Whether it’s raising a glass during a celebration or simply unwinding after a long day, alcohol is a part of everyday life for millions of Americans. Unfortunately, even though having a few drinks now and then might feel harmless, science has shown us that there are definitely consequences to overindulging: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), excessive alcohol consumption is responsible for about 95,000 deaths a year in the United States. But data shows there can be a big difference between each state and how much alcohol is typically consumed.
A study released by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that a total of 7.8 billion gallons of alcohol were consumed by Americans in 2018. This brought the national per capita consumption to 2.35 gallons per person—or about 501 drinks each year—with an overall breakdown of 570 million gallons of hard liquor, 900 million gallons of wine, and 6.3 billion gallons of beer.
Data from the study show that while per capita alcohol consumption is still below the peak that was reached during the early ’80s, levels have been slowly rising for nearly two decades. And while it might seem like diseases such as alcoholism could be responsible for the increase, CDC data finds that nine out of 10 adults of the 37 million who binge drink each week—which is defined as consuming four or more drinks on an occasion for a woman or five or more for a man—do not have an alcohol use disorder.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s 2018 study, there’s a good chance how much you drink could be affected by whether you live in Maine or Montana. Read on to see how much alcohol your home state drinks each year per person, and which one takes down the most drinks overall.
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Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 1.35 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 1.74 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 1.78 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 1.85 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 1.9 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 1.92 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 1.95 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 1.99 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.03 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.08 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.13 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.14 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.15 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.16 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.16 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.17 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.17 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.21 gallons
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Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.22 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.25 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.26 gallons
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Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.26 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.34 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.36 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.36 gallons
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Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.37 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.39 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.39 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.4 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.49 gallons
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Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.51 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.55 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.55 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.61 gallons
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Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.63 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.66 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.74 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.78 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.79 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.85 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.85 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.88 gallons
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Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.93 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 2.94 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 3.06 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 3.1 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 3.16 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 3.42 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 3.52 gallons
Average annual amount of alcohol per person: 4.67 gallons
