Data / Rankings / Heavy drinking in adults / US states

US states by heavy drinking in adults, 2025

Montana had the highest heavy drinking in adults of 48 states in 2025, at 7.7%. New Jersey had the lowest, at 3.4%. The median was 5.3%. Source: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Highest7.7Montana
Lowest3.4New Jersey
Median5.348 states

Map of states, 2025

Alabama: 3.7 %Alaska: 7 %Arizona: 5 %Arkansas: 4.6 %Colorado: 5.9 %Connecticut: 5 %Delaware: 5.4 %District of Columbia: 7.3 %Florida: 5.8 %Georgia: 4.9 %Hawaii: 5.9 %Idaho: 5.9 %Illinois: 5.4 %Indiana: 4.6 %Iowa: 6.6 %Kansas: 5.1 %Kentucky: 4.1 %Louisiana: 5.9 %Maine: 6.3 %Maryland: 4.3 %Massachusetts: 4.9 %Michigan: 4.5 %Minnesota: 5.5 %Missouri: 5.8 %Montana: 7.7 %Nebraska: 5.6 %New Hampshire: 6.7 %New Jersey: 3.4 %New Mexico: 5.2 %New York: 4.4 %North Carolina: 4.2 %North Dakota: 5.7 %Ohio: 5.2 %Oklahoma: 3.4 %Oregon: 6.3 %Pennsylvania: 4.6 %Rhode Island: 5.6 %South Carolina: 5 %South Dakota: 6.6 %Tennessee: 4.5 %Texas: 5.5 %Utah: 3.4 %Vermont: 7.2 %Virginia: 5.1 %Washington: 5.1 %West Virginia: 4.8 %Wisconsin: 6.6 %Wyoming: 6 %
  • Under 4.4
  • 4.4 to 4.9
  • 4.9 to 5.3
  • 5.3 to 5.8
  • 5.8 to 6.4
  • 6.4 and over
  • No data
%, 2025. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), heavy drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2025

Montana: 7.7 %Montana7.7District of Columbia: 7.3 %District of Columbia7.3Vermont: 7.2 %Vermont7.2Alaska: 7 %Alaska7New Hampshire: 6.7 %New Hampshire6.7South Dakota: 6.6 %South Dakota6.6Iowa: 6.6 %Iowa6.6Wisconsin: 6.6 %Wisconsin6.6Maine: 6.3 %Maine6.3Oregon: 6.3 %Oregon6.3Wyoming: 6 %Wyoming6Colorado: 5.9 %Colorado5.9Louisiana: 5.9 %Louisiana5.9Hawaii: 5.9 %Hawaii5.9Idaho: 5.9 %Idaho5.9Missouri: 5.8 %Missouri5.8Florida: 5.8 %Florida5.8North Dakota: 5.7 %North Dakota5.7Nebraska: 5.6 %Nebraska5.6Rhode Island: 5.6 %Rhode Island5.6Minnesota: 5.5 %Minnesota5.5Texas: 5.5 %Texas5.5Illinois: 5.4 %Illinois5.4Delaware: 5.4 %Delaware5.4Ohio: 5.2 %Ohio5.2New Mexico: 5.2 %New Mexico5.2Virginia: 5.1 %Virginia5.1Kansas: 5.1 %Kansas5.1Washington: 5.1 %Washington5.1Connecticut: 5 %Connecticut5Arizona: 5 %Arizona5South Carolina: 5 %South Carolina5Georgia: 4.9 %Georgia4.9Massachusetts: 4.9 %Massachusetts4.9West Virginia: 4.8 %West Virginia4.8Arkansas: 4.6 %Arkansas4.6Indiana: 4.6 %Indiana4.6Pennsylvania: 4.6 %Pennsylvania4.6Michigan: 4.5 %Michigan4.5Tennessee: 4.5 %Tennessee4.5New York: 4.4 %New York4.4Maryland: 4.3 %Maryland4.3North Carolina: 4.2 %North Carolina4.2Kentucky: 4.1 %Kentucky4.1Alabama: 3.7 %Alabama3.7Utah: 3.4 %Utah3.4Oklahoma: 3.4 %Oklahoma3.4New Jersey: 3.4 %New Jersey3.4Montana: 7.7 %Montana7.7District of Columbia: 7.3 %District of Columbia7.3Vermont: 7.2 %Vermont7.2Alaska: 7 %Alaska7New Hampshire: 6.7 %New Hampshire6.7South Dakota: 6.6 %South Dakota6.6Iowa: 6.6 %Iowa6.6Wisconsin: 6.6 %Wisconsin6.6Maine: 6.3 %Maine6.3Oregon: 6.3 %Oregon6.3Wyoming: 6 %Wyoming6Colorado: 5.9 %Colorado5.9Louisiana: 5.9 %Louisiana5.9Hawaii: 5.9 %Hawaii5.9Idaho: 5.9 %Idaho5.9Missouri: 5.8 %Missouri5.8Florida: 5.8 %Florida5.8North Dakota: 5.7 %North Dakota5.7Nebraska: 5.6 %Nebraska5.6Rhode Island: 5.6 %Rhode Island5.6Minnesota: 5.5 %Minnesota5.5Texas: 5.5 %Texas5.5Illinois: 5.4 %Illinois5.4Delaware: 5.4 %Delaware5.4Ohio: 5.2 %Ohio5.2New Mexico: 5.2 %New Mexico5.2Virginia: 5.1 %Virginia5.1Kansas: 5.1 %Kansas5.1Washington: 5.1 %Washington5.1Connecticut: 5 %Connecticut5Arizona: 5 %Arizona5South Carolina: 5 %South Carolina5Georgia: 4.9 %Georgia4.9Massachusetts: 4.9 %Massachusetts4.9West Virginia: 4.8 %West Virginia4.8Arkansas: 4.6 %Arkansas4.6Indiana: 4.6 %Indiana4.6Pennsylvania: 4.6 %Pennsylvania4.6Michigan: 4.5 %Michigan4.5Tennessee: 4.5 %Tennessee4.5New York: 4.4 %New York4.4Maryland: 4.3 %Maryland4.3North Carolina: 4.2 %North Carolina4.2Kentucky: 4.1 %Kentucky4.1Alabama: 3.7 %Alabama3.7Utah: 3.4 %Utah3.4Oklahoma: 3.4 %Oklahoma3.4New Jersey: 3.4 %New Jersey3.4
%. Source: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), heavy drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2025 (%)Change on 2024
1Montana7.7-2.1 pts
2District of Columbia7.3-0.2 pts
3Vermont7.2-1 pts
4Alaska7-1.8 pts
5New Hampshire6.7-0.9 pts
6South Dakota6.6-1 pts
7Iowa6.6-1.1 pts
8Wisconsin6.6-0.8 pts
9Maine6.3-0.7 pts
10Oregon6.3-0.2 pts
11Wyoming6-0.1 pts
12Colorado5.9-1.3 pts
12Louisiana5.9-1.3 pts
14Hawaii5.9-0.9 pts
15Idaho5.9-0.9 pts
16Missouri5.8-0.3 pts
17Florida5.8-0 pts
18North Dakota5.7-1.5 pts
19Nebraska5.6-0.9 pts
20Rhode Island5.6-0.7 pts
21Minnesota5.5-1.5 pts
22Texas5.5-1 pts
23Illinois5.4-0.7 pts
24Delaware5.4-0.7 pts
25Ohio5.2-1 pts
26New Mexico5.2+0.5 pts
27Virginia5.1-0.5 pts
28Kansas5.1-1.3 pts
28Washington5.1-0.8 pts
30Connecticut5-0.4 pts
31Arizona5-1.8 pts
32South Carolina5-2.1 pts
33Georgia4.9-0.1 pts
34Massachusetts4.9-0.7 pts
35West Virginia4.8-0 pts
36Arkansas4.6-1.7 pts
36Indiana4.6-0.8 pts
36Pennsylvania4.6+1.4 pts
39Michigan4.5-1.7 pts
40Tennessee4.5n/a
41New York4.4-0.7 pts
42Maryland4.3-0.1 pts
43North Carolina4.2-0 pts
44Kentucky4.1-0.7 pts
45Alabama3.7-2.3 pts
46Utah3.4-0.1 pts
47Oklahoma3.4-1.5 pts
48New Jersey3.4-1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Percentage of adults aged 18 and over who are heavy drinkers: men having more than 14 drinks a week and women more than 7 drinks a week, on average over 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. From 2011 to 2014 (variable _RFDRHV4) BRFSS stated the threshold per day: more than two drinks for men and more than one for women, the same average. Later years use variables _RFDRHV5 to _RFDRHV9.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. 3 states with data in other periods have no value for 2025 and are left out rather than filled from another source. 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), heavy drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFDRHV4%27%2C%27_RFDRHV5%27%2C%27_RFDRHV6%27%2C%27_RFDRHV7%27%2C%27_RFDRHV8%27%2C%27_RFDRHV9%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%2C%27RESP206%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

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APA 7

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2026). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), heavy drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall (US states by heavy drinking in adults, 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFDRHV4%27%2C%27_RFDRHV5%27%2C%27_RFDRHV6%27%2C%27_RFDRHV7%27%2C%27_RFDRHV8%27%2C%27_RFDRHV9%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%2C%27RESP206%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), heavy drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall, US states by heavy drinking in adults, 2025. 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_RFDRHV4%27%2C%27_RFDRHV5%27%2C%27_RFDRHV6%27%2C%27_RFDRHV7%27%2C%27_RFDRHV8%27%2C%27_RFDRHV9%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%2C%27RESP206%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-heavy-drinking-rate/us-states. 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), heavy drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. US states by heavy drinking in adults, 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFDRHV4%27%2C%27_RFDRHV5%27%2C%27_RFDRHV6%27%2C%27_RFDRHV7%27%2C%27_RFDRHV8%27%2C%27_RFDRHV9%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%2C%27RESP206%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-heavy-drinking-rate/us-states.

Harvard

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2026) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), heavy drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall, US states by heavy drinking in adults, 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFDRHV4%27%2C%27_RFDRHV5%27%2C%27_RFDRHV6%27%2C%27_RFDRHV7%27%2C%27_RFDRHV8%27%2C%27_RFDRHV9%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%2C%27RESP206%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-heavy-drinking-rate/us-states (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{centers_us_states_by_heavy_2025,
  author = {{Centers for Disease Control and Prevention}},
  title = {{Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), heavy drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall: US states by heavy drinking in adults, 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFDRHV4%27%2C%27_RFDRHV5%27%2C%27_RFDRHV6%27%2C%27_RFDRHV7%27%2C%27_RFDRHV8%27%2C%27_RFDRHV9%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%2C%27RESP206%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-heavy-drinking-rate/us-states. Publisher attribution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), heavy drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?\%24order=\%3Aid\&\%24limit=50000\&\%24where=questionid+in+\%28\%27\_RFDRHV4\%27\%2C\%27\_RFDRHV5\%27\%2C\%27\_RFDRHV6\%27\%2C\%27\_RFDRHV7\%27\%2C\%27\_RFDRHV8\%27\%2C\%27\_RFDRHV9\%27\%29+AND+responseid+in+\%28\%27RESP046\%27\%2C\%27RESP206\%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), heavy drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall: US states by heavy drinking in adults, 2025
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_RFDRHV4%27%2C%27_RFDRHV5%27%2C%27_RFDRHV6%27%2C%27_RFDRHV7%27%2C%27_RFDRHV8%27%2C%27_RFDRHV9%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%2C%27RESP206%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-heavy-drinking-rate/us-states
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-heavy-drinking-rate/us-states.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), heavy drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_RFDRHV4%27%2C%27_RFDRHV5%27%2C%27_RFDRHV6%27%2C%27_RFDRHV7%27%2C%27_RFDRHV8%27%2C%27_RFDRHV9%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP046%27%2C%27RESP206%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 heavy drinking in adults?

Montana, with 7.7% in 2025, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which state has the lowest heavy drinking in adults?

New Jersey, with 3.4% in 2025.

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), heavy drinking in adults, crude prevalence, overall. Retrieved 2026-10-12. 3 states have no value for 2025 and are not ranked.

US states: more rankings