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 2017, at 25.6%. West Virginia had the lowest, at 11.5%. The median was 17.4%. Source: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Highest25.6District of Columbia
Lowest11.5West Virginia
Median17.451 states

Map of states, 2017

Alabama: 12.4 %Alaska: 19.6 %Arizona: 15.2 %Arkansas: 15.1 %California: 17.6 %Colorado: 18.9 %Connecticut: 15.4 %Delaware: 14.8 %District of Columbia: 25.6 %Florida: 15.1 %Georgia: 12.9 %Hawaii: 19.5 %Idaho: 15.1 %Illinois: 20.3 %Indiana: 16.6 %Iowa: 21.1 %Kansas: 17.2 %Kentucky: 15.8 %Louisiana: 18.1 %Maine: 17.9 %Maryland: 15.3 %Massachusetts: 18.8 %Michigan: 18.1 %Minnesota: 20 %Mississippi: 12.6 %Missouri: 18.8 %Montana: 19.5 %Nebraska: 20.6 %Nevada: 17.9 %New Hampshire: 18.6 %New Jersey: 16.6 %New Mexico: 14.7 %New York: 17.5 %North Carolina: 15.4 %North Dakota: 23.3 %Ohio: 19 %Oklahoma: 13.4 %Oregon: 16 %Pennsylvania: 18.2 %Rhode Island: 18.1 %South Carolina: 15.5 %South Dakota: 17.4 %Tennessee: 13.1 %Texas: 17.8 %Utah: 11.5 %Vermont: 17.4 %Virginia: 16 %Washington: 15.6 %West Virginia: 11.5 %Wisconsin: 22.7 %Wyoming: 18 %
  • Under 15
  • 15 to 16
  • 16 to 17
  • 17 to 18
  • 18 to 20
  • 20 and over
%, 2017. 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, 2017

District of Columbia: 25.6 %District of Columbia25.6North Dakota: 23.3 %North Dakota23.3Wisconsin: 22.7 %Wisconsin22.7Iowa: 21.1 %Iowa21.1Nebraska: 20.6 %Nebraska20.6Illinois: 20.3 %Illinois20.3Minnesota: 20 %Minnesota20Alaska: 19.6 %Alaska19.6Hawaii: 19.5 %Hawaii19.5Montana: 19.5 %Montana19.5Ohio: 19 %Ohio19Colorado: 18.9 %Colorado18.9Massachusetts: 18.8 %Massachusetts18.8Missouri: 18.8 %Missouri18.8New Hampshire: 18.6 %New Hampshire18.6Pennsylvania: 18.2 %Pennsylvania18.2Louisiana: 18.1 %Louisiana18.1Michigan: 18.1 %Michigan18.1Rhode Island: 18.1 %Rhode Island18.1Wyoming: 18 %Wyoming18Maine: 17.9 %Maine17.9Nevada: 17.9 %Nevada17.9Texas: 17.8 %Texas17.8California: 17.6 %California17.6New York: 17.5 %New York17.5South Dakota: 17.4 %South Dakota17.4Vermont: 17.4 %Vermont17.4Kansas: 17.2 %Kansas17.2Indiana: 16.6 %Indiana16.6New Jersey: 16.6 %New Jersey16.6Oregon: 16 %Oregon16Virginia: 16 %Virginia16Kentucky: 15.8 %Kentucky15.8Washington: 15.6 %Washington15.6South Carolina: 15.5 %South Carolina15.5Connecticut: 15.4 %Connecticut15.4North Carolina: 15.4 %North Carolina15.4Maryland: 15.3 %Maryland15.3Arizona: 15.2 %Arizona15.2Arkansas: 15.1 %Arkansas15.1Florida: 15.1 %Florida15.1Idaho: 15.1 %Idaho15.1Delaware: 14.8 %Delaware14.8New Mexico: 14.7 %New Mexico14.7Oklahoma: 13.4 %Oklahoma13.4Tennessee: 13.1 %Tennessee13.1Georgia: 12.9 %Georgia12.9Mississippi: 12.6 %Mississippi12.6Alabama: 12.4 %Alabama12.4Utah: 11.5 %Utah11.5West Virginia: 11.5 %West Virginia11.5District of Columbia: 25.6 %District of Columbia25.6North Dakota: 23.3 %North Dakota23.3Wisconsin: 22.7 %Wisconsin22.7Iowa: 21.1 %Iowa21.1Nebraska: 20.6 %Nebraska20.6Illinois: 20.3 %Illinois20.3Minnesota: 20 %Minnesota20Alaska: 19.6 %Alaska19.6Hawaii: 19.5 %Hawaii19.5Montana: 19.5 %Montana19.5Ohio: 19 %Ohio19Colorado: 18.9 %Colorado18.9Massachusetts: 18.8 %Massachusetts18.8Missouri: 18.8 %Missouri18.8New Hampshire: 18.6 %New Hampshire18.6Pennsylvania: 18.2 %Pennsylvania18.2Louisiana: 18.1 %Louisiana18.1Michigan: 18.1 %Michigan18.1Rhode Island: 18.1 %Rhode Island18.1Wyoming: 18 %Wyoming18Maine: 17.9 %Maine17.9Nevada: 17.9 %Nevada17.9Texas: 17.8 %Texas17.8California: 17.6 %California17.6New York: 17.5 %New York17.5South Dakota: 17.4 %South Dakota17.4Vermont: 17.4 %Vermont17.4Kansas: 17.2 %Kansas17.2Indiana: 16.6 %Indiana16.6New Jersey: 16.6 %New Jersey16.6Oregon: 16 %Oregon16Virginia: 16 %Virginia16Kentucky: 15.8 %Kentucky15.8Washington: 15.6 %Washington15.6South Carolina: 15.5 %South Carolina15.5Connecticut: 15.4 %Connecticut15.4North Carolina: 15.4 %North Carolina15.4Maryland: 15.3 %Maryland15.3Arizona: 15.2 %Arizona15.2Arkansas: 15.1 %Arkansas15.1Florida: 15.1 %Florida15.1Idaho: 15.1 %Idaho15.1Delaware: 14.8 %Delaware14.8New Mexico: 14.7 %New Mexico14.7Oklahoma: 13.4 %Oklahoma13.4Tennessee: 13.1 %Tennessee13.1Georgia: 12.9 %Georgia12.9Mississippi: 12.6 %Mississippi12.6Alabama: 12.4 %Alabama12.4Utah: 11.5 %Utah11.5West Virginia: 11.5 %West Virginia11.5
%. 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

RankStates2017 (%)Change on 2016
1District of Columbia25.6+0.1 pts
2North Dakota23.3-1.5 pts
3Wisconsin22.7-1.9 pts
4Iowa21.1-0.1 pts
5Nebraska20.6+0.6 pts
6Illinois20.3+0.4 pts
7Minnesota20-1.3 pts
8Alaska19.6+1.4 pts
9Hawaii19.5+0.9 pts
9Montana19.5+0.6 pts
11Ohio19+1.1 pts
12Colorado18.9-0.1 pts
13Massachusetts18.8+1 pts
13Missouri18.8+0.5 pts
15New Hampshire18.6+0.6 pts
16Pennsylvania18.2-1.2 pts
17Louisiana18.1+1.2 pts
17Michigan18.1-0.9 pts
17Rhode Island18.1+2.3 pts
20Wyoming18-0.4 pts
21Maine17.9-0.4 pts
21Nevada17.9+2.1 pts
23Texas17.8-0.1 pts
24California17.6+1.3 pts
25New York17.50 pts
26South Dakota17.4-1.9 pts
26Vermont17.4-1 pts
28Kansas17.2+1.2 pts
29Indiana16.6-0.9 pts
29New Jersey16.6+0.6 pts
31Oregon16-0.3 pts
31Virginia16+0.2 pts
33Kentucky15.8+1.2 pts
34Washington15.6-0.8 pts
35South Carolina15.5-1.3 pts
36Connecticut15.4-1.3 pts
36North Carolina15.4+0.8 pts
38Maryland15.30 pts
39Arizona15.2-0.4 pts
40Arkansas15.1+0.1 pts
40Florida15.1-0.4 pts
40Idaho15.1-1 pts
43Delaware14.8-2.2 pts
44New Mexico14.7-0.3 pts
45Oklahoma13.4+1.6 pts
46Tennessee13.10 pts
47Georgia12.9-0.5 pts
48Mississippi12.6+0.3 pts
49Alabama12.4-0.6 pts
50Utah11.5-1 pts
50West Virginia11.5+0.2 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, 2017) [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, 2017. 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=2017. 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, 2017. 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=2017.

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, 2017 [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=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{centers_us_states_by_binge_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  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=2017. 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, 2017
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=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-binge-drinking-rate/us-states?period=2017.
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 25.6% in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which state has the lowest binge drinking in adults?

West Virginia, with 11.5% in 2017.

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