The 10 Drunkest States— and Their Drunkest Cities

North Dakota tops the list
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 23, 2017 10:30 AM CST
The Drunkest States— and Their Drunkest Cities
Traffic moves through downtown Fargo, N.D., in front of the picturesque Fargo Theatre, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013.   (AP Photo/Dave Kolpack)

An estimated 18% of US adults drink to excess, but those rates vary quite a bit between states and cities—from rates of less than 10% to more than 25%. The areas with populations that don't drink as heavily tend to have lower median incomes and lower education levels. In general, the South has the lowest excessive drinking rates, while the Midwest has the highest. To determine "the drunkest city in every state," 24/7 Wall St. looked at CDC data to determine the metropolitan area in each state with the highest levels of heavy drinking and binge drinking. Below are the 10 states with the highest percentage of adults binge or heavy drinking, plus their drunkest cities:

  1. North Dakota: 24.7% statewide; 25.2% in Fargo
  2. Wisconsin: 24.5% statewide; 26.5% in Green Bay
  3. Alaska: 22.1% statewide; 22.7% in Fairbanks
  4. Montana: 21.8% statewide; 24.3% in Missoula
  5. Illinois: 21.2% statewide; 21.5% in Bloomington
  6. Minnesota: 21.1% statewide; 23.6% in Mankato-North Mankato
  7. Hawaii: 20.5% statewide; 21.8% in Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina
  8. Iowa: 21% statewide; 23.1% in Iowa City
  9. Nebraska: 20.4% statewide; 22.7% in Lincoln
  10. Michigan: 20% statewide; 21.9% in Lansing-East Lansing
Click for the complete list. (More binge drinking stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X