The States That Drink the Most Alcohol in America (2024) [MAP]

Individuals positive do love their alcohol. In response to a Gallup survey, an estimated 63 % of U.S. residents over the age of 18 recurrently devour alcohol — that’s over 165 million folks. And knowledge from the Nationwide Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) reveals that alcohol consumption within the U.S. has been on an upward trajectory since 1995.

In 2022, Individuals consumed a whopping 7.9 million gallons of alcohol by way of beer, wine, and spirits — down barely from 8.1 billion gallons in 2021. Of the three classes, beer is definitely probably the most consumed by quantity, with Individuals taking down roughly 6.3 billion gallons per 12 months. Much less standard by quantity are wine and spirits, with 910.3 million and 715.2 million gallons consumed, respectively. Nevertheless, in the case of per capita consumption, spirits take the crown with roughly 1.06 gallons of ethanol from spirits consumed per particular person per 12 months. Beer trails behind in second with 1.02 gallons of ethanol from beer consumed per capita, whereas wine is available in final place, with 0.42 gallons.

However do all Individuals drink the identical? Among the many 4 areas within the U.S., the South consumed probably the most by quantity in 2022, with an total, cross-category consumption of two.9 million gallons. Per capita consumption, nevertheless, tells a unique story. With simply 2.38 gallons consumed per particular person yearly, the South really is available in final when areas are ranked. As a substitute, the West leads the nation with 2.71 gallons drunk per capita. The Midwest and the Northeast are pretty equally matched, with 1.6 million gallons and 1.3 million gallons consumed per 12 months in quantity and a pair of.47 gallons and a pair of.51 gallons per capita, respectively.

Curious to understand how folks in your house state drink? Try our maps under to find simply how a lot alcohol Individuals devour state-to-state each per capita and total.

The States That Drink the Most Alcohol Per Capita

Of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., New Hampshire leads in per capita alcohol consumption based mostly on numbers alone. Nevertheless, an extra look on the state reveals an absence of gross sales tax on alcohol gross sales, which possible brings in drinkers from surrounding states searching for a deal on their booze. Washington, D.C., is available in second with 4.1 gallons, whereas Delaware, which equally has an absence of alcohol gross sales tax, rounds out the highest three, with per capita consumption sitting at 4.07 gallons. On the flip aspect, Utah, which has a few of the strictest alcohol legal guidelines in America, is available in useless final for per capita consumption, with simply 1.23 gallons consumed per 12 months.

The States That Drink the Most Alcohol in Ethanol

Naturally, the states with the biggest populations are those that devour probably the most alcohol by quantity. California, the nation’s most populous state, consumes 93.9 million gallons of ethanol from alcohol yearly. That’s over 36 million gallons greater than Texas’s consumption, which is available in second place with 57.4 million gallons drunk in 2022. Florida isn’t far behind, claiming the third prime spot with 56.4 million gallons consumed. Alternately, Wyoming, America’s least populous state, is available in final place for total consumption, with simply 1.4 million gallons drunk.

Rating the States

Gallons Per Capita

Gallons General

*This knowledge makes use of an estimate of common ethanol content material of bought or shipped spirits into gallons of ethanol (pure alcohol) earlier than calculating per capita consumption estimates. For this knowledge, the alcohol by quantity worth is 0.129 for wine, 0.045 for beer, and 0.411 for spirits.

**Picture retrieved from Mike Maniatis by way of inventory.adobe.com