Map Shows The Drunkest States In America
Earlier, we showed you the drunkest countries in the world, wherein the United States ranked somewhere in the upper middle. We’re in the Goldilocks zone of alcoholism–enough that it’s fun, not so much that it’s depressing (cough, Russia, cough). But how do these United States measure up individually? The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has the answer in its annual surveillance report, which measures the following:
…they break down “apparent” per capita alcohol consumption as well as which types of tipple are trending. Numbers are based on sales figures, and represent ages 14 and up.
Since the NIAAA is most concerned with how much actual alcohol we’re consuming, they distill the data to gallons of pure ethanol.
According to Healthy People 2020, the absolute maximum amount a person can consume and still be considered healthy is 2.1 gallons per year. The United States averages 2.33. I’m proud of you, guys.
Here’s the map:
And here are the state-by-state rankings:
1. New Hampshire 4.65
2. Dist. of Columbia 3.89
3. Delaware 3.59
4. North Dakota 3.42
5. Nevada 3.27
6. Wisconsin 3
7. Montana 2.96
8. Vermont 2.92
9. Alaska 2.82
10. Colorado 2.76
11. Idaho 2.76
12. South Dakota 2.76
13. Florida 2.72
14. Rhode Island 2.72
15. Minnesota 2.7
16. Wyoming 2.67
17. Maine 2.65
18. Oregon 2.65
19. Louisiana 2.6
20. Massachusetts 2.57
21. Hawaii 2.54
22. Arizona 2.43
23. Missouri 2.42
24. Connecticut 2.39
25. Iowa 2.39
26. New Jersey 2.39
27. Illinois 2.36
28. New Mexico 2.36
29. California 2.35
30. South Carolina 2.33
31. Nebraska 2.32
32. Michigan 2.29
33. Texas 2.28
34. Pennsylvania 2.26
35. Washington 2.25
36. Maryland 2.21
37. Mississippi 2.2
38. New York 2.17
39. Virginia 2.13
40. North Carolina 2.05
41. Ohio 2.03
42. Alabama 2
43. Tennessee 2
44. Georgia 1.99
45. Indiana 1.97
46. Kansas 1.95
47. Oklahoma 1.94
48. Kentucky 1.87
49. Arkansas 1.81
50. West Virginia 1.81
51. Utah 1.37
Dear God, New Hampshire. What are you people doing up there? While the rest of us were piddling around with our light beers and whiskey diets, the people of New Hampshire were throwing power hours with mason jars full of moonshine. I like to imagine it was with a live folk band that switched up fiddle-heavy songs every minute. Excuse me while I start buying up livers on the black market and move to New Hampshire. It’s also no surprise that Utah pulls up the rear; however, the state does rank first in warm glass of milk consumption (probably).
All in all, the results are pretty impressive. Thirty-eight states, along with the District of Columbia, all rated above the “healthy” average. Party in the USA.
[via Esquire]
If you joined a Fraternity in the North outside of Penn State and a few others, you have no idea what real Fraternity life is. Fucking Yankees.
10 years ago at 1:14 amOn Wisconsin
10 years ago at 7:38 amJust like to point out that New Hampshire has a “duty-free” and very large liquor store on I-95 right before the highway crosses into Maine, where liquor is twice as expensive. Families who vacation in the northern lakes areas when summer gets too hot to bear in the South tend to stop here and buy 2-3 weeks worth of booze for 4-20+ people, depending on whether you vacation with your extended family. Now I’m no scientist, but it seems to me this could account for New Hampshire’s alcoholism.
10 years ago at 9:51 amHow the fuck does Kentucky, the state that produces the most bourbon and whiskey in the world, end up in the bottom four? I’m calling bullshit.
10 years ago at 9:47 amAny site that doesn’t reference Louisiana as one of the top three drinking states is bullshit, end of discussion.
I hear the typical “I can hang with yall any day” bullshit argument from a countless number of people every Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Voodoo Fest, French Quarter Fest, e.t.c.
Come to New Orleans and you’ll see how pathetic your idea of drinking is.
10 years ago at 12:29 amProbably all the liberals in the triangle bringing NC down
10 years ago at 6:49 pmNone of y’all’s arguments are valid. I lived in the north half of my life and the south half of my life. I still go up north during holidays and the summer to hang out with my friends and family. Northerners like to “rage”, which in fact is a lot of fun. A ton of my friends DJ at their own parties. But down in the south we like to have gatherings. We invite women to our places and all have a good time. Every weekend up north is like going to a club. You cannot compare the two because they’re both fun in their own separate ways.
10 years ago at 12:12 pm