999.
24/7 Tempo reviewed the percentage of men and women over 18 who reported heavy or binge drinking in each state’s metro areas. Only one metro area was considered in Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Metro level data was aggregated from the 2020 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program.
Excessive drinking includes both binge and heavy drinking. Heavy drinking is defined as consuming at least 15 drinks a week or averaging two or more drinks a day for men, according to the CDC. For women, it’s eight drinks or more per week or more than one drink on average a day. Binge drinking is defined as a pattern of alcohol consumption that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration level to 0.08% or higher — estimated to take about five or more drinks within two hours for men and four or more drinks for women.
Car accidents caused by alcohol-impaired people account for about 30% of all driving deaths in the United States.
Regular and excessive consumption of alcohol can result in chronic conditions and other long-term health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and certain cancers. About half of alcohol-related deaths nationwide are due to liver disease or overdoses involving alcohol or alcohol combined with other drugs.
The percentage of Americans who drink liquor, wine, or beer occasionally has increased from 60% in 2014 to 65% in 2019, according to a Gallup poll from last year. America’s growing drinking population is reflected in consumer spending habits in some big cities — here is how much people spend on alcohol in 22 major American cities.
Click here to see the drunkest city in every state.
Click here to see methodology.
On average, 19% of adult Americans report binge or heavy drinking, but the rates vary greatly from city to city and between states. For example, in Madison, Wisconsin, almost 28% of adults drink excessively, the highest share among all 383 U.S. metropolitan areas. In Provo-Orem, Utah, however, the rate is closer to 8%, the lowest among the nation’s metro areas.
Nine of the 10 cities with the highest excessive drinking rates are in Wisconsin. Most of the 40 metro areas with the highest rates of binge or heavy drinking are in the Midwest. By contrast, the cities with the lowest rates of excessive drinking are in the South. With the exception of Utah, most of them are in Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.
Within states, residents of urban areas almost always report higher excessive drinking rates than adults in non-metropolitan areas. The drunkest metro areas in four states — Delaware, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Wyoming — have lower excessive drinking rates than their respective states. Also, the drunkest cities in 12 states have lower excessive drinking rates than the country’s average of 19%.
Metro areas with higher rates of excessive drinking tend to be more affluent and have low unemployment rates. Of the 25 metro areas with the highest levels of binge or heavy drinking, only two had an unemployment rate higher than the U.S. average of 3.7% in 2019. Within states, only nine metro areas with the highest level of excessive drinking had a higher unemployment rate than the state average.
Alabama: Daphne-Fairhope-Foley
> Adults who drink excessively: 18.0%
> Adults who drink excessively in Alabama 13.9% — 4th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 30.8%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Alabama: 27.6% — 19th lowest
> Median household income: $56,813
> Median household income in Alabama: $49,861 — 6th lowest
> MSA population: 218,022
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Alaska: Fairbanks
> Adults who drink excessively: 22.8%
> Adults who drink excessively in Alaska 21.3% — 8th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 39.6%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Alaska: 38.1% — 3rd highest
> Median household income: $75,448
> Median household income in Alaska: $74,346 — 8th highest
> MSA population: 98,971
Arizona: Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale
> Adults who drink excessively: 18.0%
> Adults who drink excessively in Arizona 16.7% — 12th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 25.7%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Arizona: 25.4% — 10th lowest
> Median household income: $64,427
> Median household income in Arizona: $59,246 — 24th lowest
> MSA population: 4,857,962
Arkansas: Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers
> Adults who drink excessively: 17.2%
> Adults who drink excessively in Arkansas 15.8% — 8th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 28.0%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Arkansas: 26.3% — 12th lowest
> Median household income: $57,911
> Median household income in Arkansas: $47,062 — 3rd lowest
> MSA population: 553,795
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California: Santa Cruz-Watsonville
> Adults who drink excessively: 23.2%
> Adults who drink excessively in California 19.2% — 23rd highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 34.7%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in California: 29.6% — 24th lowest
> Median household income: $86,941
> Median household income in California: $75,277 — 6th highest
> MSA population: 274,255
Colorado: Fort Collins
> Adults who drink excessively: 22.0%
> Adults who drink excessively in Colorado 20.5% — 12th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 30.1%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Colorado: 34.1% — 10th highest
> Median household income: $71,091
> Median household income in Colorado: $71,953 — 11th highest
> MSA population: 350,518
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Connecticut: Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk
> Adults who drink excessively: 19.4%
> Adults who drink excessively in Connecticut 17.1% — 15th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 29.3%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Connecticut: 32.0% — 16th highest
> Median household income: $91,079
> Median household income in Connecticut: $76,348 — 5th highest
> MSA population: 943,823
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Delaware: Dover
> Adults who drink excessively: 16.6%
> Adults who drink excessively in Delaware 16.8% — 13th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 29.0%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Delaware: 30.3% — 22nd highest
> Median household income: $54,419
> Median household income in Delaware: $64,805 — 16th highest
> MSA population: 178,550
Florida: Jacksonville
> Adults who drink excessively: 19.8%
> Adults who drink excessively in Florida 17.1% — 16th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 29.0%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Florida: 23.3% — 8th lowest
> Median household income: $60,238
> Median household income in Florida: $55,462 — 14th lowest
> MSA population: 1,534,701
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Georgia: Savannah
> Adults who drink excessively: 17.1%
> Adults who drink excessively in Georgia 14.4% — 7th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 23.9%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Georgia: 21.5% — 4th lowest
> Median household income: $58,178
> Median household income in Georgia: $58,756 — 23rd lowest
> MSA population: 389,494
Hawaii: Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina
> Adults who drink excessively: 21.1%
> Adults who drink excessively in Hawaii 21.1% — 9th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 48.5%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Hawaii: 31.2% — 18th highest
> Median household income: $82,917
> Median household income in Hawaii: $80,212 — 3rd highest
> MSA population: 167,295
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Idaho: Coeur d’Alene
> Adults who drink excessively: 20.3%
> Adults who drink excessively in Idaho 16.6% — 10th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 37.7%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Idaho: 30.2% — 23rd highest
> Median household income: $55,236
> Median household income in Idaho: $55,583 — 15th lowest
> MSA population: 161,505
Illinois: Bloomington
> Adults who drink excessively: 21.8%
> Adults who drink excessively in Illinois 21.4% — 6th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 28.8%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Illinois: 31.9% — 17th highest
> Median household income: $64,822
> Median household income in Illinois: $65,030 — 15th highest
> MSA population: 190,884
Indiana: South Bend-Mishawaka
> Adults who drink excessively: 19.8%
> Adults who drink excessively in Indiana 17.6% — 21st lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 25.1%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Indiana: 19.7% — the lowest
> Median household income: $54,715
> Median household income in Indiana: $55,746 — 17th lowest
> MSA population: 322,424
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Iowa: Dubuque
> Adults who drink excessively: 24.0%
> Adults who drink excessively in Iowa 22.1% — 3rd highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 27.3%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Iowa: 26.9% — 16th lowest
> Median household income: $60,225
> Median household income in Iowa: $59,955 — 25th highest
> MSA population: 96,854
Kansas: Lawrence
> Adults who drink excessively: 24.0%
> Adults who drink excessively in Kansas 18.7% — 24th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 33.3%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Kansas: 21.9% — 5th lowest
> Median household income: $54,668
> Median household income in Kansas: $58,218 — 21st lowest
> MSA population: 121,436
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Kentucky: Lexington-Fayette
> Adults who drink excessively: 19.8%
> Adults who drink excessively in Kentucky 17.3% — 17th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 24.7%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Kentucky: 26.1% — 11th lowest
> Median household income: $56,784
> Median household income in Kentucky: $50,247 — 7th lowest
> MSA population: 516,697
Louisiana: Baton Rouge
> Adults who drink excessively: 21.5%
> Adults who drink excessively in Louisiana 19.6% — 19th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 33.6%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Louisiana: 33.1% — 13th highest
> Median household income: $57,843
> Median household income in Louisiana: $47,905 — 5th lowest
> MSA population: 831,310
Maine: Portland-South Portland
> Adults who drink excessively: 22.1%
> Adults who drink excessively in Maine 20.2% — 13th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 34.4%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Maine: 36.7% — 5th highest
> Median household income: $69,980
> Median household income in Maine: $55,602 — 16th lowest
> MSA population: 535,420
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Maryland: California-Lexington Park
> Adults who drink excessively: 19.0%
> Adults who drink excessively in Maryland 16.6% — 11th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 45.5%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Maryland: 28.9% — 20th lowest
> Median household income: $92,250
> Median household income in Maryland: $83,242 — the highest
> MSA population: 112,664
Massachusetts: Boston-Cambridge-Newton
> Adults who drink excessively: 22.2%
> Adults who drink excessively in Massachusetts 21.3% — 7th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 30.3%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Massachusetts: 30.0% — 25th lowest
> Median household income: $88,711
> Median household income in Massachusetts: $79,835 — 4th highest
> MSA population: 4,875,390
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Michigan: Grand Rapids
> Adults who drink excessively: 21.8%
> Adults who drink excessively in Michigan 19.6% — 18th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 26.7%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Michigan: 29.0% — 21st lowest
> Median household income: $63,344
> Median household income in Michigan: $56,697 — 20th lowest
> MSA population: 1,069,405
Minnesota: Mankato-North Mankato
> Adults who drink excessively: 24.4%
> Adults who drink excessively in Minnesota 21.7% — 5th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 17.1%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Minnesota: 30.0% — 25th highest
> Median household income: $60,255
> Median household income in Minnesota: $70,315 — 13th highest
> MSA population: 101,647
Mississippi: Hattiesburg
> Adults who drink excessively: 16.3%
> Adults who drink excessively in Mississippi 13.6% — 3rd lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 13.2%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Mississippi: 20.0% — 2nd lowest
> Median household income: $45,249
> Median household income in Mississippi: $44,717 — 2nd lowest
> MSA population: 149,119
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Missouri: Columbia
> Adults who drink excessively: 24.2%
> Adults who drink excessively in Missouri 19.8% — 16th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 32.6%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Missouri: 27.4% — 18th lowest
> Median household income: $54,356
> Median household income in Missouri: $54,478 — 12th lowest
> MSA population: 180,005
Montana: Missoula
> Adults who drink excessively: 25.3%
> Adults who drink excessively in Montana 20.9% — 10th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 34.7%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Montana: 45.1% — the highest
> Median household income: $56,598
> Median household income in Montana: $55,328 — 13th lowest
> MSA population: 118,791
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Nebraska: Lincoln
> Adults who drink excessively: 25.0%
> Adults who drink excessively in Nebraska 21.7% — 4th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 27.4%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Nebraska: 34.0% — 11th highest
> Median household income: $58,506
> Median household income in Nebraska: $59,566 — 25th lowest
> MSA population: 333,964
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Nevada: Reno
> Adults who drink excessively: 24.3%
> Adults who drink excessively in Nevada 19.3% — 22nd highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 38.0%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Nevada: 29.4% — 22nd lowest
> Median household income: $63,466
> Median household income in Nevada: $58,646 — 22nd lowest
> MSA population: 471,265
New Hampshire: Manchester-Nashua
> Adults who drink excessively: 20.2%
> Adults who drink excessively in New Hampshire 20.7% — 11th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 31.2%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in New Hampshire: 30.5% — 21st highest
> Median household income: $78,978
> Median household income in New Hampshire: $74,991 — 7th highest
> MSA population: 415,247
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New Jersey: Trenton
> Adults who drink excessively: 19.0%
> Adults who drink excessively in New Jersey 18.1% — 22nd lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 20.7%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in New Jersey: 21.9% — 6th lowest
> Median household income: $80,632
> Median household income in New Jersey: $81,740 — 2nd highest
> MSA population: 369,811
New Mexico: Albuquerque
> Adults who drink excessively: 16.5%
> Adults who drink excessively in New Mexico 16.2% — 9th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 31.8%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in New Mexico: 30.5% — 20th highest
> Median household income: $51,134
> Median household income in New Mexico: $47,169 — 4th lowest
> MSA population: 916,791
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New York: Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls
> Adults who drink excessively: 22.2%
> Adults who drink excessively in New York 18.8% — 25th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 16.8%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in New York: 20.9% — 3rd lowest
> Median household income: $56,195
> Median household income in New York: $67,844 — 14th highest
> MSA population: 1,130,152
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North Carolina: Jacksonville
> Adults who drink excessively: 22.3%
> Adults who drink excessively in North Carolina 16.9% — 14th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 33.3%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in North Carolina: 29.5% — 23rd lowest
> Median household income: $50,639
> Median household income in North Carolina: $53,855 — 11th lowest
> MSA population: 197,683
North Dakota: Fargo
> Adults who drink excessively: 25.1%
> Adults who drink excessively in North Dakota 24.1% — 2nd highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 35.3%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in North Dakota: 43.2% — 2nd highest
> Median household income: $65,073
> Median household income in North Dakota: $63,837 — 18th highest
> MSA population: 245,471
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Ohio: Columbus
> Adults who drink excessively: 20.6%
> Adults who drink excessively in Ohio 20.2% — 14th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 31.4%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Ohio: 32.7% — 14th highest
> Median household income: $64,052
> Median household income in Ohio: $56,111 — 18th lowest
> MSA population: 2,106,541
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City
> Adults who drink excessively: 15.4%
> Adults who drink excessively in Oklahoma 14.1% — 5th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 26.7%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Oklahoma: 26.4% — 13th lowest
> Median household income: $57,485
> Median household income in Oklahoma: $51,924 — 8th lowest
> MSA population: 1,396,445
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Oregon: Corvallis
> Adults who drink excessively: 21.3%
> Adults who drink excessively in Oregon 18.6% — 23rd lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 31.6%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Oregon: 30.9% — 19th highest
> Median household income: $63,773
> Median household income in Oregon: $63,426 — 19th highest
> MSA population: 92,101
Pennsylvania: State College
> Adults who drink excessively: 24.0%
> Adults who drink excessively in Pennsylvania 19.2% — 24th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 26.3%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Pennsylvania: 26.8% — 14th lowest
> Median household income: $57,333
> Median household income in Pennsylvania: $60,905 — 21st highest
> MSA population: 162,805
Rhode Island: Providence-Warwick
> Adults who drink excessively: 19.9%
> Adults who drink excessively in Rhode Island 19.6% — 17th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 33.6%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Rhode Island: 36.2% — 7th highest
> Median household income: $65,083
> Median household income in Rhode Island: $64,340 — 17th highest
> MSA population: 1,621,337
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South Carolina: Charleston-North Charleston
> Adults who drink excessively: 21.0%
> Adults who drink excessively in South Carolina 17.4% — 18th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 34.0%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in South Carolina: 33.1% — 12th highest
> Median household income: $64,283
> Median household income in South Carolina: $52,306 — 9th lowest
> MSA population: 787,643
South Dakota: Sioux Falls
> Adults who drink excessively: 19.7%
> Adults who drink excessively in South Dakota 19.0% — 25th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 30.0%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in South Dakota: 36.7% — 4th highest
> Median household income: $61,196
> Median household income in South Dakota: $56,274 — 19th lowest
> MSA population: 266,100
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Tennessee: Chattanooga
> Adults who drink excessively: 16.9%
> Adults who drink excessively in Tennessee 14.3% — 6th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 23.2%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Tennessee: 25.1% — 9th lowest
> Median household income: $54,732
> Median household income in Tennessee: $52,375 — 10th lowest
> MSA population: 558,703
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Texas: Austin-Round Rock
> Adults who drink excessively: 23.4%
> Adults who drink excessively in Texas 19.5% — 20th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 29.0%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Texas: 26.9% — 15th lowest
> Median household income: $76,925
> Median household income in Texas: $60,629 — 24th highest
> MSA population: 2,168,316
Utah: Salt Lake City
> Adults who drink excessively: 15.6%
> Adults who drink excessively in Utah 12.2% — the lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 27.1%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Utah: 22.5% — 7th lowest
> Median household income: $73,730
> Median household income in Utah: $71,414 — 12th highest
> MSA population: 1,222,540
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Vermont: Burlington-South Burlington
> Adults who drink excessively: 21.5%
> Adults who drink excessively in Vermont 19.5% — 21st highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 38.9%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Vermont: 34.7% — 8th highest
> Median household income: $71,452
> Median household income in Vermont: $60,782 — 22nd highest
> MSA population: 220,612
Virginia: Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford
> Adults who drink excessively: 19.4%
> Adults who drink excessively in Virginia 17.4% — 19th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 18.4%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Virginia: 30.2% — 24th highest
> Median household income: $50,313
> Median household income in Virginia: $72,577 — 10th highest
> MSA population: 181,926
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Washington: Bellingham
> Adults who drink excessively: 22.7%
> Adults who drink excessively in Washington 17.4% — 20th lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 20.0%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Washington: 32.1% — 15th highest
> Median household income: $62,268
> Median household income in Washington: $74,073 — 9th highest
> MSA population: 225,685
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West Virginia: Morgantown
> Adults who drink excessively: 16.5%
> Adults who drink excessively in West Virginia 12.3% — 2nd lowest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 31.0%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in West Virginia: 27.4% — 17th lowest
> Median household income: $50,574
> Median household income in West Virginia: $44,097 — the lowest
> MSA population: 140,259
Wisconsin: Madison
> Adults who drink excessively: 27.8%
> Adults who drink excessively in Wisconsin 24.2% — the highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 32.8%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Wisconsin: 36.2% — 6th highest
> Median household income: $70,463
> Median household income in Wisconsin: $60,773 — 23rd highest
> MSA population: 660,422
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Wyoming: Casper
> Adults who drink excessively: 18.3%
> Adults who drink excessively in Wyoming 19.8% — 15th highest
> Driving deaths involving alcohol: 34.4%
> Driving deaths involving alcohol in Wyoming: 34.2% — 9th highest
> Median household income: $64,833
> Median household income in Wyoming: $61,584 — 20th highest
> MSA population: 79,115
Methodology
To identify the drunkest city in every state, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the percentage of adults in each of the country’s 383 metropolitan statistical areas who reported drinking excessively in the past 30 days. Metro level data was aggregated from county level data assembled in 2020 by County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program.
Excessive drinking includes both binge and heavy drinking. CHR’s excessive drinking estimates are derived from 2017 survey data. According to the CDC, heavy drinking is defined as consuming at least 15 drinks a week or averaging two or more drinks a day for men. For women, heavy drinking is defined as consuming eight drinks or more per week or more than one drink on average a day. The CDC defines binge drinking as a pattern of alcohol consumption that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration level to 0.08% or higher, which takes about five or more drinks within two hours for men and four or more drinks for women.
Health outcomes, including the number of alcohol-related driving deaths, also came from county-level data obtained from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Driving fatalities involving alcohol are for the years 2014-2018.
Social and economic factors such as median household income came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2018 1-year American Community Survey.
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