Lots of states have a reputation for drinking a lot, but have you ever wanted a definitive list that separates the claims from reality?
Well, so did we!
Here are the 13 states that drink the most alcohol per person.
Let’s hop in!
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Methodology:
Whether it’s wine, beer, or hard liquor, it counts for our purposes.
Data is from the NIAAA and calculates the “apparent alcohol consumption” by state based on various government and industry data sources.
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Looking back over 50 years, the total alcohol people have been drinking has stayed pretty much the same.
But there’s been a shift to drinking more wine at the expense of liquor and beer.
Still, beer and liquor are still over twice as popular as wine.
Let’s see…
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In 2021, the per capita consumption of gallons of ethanol for beer, wine, and liquor looked like this:
– Beer: 1.06
– Wine: 0.44
– Liquor: 1.01
– Total: 2.51
Back in 1970, the proportion was:
– Beer: 1.14
– Wine: 0.27
– Liquor: 1.11
– Total: 2.52
Ok, on to the states!
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Yearly gallons of ethanol per person: 2.92 (a gallon of ethanol equals about 213 drinks)
Let’s face it – there’s not a ton to do in Alaska. It’s cold and bleak most of the time. No offense, Alaska.
Technically tied with #12, but we gave it to the state with the larger population…
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Yearly gallons of ethanol per person: 2.92 (a gallon of ethanol equals about 213 drinks)
Minnesota is just the first of a number of cold-weather states you’ll find on this list.
Including the very next one, perhaps the coldest of them all…
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Yearly gallons of ethanol per person: 2.97
Again with the cold weather! But interestingly, Maine drinks quite a bit less than New Hampshire and Vermont, as we’ll see in the top 10…
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Yearly gallons of ethanol per person: 2.98
The favorite state of Spring Breakers and retirees cracks the top 10…take that, cold states!
Not coincidentally, it’s also the home of 9 Margaritaville hotels and resorts.
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Yearly gallons of ethanol per person: 3.00
True to its rugged frontier reputation, Wyoming is light on the wine and heavy on beer and the hard stuff.
They drink more than 40% more than average in the Yellowstone state.
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Yearly gallons of ethanol per person: 3.06
Though Colorado as a whole is only a bit above average on beer consumption, its capital city is fairly well known for it.
Coors beer is from Golden, CO, a Denver suburb, and more recently Denver’s the home of many a microbrewery. Beer is as much part of the fabric of the city as its close access to outdoor activities like hiking and skiing is.
The annual Great American Beer Festival is also held in Denver!
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Yearly gallons of ethanol per person: 3.13
Vermont is well above average in both beer and wine drinking, but is strangely below average for liquor.
Spoiler alert: For a potential clue to this mystery, see our explanation for New Hampshire later in this list.
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Yearly gallons of ethanol per person: 3.15
Here’s something weird. The biggest cheese-making state is slightly below average in pairing it with wine.
Wisconsin’s a little above average in beer but makes this list based mostly on its liquor consumption.
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Yearly gallons of ethanol per person: 3.30
North Dakota drinks almost exactly the same amount of beer and spirits per person: 1.49 gallons per year.
Sorry, South Dakota, your neighbors to the north are the only Dakotas on this list.
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Yearly gallons of ethanol per person: 3.34
Beer reigns supreme in Montana, with 1.67 gallons drunk per person per year.
Yup, you’re doing the math right, that’s exactly as much as wine and the hard stuff combined!
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Yearly gallons of ethanol per person: 3.51
Nevada is above-average on all three categories of liquor: beer, wine, and spirits.
We’re not sure exactly how much visitors to Las Vegas contribute to these totals, but we have a guess. 🙂
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Yearly gallons of ethanol per person: 4.40
OK, here’s where the data gets goofy.
Despite being pretty close to average on beer drinking, Delaware consumes the most wine of any state and BY FAR the most liquor (2.46 gallons per person per year vs. a U.S. average of 1.01).
Any perusing of Reddit will tell you that it’s likely these totals are boosted by visitors from border state hitting this little state for cheaper prices (e.g. folks in the Philly area).
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Yearly gallons of ethanol per person: 4.43
The numbers say the New Hampshire resident drinks over 70% more beer, wine, AND liquor than the average American.
But as we noted with Delaware and hinted at with Vermont, New Hampshire’s totals may be juiced by neighbors coming in for cheaper prices.
That said, its neighbor Vermont also makes the top 10, so New Hampshire it is!
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Personally, I would have expected California and Texas to hit the top 10 rankings – but neither got particularly close.
As you can see – it’s mostly small, Northern states in the top 10 (Nevada and Florida being the biggest exceptions – although, let’s face it, snowbirds are probably a big part of it):
#1: New Hampshire
#2: Delaware
#3: Nevada
#4: Montana
#5: North Dakota
#6: Wisconsin
#7: Vermont
#8: Colorado
#9: Wyoming
#10: Florida
#11: Maine
#12: Minnesota
#13: Alaska
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Which state surprised you most?
Where do you think the data is missing something?
Let us know in the comments!
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