New data reveals the states with the highest and lowest prevalence of underage drinking.
The research, conducted by addiction recovery resource Addiction Treatment Magazine, compared all 50 states based on the most recent data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The study examined the number of young people between the ages of 12-20 who had consumed an alcoholic drink over the last month and had engaged in binge drinking, which is classified as consuming four or more drinks in one sitting.
The study revealed that Mississippi has the lowest rate of underage drinking per population. Only 9.7% of Mississippi’s population aged between 12-20 regularly consume alcohol, which equates to 32,000 young people in the state. Similarly, the state has the lowest rate of binge drinking in the country, with 5.4%.
The study revealed that Utah has the second lowest percentage of underage drinking nationwide. Among people aged between 12-20, nearly 11% had consumed alcohol in the month of the study, and 6.8% had participated in binge drinking, classified as four or more alcoholic drinks in one sitting.
North Carolina places next in the ranking with the third lowest rate of underage drinking in the country. When broken down, there were a total of 125,000 underage drinkers in North Carolina during the month analyzed, which equates to 11.3% of the state’s population.
Alabama ranks as the fourth state with the lowest prevalence of underage drinking per population, with 12%, while Arkansas follows closely behind in fifth place, with 12.3%. The top ten is rounded out by Indiana ranking sixth, Georgia in seventh, followed by Idaho, Tennessee, and Texas in eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively.
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The top 10 states with the lowest prevalence of drinking between the ages 12-20 |
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Order |
State |
Alcohol use in past month (%) |
Binge alcohol use in past month (%) |
Alcohol use in past month (in thousands) |
Binge alcohol use in past month (in thousands) |
|
1. |
Mississippi |
9.7% |
5.4% |
32,000 |
18,000 |
|
2. |
Utah |
10.7% |
6.8% |
53,000 |
34,000 |
|
3. |
North Carolina |
11.3% |
6% |
126,000 |
66,000 |
|
4. |
Alabama |
12% |
6.6% |
71,000 |
39,000 |
|
5. |
Arkansas |
12.3% |
7.2% |
46,000 |
27,000 |
|
6. |
Indiana |
12.6% |
6.7% |
103,000 |
55,000 |
|
7. |
Georgia |
12.6% |
6.9% |
176,000 |
96,000 |
