The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six adults in the U.S. indulges in binge drinking on occasion, with 25% consuming alcohol excessively at least weekly. The CDC defines binge drinking as “consuming 5 or more drinks on an occasion for men or 4 or more drinks on an occasion for women.”
While binge drinking may not mean a person is dependent on alcohol, it carries the potential for serious health consequences. Binge drinking, the CDC notes, can lead to chronic conditions such as liver disease, cancer, heart disease, and hypertension. Downing several alcohol beverages in a row also raises the chance of deadly motor vehicle accidents and falls. (These are the states where drunk driving causes the most driving deaths.)
Like overall alcohol usage, the prevalence of binge drinking varies from state to state. To compile a list of the states with the highest percentage of binge drinking (and also the lowest), 24/7 Tempo reviewed “Binge drinking prevalence among adults in the United States as of 2021, by state,” a study by the data site Statista, which in turn analyzed data published in October 2022 by the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
The CDC data surveyed about 70,000 people aged 12 to 64, but the incidence of binge drinking among minors is minimal, and the Statista analysis covers only those 18 or older who – in the 30 days prior to being surveyed – consumed four or more alcoholic drinks (for women) or five or more (for men) on a single occasion. (No data was available for the state of Florida. Median household income and population data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey.)
Click here to see states with the highest rates of binge drinking
State by state, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin – in ascending order – all registered a population of binge drinkers in the 20% range. (In terms of total consumption, these are the states where people drink the most alcohol.)
There seems to be no correlation between median household income and the percentage of binge drinkers in a state. Median household income in Wisconsin is $67,125, 22nd highest on the list, for instance, while the percentage of adults who binge drank in 2021 topped all states at 21.9%. Meanwhile, West Virginia’s median household income is much lower at $51,248. Yet only 11.6% binge drink, the lowest rate of any state.
49. West Virginia
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 11.6%
> Median household income: $51,248 — 2nd lowest
> Population: 1,782,959
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48. Utah
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 11.8%
> Median household income: $79,449 — 11th highest
> Population: 3,337,975
47. Oklahoma
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 11.9%
> Median household income: $55,826 — 8th lowest
> Population: 3,986,639
45. Alabama
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 12.5%
> Median household income: $53,913 — 5th lowest
> Population: 5,039,877
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45. Mississippi
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 12.5%
> Median household income: $48,716 — the lowest
> Population: 2,949,965
44. Kentucky
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 12.6%
> Median household income: $55,573 — 7th lowest
> Population: 4,509,394
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42. Nevada
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 12.7%
> Median household income: $66,274 — 22nd lowest
> Population: 3,143,991
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42. Arkansas
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 12.7%
> Median household income: $52,528 — 4th lowest
> Population: 3,025,891
41. Delaware
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 12.9%
> Median household income: $71,091 — 19th highest
> Population: 1,003,384
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40. Maryland
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 13.0%
> Median household income: $90,203 — the highest
> Population: 6,165,129
39. New Mexico
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 13.2%
> Median household income: $53,992 — 6th lowest
> Population: 2,115,877
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38. Connecticut
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 13.6%
> Median household income: $83,771 — 8th highest
> Population: 3,605,597
37. Idaho
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 14.0%
> Median household income: $66,474 — 23rd lowest
> Population: 1,900,923
36. Tennessee
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 14.2%
> Median household income: $59,695 — 10th lowest
> Population: 6,975,218
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35. Georgia
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 14.5%
> Median household income: $66,559 — 25th highest
> Population: 10,799,566
33. New Jersey
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 14.6%
> Median household income: $89,296 — 3rd highest
> Population: 9,267,130
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33. New Hampshire
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 14.6%
> Median household income: $88,465 — 4th highest
> Population: 1,388,992
32. Illinois
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 14.8%
> Median household income: $72,205 — 17th highest
> Population: 12,671,469
31. New York
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 14.9%
> Median household income: $74,314 — 14th highest
> Population: 19,835,913
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29. California
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 15.0%
> Median household income: $84,907 — 5th highest
> Population: 39,237,836
29. South Carolina
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 15.0%
> Median household income: $59,318 — 9th lowest
> Population: 5,190,705
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27. Washington
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 15.2%
> Median household income: $84,247 — 7th highest
> Population: 7,738,692
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27. Maine
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 15.2%
> Median household income: $64,767 — 18th lowest
> Population: 1,372,247
25. Pennsylvania
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 15.3%
> Median household income: $68,957 — 21st highest
> Population: 12,964,056
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25. North Carolina
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 15.3%
> Median household income: $61,972 — 12th lowest
> Population: 10,551,162
23. Virginia
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 15.4%
> Median household income: $80,963 — 10th highest
> Population: 8,642,274
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23. Indiana
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 15.4%
> Median household income: $62,743 — 14th lowest
> Population: 6,805,985
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22. Oregon
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 15.8%
> Median household income: $71,562 — 18th highest
> Population: 4,246,155
20. Arizona
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 15.9%
> Median household income: $69,056 — 20th highest
> Population: 7,276,316
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20. Wyoming
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 15.9%
> Median household income: $65,204 — 19th lowest
> Population: 578,803
19. Michigan
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 16.1%
> Median household income: $63,498 — 16th lowest
> Population: 10,050,811
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18. Massachusetts
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 16.2%
> Median household income: $89,645 — 2nd highest
> Population: 6,984,723
17. Texas
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 16.4%
> Median household income: $66,963 — 23rd highest
> Population: 29,527,941
15. Hawaii
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 16.6%
> Median household income: $84,857 — 6th highest
> Population: 1,441,553
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15. Missouri
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 16.6%
> Median household income: $61,847 — 11th lowest
> Population: 6,168,187
14. Ohio
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 16.8%
> Median household income: $62,262 — 13th lowest
> Population: 11,780,017
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13. Vermont
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 17.0%
> Median household income: $72,431 — 16th highest
> Population: 645,570
12. Louisiana
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 17.2%
> Median household income: $52,087 — 3rd lowest
> Population: 4,624,047
11. Rhode Island
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 17.3%
> Median household income: $74,008 — 15th highest
> Population: 1,095,610
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10. Alaska
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 17.5%
> Median household income: $77,845 — 12th highest
> Population: 732,673
9. Kansas
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 17.7%
> Median household income: $64,124 — 17th lowest
> Population: 2,934,582
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8. Minnesota
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 17.9%
> Median household income: $77,720 — 13th highest
> Population: 5,707,390
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7. Colorado
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 18.7%
> Median household income: $82,254 — 9th highest
> Population: 5,812,069
6. Nebraska
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 19.5%
> Median household income: $66,817 — 24th highest
> Population: 1,963,692
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5. South Dakota
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 19.6%
> Median household income: $66,143 — 21st lowest
> Population: 895,376
4. Iowa
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 20.1%
> Median household income: $65,600 — 20th lowest
> Population: 3,193,079
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3. Montana
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 20.5%
> Median household income: $63,249 — 15th lowest
> Population: 1,104,271
2. North Dakota
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 20.8%
> Median household income: $66,519 — 24th lowest
> Population: 774,948
1. Wisconsin
> Adults binge-drinking in 2021: 21.9%
> Median household income: $67,125 — 22nd highest
> Population: 5,895,908
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