# Top 10 states for alcohol consumption per capita **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** liquor-alcohol\ **Created:** [December 21, 2021, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413 "2021-12-21T13:05:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/21 "2021-12-21T15:49:49Z")
My parents were never drinkers, but I remember even they would come back to Connecticut from trips to New Hampshire with some alcohol in the trunk. Perhaps for visitors? Or maybe for gifts? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/22 "2021-12-21T16:14:30Z")
Heh. Back in the day my parents would “smuggle” margarine into Wisconsin from the flat lands, bringing in enough for family and friends. I won’t even allow those tubs of disgusting grease and goop into my house! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/23 "2021-12-21T16:25:26Z")
Another measure of boozing is the prevalence of binge drinking. Again, the northern tier of states dominate the rankings. > **[Data on Excessive Drinking | CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/data-stats.htm)** > > Excessive alcohol use can lead to increased risk of health problems such as injuries, violence, liver diseases, and cancer.The CDC Alcohol Program works to strengthen the scientific foundation for preventing excessive alcohol use. Utah ranks as healthiest in terms of relatively low prevalence of excessive drinking - along with _West Virginia_, of all places. Another weirdness is that both Alaska and Hawaii have relatively high incidence of binge drinking. Maybe Hawaiians are underestimating the amount of alcohol in those cocktails served with the little umbrellas. 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/24 "2021-12-21T17:07:26Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > When I read the thread title, I opened the topic hoping to see Utah up there in the top 10. Would’ve been a good laugh. Heh. We visited SLC to look for a new place to hold our conference, and saw the video from the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. Every other scene involved drinking. They really wanted to get the message across that the place isn’t dry. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/25 "2021-12-21T17:37:18Z")
> [@Esprise\_Me](#): > > It would be interesting to see a breakdown of non-drinkers, occasional drinkers (\<1 drink per month or so), moderate drinkers (\<4 drinks per week, perhaps?) and maybe one more divide between heavy-ish drinkers and oh-my-god-you-really-drink-that-much? drinkers. Here’s one for the nation as a whole from 2014. I’m not at all sure what “normal” is or should be based on that; it’s a bit extreme on both ends- a 10th decile that’s insanely alcoholic, 3 deciles of non-drinkers, along with another 3 deciles of \<1/wk. [Think you drink a lot? This chart will tell you. - The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/09/25/think-you-drink-a-lot-this-chart-will-tell-you/) ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/26 "2021-12-21T17:43:14Z")
One theory is colder climates require more calories just to stay alive. Alcohol is a pretty efficient way to package and take in calories, thus higher consumption in colder spots, with some variations re taxes, etc. As for Hawaii, this confirms the theory: all those cold weather people are heading to the warmth and bring their consumption habits with them… ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/27 "2021-12-21T17:44:36Z")
Here’s an article that says basically that the pandemic really shifted stuff to the right in a dramatic way. [Survey: Americans consumed 17 alcoholic drinks per week in 2020 (kwqc.com)](https://www.kwqc.com/2021/02/02/survey-americans-consumed-17-alcoholic-drinks-per-week-in-2020/) Here’s a more granular chart that sort of tracks with the WP one… [US Drinking Norms Updated (arg.org)](https://arg.org/news/drinking-norms-in-the-us/) ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/28 "2021-12-21T17:53:48Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > A 12 oz beer has about half an ounce of alcohol. So 4.67 gallons is the equivalent of over 1000 beers per person. That’s about 3 beers per day averaged out. Seeing that some drinkers don’t drink a lot during the week and then blow their brains out on their off days I think your math works out pretty close to reality for many adults. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/29 "2021-12-21T17:57:28Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > That’s about 3 beers per day averaged out. I know several people (up in Wisconsin, not too surprisingly) who regularly put away at least three beers in an evening, even on weeknights, and often are closer to six. No, that’s not a particularly healthy lifestyle, and yes, they do go to work the next morning. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/30 "2021-12-21T18:06:40Z")
Depends. I’m 6’3 and go 250. If I downed 3 beers even in an hour it would barely register. Someone who weighed a buck three-ninety eight would be affected much differently in terms of intoxication and hang over. I turned legal drinking age at the beginning of my senior year in high school. I weighed 140. A six pack of pints of malt liquor kept me fucked up an entire weekend. Let me tell you, those were the days! ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/31 "2021-12-21T18:39:54Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > When I read the thread title, I opened the topic hoping to see Utah up there in the top 10. Would’ve been a good laugh. I did, too! I wonder what the per capita alcohol consumption rate would be if the 68% of Utah’s population that’s Mormon weren’t included. I suspect the main reason Wyoming didn’t make the top 10 and Montana did is that 11.5% of WY’s population is LDS, while only 4.5% of Montana’s is. (Not that all Mormons abstain from alcohol consumption, but the vast majority do. I think something like 10 or 15% of Mormons drink alcohol–or at least admit that they do.) ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/32 "2021-12-21T18:44:24Z")
Which gives rise to the old joke: Q: Why do you have to take _more than one_ Mormon with you on your fishing trip ? A: Because, if you only take one, he’ll drink all of your beer. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/33 "2021-12-21T19:03:39Z")
Oregon has no sales tax, but WA does and I think maybe WA buyers coming to Portland might affect the relative numbers of the two states. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/34 "2021-12-21T19:12:25Z")
Take heart: a while back I saw a list of US towns with the most bars per capita, and eight of the top ten were in Wisconsin! (the other two were in Jersey) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/35 "2021-12-21T19:15:07Z")
I would love to see that list. * * * This one doesn’t match what you recall at all. > **[These Cities Have The Most Bars Per Capita in America](https://www.newsweek.com/cities-most-bars-per-capita-america-1631537)** > > Raise a glass to the U.S. cities with proportionally the largest number of bars. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/36 "2021-12-21T19:18:36Z")
Yeah, I just Googled it and found a whole bunch of mutually contradictory lists. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/37 "2021-12-21T19:32:55Z")
So my town has 8 or 9 bars and 3 liquor stores. Population is only 7k. We also have a distillery and an Elks Lodge & an American Legion. I don’t know if the Masons have alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/38 "2021-12-21T20:00:03Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I don’t know if the Masons have alcohol. Some do, some don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/39 "2021-12-21T22:07:11Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > This line disagrees with their own data. NH is #6 for the healthiest state. Not necessarily inconsistent. Alcohol consumption being a significant factor in determining health means that, all else being equal, states which drink more would be less healthy. But all else isn’t equal, and there are many other significant factors. Last I heard (about a decade ago), Montana (another heavy-drinking state on that list, and it’s probably accurate there) was rated as the healthiest state in the country. But there was also almost no smoking there, and everyone is physically active, which are also significant factors in health. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2021, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413/40 "2021-12-22T01:44:08Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Which gives rise to the old joke: > > Q: Why do you have to take _more than one_ Mormon with you on your fishing trip ? > > A: Because, if you only take one, he’ll drink all of your beer. > > 😉 Hey! That’s funny and clever. I love it! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-states-for-alcohol-consumption-per-capita/956413.md?page=3)