Data / Rankings / Binge drinking in adults / US states

US states by binge drinking in adults

District of Columbia had the highest binge drinking in adults of 51 states in 2014, at 24.9%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 9.6%. The median was 16%. Source: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Highest24.9District of Columbia
Lowest9.6West Virginia
Median1651 states

Map of states, 2014

Alabama: 12 %Alaska: 20.2 %Arizona: 14.9 %Arkansas: 13.3 %California: 15.6 %Colorado: 17.5 %Connecticut: 15.9 %Delaware: 15.7 %District of Columbia: 24.9 %Florida: 15 %Georgia: 14.2 %Hawaii: 19.7 %Idaho: 14.8 %Illinois: 20.2 %Indiana: 14.8 %Iowa: 21.4 %Kansas: 15.8 %Kentucky: 12.7 %Louisiana: 16 %Maine: 17 %Maryland: 15.4 %Massachusetts: 17.4 %Michigan: 18.9 %Minnesota: 19.5 %Mississippi: 12.8 %Missouri: 15.1 %Montana: 18.9 %Nebraska: 20.3 %Nevada: 16 %New Hampshire: 16.8 %New Jersey: 15.8 %New Mexico: 13.7 %New York: 15 %North Carolina: 13.6 %North Dakota: 24 %Ohio: 18.1 %Oklahoma: 12.9 %Oregon: 16.6 %Pennsylvania: 16.7 %Rhode Island: 18.4 %South Carolina: 14.1 %South Dakota: 17.4 %Tennessee: 10.6 %Texas: 16.3 %Utah: 11.4 %Vermont: 17.9 %Virginia: 15.2 %Washington: 17.1 %West Virginia: 9.6 %Wisconsin: 22.1 %Wyoming: 17.2 %
  • Under 14
  • 14 to 15
  • 15 to 16
  • 16 to 17
  • 17 to 19
  • 19 and over
%, 2014. Source: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), binge drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2014

District of Columbia: 24.9 %District of Columbia24.9North Dakota: 24 %North Dakota24Wisconsin: 22.1 %Wisconsin22.1Iowa: 21.4 %Iowa21.4Nebraska: 20.3 %Nebraska20.3Alaska: 20.2 %Alaska20.2Illinois: 20.2 %Illinois20.2Hawaii: 19.7 %Hawaii19.7Minnesota: 19.5 %Minnesota19.5Michigan: 18.9 %Michigan18.9Montana: 18.9 %Montana18.9Rhode Island: 18.4 %Rhode Island18.4Ohio: 18.1 %Ohio18.1Vermont: 17.9 %Vermont17.9Colorado: 17.5 %Colorado17.5Massachusetts: 17.4 %Massachusetts17.4South Dakota: 17.4 %South Dakota17.4Wyoming: 17.2 %Wyoming17.2Washington: 17.1 %Washington17.1Maine: 17 %Maine17New Hampshire: 16.8 %New Hampshire16.8Pennsylvania: 16.7 %Pennsylvania16.7Oregon: 16.6 %Oregon16.6Texas: 16.3 %Texas16.3Louisiana: 16 %Louisiana16Nevada: 16 %Nevada16Connecticut: 15.9 %Connecticut15.9Kansas: 15.8 %Kansas15.8New Jersey: 15.8 %New Jersey15.8Delaware: 15.7 %Delaware15.7California: 15.6 %California15.6Maryland: 15.4 %Maryland15.4Virginia: 15.2 %Virginia15.2Missouri: 15.1 %Missouri15.1Florida: 15 %Florida15New York: 15 %New York15Arizona: 14.9 %Arizona14.9Idaho: 14.8 %Idaho14.8Indiana: 14.8 %Indiana14.8Georgia: 14.2 %Georgia14.2South Carolina: 14.1 %South Carolina14.1New Mexico: 13.7 %New Mexico13.7North Carolina: 13.6 %North Carolina13.6Arkansas: 13.3 %Arkansas13.3Oklahoma: 12.9 %Oklahoma12.9Mississippi: 12.8 %Mississippi12.8Kentucky: 12.7 %Kentucky12.7Alabama: 12 %Alabama12Utah: 11.4 %Utah11.4Tennessee: 10.6 %Tennessee10.6West Virginia: 9.6 %West Virginia9.6District of Columbia: 24.9 %District of Columbia24.9North Dakota: 24 %North Dakota24Wisconsin: 22.1 %Wisconsin22.1Iowa: 21.4 %Iowa21.4Nebraska: 20.3 %Nebraska20.3Alaska: 20.2 %Alaska20.2Illinois: 20.2 %Illinois20.2Hawaii: 19.7 %Hawaii19.7Minnesota: 19.5 %Minnesota19.5Michigan: 18.9 %Michigan18.9Montana: 18.9 %Montana18.9Rhode Island: 18.4 %Rhode Island18.4Ohio: 18.1 %Ohio18.1Vermont: 17.9 %Vermont17.9Colorado: 17.5 %Colorado17.5Massachusetts: 17.4 %Massachusetts17.4South Dakota: 17.4 %South Dakota17.4Wyoming: 17.2 %Wyoming17.2Washington: 17.1 %Washington17.1Maine: 17 %Maine17New Hampshire: 16.8 %New Hampshire16.8Pennsylvania: 16.7 %Pennsylvania16.7Oregon: 16.6 %Oregon16.6Texas: 16.3 %Texas16.3Louisiana: 16 %Louisiana16Nevada: 16 %Nevada16Connecticut: 15.9 %Connecticut15.9Kansas: 15.8 %Kansas15.8New Jersey: 15.8 %New Jersey15.8Delaware: 15.7 %Delaware15.7California: 15.6 %California15.6Maryland: 15.4 %Maryland15.4Virginia: 15.2 %Virginia15.2Missouri: 15.1 %Missouri15.1Florida: 15 %Florida15New York: 15 %New York15Arizona: 14.9 %Arizona14.9Idaho: 14.8 %Idaho14.8Indiana: 14.8 %Indiana14.8Georgia: 14.2 %Georgia14.2South Carolina: 14.1 %South Carolina14.1New Mexico: 13.7 %New Mexico13.7North Carolina: 13.6 %North Carolina13.6Arkansas: 13.3 %Arkansas13.3Oklahoma: 12.9 %Oklahoma12.9Mississippi: 12.8 %Mississippi12.8Kentucky: 12.7 %Kentucky12.7Alabama: 12 %Alabama12Utah: 11.4 %Utah11.4Tennessee: 10.6 %Tennessee10.6West Virginia: 9.6 %West Virginia9.6
%. Source: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), binge drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2014 (%)Change on 2013
1District of Columbia24.9+2.5 pts
2North Dakota24+0.2 pts
3Wisconsin22.1-0.4 pts
4Iowa21.4-0.3 pts
5Nebraska20.3+0.3 pts
6Alaska20.2+0.7 pts
6Illinois20.2-1.6 pts
8Hawaii19.7+1.4 pts
9Minnesota19.5-1.5 pts
10Michigan18.90 pts
10Montana18.9-1.9 pts
12Rhode Island18.4+0.6 pts
13Ohio18.1+1 pts
14Vermont17.9+0.8 pts
15Colorado17.5-1 pts
16Massachusetts17.4-2 pts
16South Dakota17.4-1.8 pts
18Wyoming17.2+0.6 pts
19Washington17.1+0.3 pts
20Maine17-0.2 pts
21New Hampshire16.80 pts
22Pennsylvania16.7-0.5 pts
23Oregon16.6+0.1 pts
24Texas16.3-0.4 pts
25Louisiana16-0.3 pts
25Nevada16+0.8 pts
27Connecticut15.9-2.3 pts
28Kansas15.8+0.4 pts
28New Jersey15.8-0.5 pts
30Delaware15.7-1.3 pts
31California15.6-1.8 pts
32Maryland15.4+1.2 pts
33Virginia15.2-0.8 pts
34Missouri15.1-2.1 pts
35Florida15-0.6 pts
35New York15-2.4 pts
37Arizona14.9+1.5 pts
38Idaho14.8-0.1 pts
38Indiana14.8-0.2 pts
40Georgia14.2+1.1 pts
41South Carolina14.1-0.8 pts
42New Mexico13.7-0.8 pts
43North Carolina13.6+0.6 pts
44Arkansas13.3+0.7 pts
45Oklahoma12.9+0.2 pts
46Mississippi12.8+0.4 pts
47Kentucky12.7-0.7 pts
48Alabama12+0.8 pts
49Utah11.4-0.9 pts
50Tennessee10.6+1 pts
51West Virginia9.6-1.6 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Percentage of adults aged 18 and over who had 5 or more drinks (men) or 4 or more drinks (women) on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. Crude prevalence, not age-adjusted.

CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a telephone survey of adults, crude prevalence. States and DC only: BRFSS publishes the median of the states rather than a national prevalence, so no national value is served. A state that did not meet BRFSS data standards in a year has no value, and CDC withholds estimates from fewer than 50 respondents or with a relative standard error above 0.3. The dataset also publishes 95% confidence intervals. The series starts in 2011, when BRFSS changed its weighting and added cell phones. BRFSS variable _RFBING5 to 2021 and _RFBING6 from 2022.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), binge drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFBING5%27%2C%27_RFBING6%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2026). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), binge drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall (US states by binge drinking in adults, 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFBING5%27%2C%27_RFBING6%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27

MLA 9

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), binge drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall, US states by binge drinking in adults, 2014. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 Sept. 2026, https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFBING5%27%2C%27_RFBING6%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-binge-drinking-rate/us-states?period=2014. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2026. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), binge drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. US states by binge drinking in adults, 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFBING5%27%2C%27_RFBING6%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-binge-drinking-rate/us-states?period=2014.

Harvard

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2026) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), binge drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall, US states by binge drinking in adults, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFBING5%27%2C%27_RFBING6%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-binge-drinking-rate/us-states?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{centers_us_states_by_binge_2014,
  author = {{Centers for Disease Control and Prevention}},
  title = {{Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), binge drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall: US states by binge drinking in adults, 2014}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFBING5%27%2C%27_RFBING6%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-binge-drinking-rate/us-states?period=2014. Publisher attribution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), binge drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?\%24order=\%3Aid\&\%24limit=50000\&\%24where=questionid+in+\%28\%27\_RFBING5\%27\%2C\%27\_RFBING6\%27\%29+AND+responseid+in+\%28\%27RESP046\%27\%29+AND+breakoutid\%3D\%27BO1\%27+AND+data\_value\_type\%3D\%27Crude+Prevalence\%27. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
TI  - Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), binge drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall: US states by binge drinking in adults, 2014
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/15
PB  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFBING5%27%2C%27_RFBING6%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-binge-drinking-rate/us-states?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-binge-drinking-rate/us-states?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), binge drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFBING5%27%2C%27_RFBING6%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest binge drinking in adults?

District of Columbia, with 24.9% in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which state has the lowest binge drinking in adults?

West Virginia, with 9.6% in 2014.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), binge drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings