March 25, 2025 | Leave a Comment

The 25 Drunkest Cities in America (Boston Just Missed the List!)

Intro

Intro — You might THINK people in your area drink a lot, but here are the 25 places that ACTUALLY drink the most!

It was at least a little surprising. Boston didn’t make the cut. Neither did New Orleans (remember, we’re talking about people who live there, not the tourists on Bourbon Street).

Let’s get to it…

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Methodology

Methodology — The data is from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute’s County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.

We used the 2023 report and looked at three factors for assessing the amount of drinking an area does:
– Adults who have had at least one drink of alcohol within the past 30 days
– Binge drinkers (males having five or more drinks on one occasion, females having four or more drinks on one occasion)
– Heavy drinkers (adult men having more than 14 drinks per week and adult women having more than 7 drinks per week)

Boring part over…on to the list!

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#25 Charleston, SC

#25 Charleston, SC — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Charleston-North Charleston, SC

One Drink Past 30 Days: 56.0%
Binge Drinkers: 19.1%
Heavy Drinkers: 8.6%

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#24 Cambridge, MA

#24 Cambridge, MA — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA

One Drink Past 30 Days: 62.4%
Binge Drinkers: 15.4%
Heavy Drinkers: 6.1%

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#23 Gainesville, FL

#23 Gainesville, FL — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Gainesville, FL

One Drink Past 30 Days: 58.3%
Binge Drinkers: 19.0%
Heavy Drinkers: 6.9%

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#22 Cleveland, OH

#22 Cleveland, OH — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Cleveland-Elyria, OH

One Drink Past 30 Days: 58.6%
Binge Drinkers: 17.7%
Heavy Drinkers: 7.8%

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#21 Omaha, NE

#21 Omaha, NE — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA

One Drink Past 30 Days: 59.0%
Binge Drinkers: 19.1%
Heavy Drinkers: 6.0%

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#20 Billings, MT

#20 Billings, MT — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Billings, MT

One Drink Past 30 Days: 58.4%
Binge Drinkers: 19.0%
Heavy Drinkers: 7.0%

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#19 Rochester, NY

#19 Rochester, NY — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Rochester, NY

One Drink Past 30 Days: 59.3%
Binge Drinkers: 18.1%
Heavy Drinkers: 3.9%

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#18 Helena, MT

#18 Helena, MT — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Helena, MT

One Drink Past 30 Days: 58.5%
Binge Drinkers: 17.5%
Heavy Drinkers: 8.9%

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#17 Milwaukee, WI

#17 Milwaukee, WI — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI

One Drink Past 30 Days: 58.9%
Binge Drinkers: 18.6%
Heavy Drinkers: 7.8%

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#16 Des Moines, IA

#16 Des Moines, IA — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

One Drink Past 30 Days: 58.5%
Binge Drinkers: 20.0%
Heavy Drinkers: 7.1%

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#15 Madison, WI

#15 Madison, WI — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Madison, WI

One Drink Past 30 Days: 60.9%
Binge Drinkers: 18.9%
Heavy Drinkers: 6.7%

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#14 Lincoln, NE

#14 Lincoln, NE — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Lincoln, NE

One Drink Past 30 Days: 60.3%
Binge Drinkers: 20.0%
Heavy Drinkers: 6.3%

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#13 Bismarck, ND

#13 Bismarck, ND — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Bismarck, ND

One Drink Past 30 Days: 60.0%
Binge Drinkers: 19.7%
Heavy Drinkers: 7.5%

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#12 Reno, NV

#12 Reno, NV — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Reno, NV

One Drink Past 30 Days: 60.1%
Binge Drinkers: 19.0%
Heavy Drinkers: 8.0%

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#11 Portland, ME

#11 Portland, ME — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Portland-South Portland, ME

One Drink Past 30 Days: 60.8%
Binge Drinkers: 17.2%
Heavy Drinkers: 9.3%

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#10 Hilton Head, SC

#10 Hilton Head, SC — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC

One Drink Past 30 Days: 64.8%
Binge Drinkers: 15.8%
Heavy Drinkers: 7.1%

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#9 Waterloo, IA

#9 Waterloo, IA — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA

One Drink Past 30 Days: 61.4%
Binge Drinkers: 19.1%
Heavy Drinkers: 7.4%

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#8 Portsmouth, NH

#8 Portsmouth, NH — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Rockingham County-Strafford County, NH

One Drink Past 30 Days: 64.4%
Binge Drinkers: 16.7%
Heavy Drinkers: 6.9%

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#7 Fargo, ND

#7 Fargo, ND — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Fargo, ND-MN

One Drink Past 30 Days: 60.9%
Binge Drinkers: 21.2%
Heavy Drinkers: 6.4%

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#6 Cedar Rapids, IA

#6 Cedar Rapids, IA — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Cedar Rapids, IA

One Drink Past 30 Days: 58.8%
Binge Drinkers: 21.8%
Heavy Drinkers: 8.2%

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#5 Burlington, VT

#5 Burlington, VT — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Burlington-South Burlington, VT

One Drink Past 30 Days: 63.7%
Binge Drinkers: 17.7%
Heavy Drinkers: 7.4%

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#4 Rapid City, SD

#4 Rapid City, SD — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Rapid City, SD

One Drink Past 30 Days: 59.9%
Binge Drinkers: 23.2%
Heavy Drinkers: 6.9%

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#3 Denver, CO

#3 Denver, CO — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO

One Drink Past 30 Days: 64.2%
Binge Drinkers: 20.0%
Heavy Drinkers: 7.6%

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#2 Sioux Falls, SD

#2 Sioux Falls, SD — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Sioux Falls, SD

One Drink Past 30 Days: 63.8%
Binge Drinkers: 21.9%
Heavy Drinkers: 8.7%

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#1 Grand Forks, ND

#1 Grand Forks, ND — Metropolitan Statistical Area: Grand Forks, ND-MN

One Drink Past 30 Days: 62.2%
Binge Drinkers: 26.5%
Heavy Drinkers: 7.5%

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Summary

Summary — Top 5 Cities That Drink the Most
1) Grand Forks, ND
2) Sioux Falls, SD
3) Denver, CO
4) Rapid City, SD
5) Burlington, VT

Surprised at how many Midwestern cities made the top 25? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!

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