Data on Excessive Alcohol Use

At a glance

Excessive alcohol use might be more common than you think. These data show how much and how often people binge drink in the United States, and its high costs to our nation.

Human figures overlay a U.S. map with the text, "About 178,000 people die from excessive alcohol use in the United States each year."

Key facts

Fact‎

There are four ways that people can drink alcohol excessively. About 178,000 people die from excessive alcohol use each year in the United States.1

Alcohol use, by the numbers

Among adults in the United States:1

  • More than half drink alcohol.
  • 17% binge drink. This means they have four or more drinks (women) or five or more drinks (men) on an occasion.
  • 6% drink heavily. This means they have eight or more drinks (women) or 15 or more drinks (men) in a week.
    • Nearly all of the adults who drink heavily also binge drink.

Binge drinking, by the numbers

Of the four ways that people drink excessively, binge drinking is the most common.

  • Over 90% of U.S. adults who drink excessively report binge drinking.2
  • Most people who binge drink are not dependent on alcohol. 2
    • But people who binge drink are at higher risk for serious health effects from alcohol compared to people who do not binge drink.

Below we report on binge drinking statistics across the United States:

  • The percentage of people who binge drink.
  • The number of drinks they have on an occasion.
  • How often people binge drink.

Percentage of adults who binge drink:

Among people who binge drink, this is how many drinks they have on an occasion:3

How often adults report binge drinking in the past 30 days:3

No. of occasions* (95% CI)
75th Percentile† Median§
Overall, unadjusted 4.4 1.8
Alabama 5.3 1.9
Alaska 4.8 1.8
Arizona 4.5  1.8
Arkansas 5.5 2.4
California 4.0 1.7
Colorado 4.3 1.7
Connecticut 4.1 1.7
Delaware 3.6 1.5
District of Columbia 3.7 1.7
Florida 4.6 2.2
Georgia 4.7 1.9
Hawaii 4.9 2.3
Idaho 4.7 1.9
Illinois 3.9 1.6
Indiana 4.4 1.7
Iowa 4.7 2.0
Kansas 4.2 1.6
Kentucky 4.8 1.8
Louisiana 4.3 1.9
Maine 4.4 1.8
Maryland 3.8 1.6
Massachusetts 3.8 1.6
Michigan 4.6 1.9
Minnesota 4.3 2.0
Mississippi 6.1 2.0
Missouri 5.2 2.0
Montana 4.8 1.9
Nebraska 4.0 1.7
Nevada 4.7 2.0
New Hampshire 4.5 1.7
New Jersey 3.4 1.4
New Mexico 4.1 1.5
New York 4.1 1.8
North Carolina 4.3 1.9
North Dakota 4.5 1.7
Ohio 4.1 1.8
Oklahoma 3.9 1.5
Oregon 4.1 1.7
Pennsylvania 4.1 1.9
Rhode Island 4.3 1.7
South Carolina 4.6 2.1
South Dakota 3.8 1.5
Tennessee 4.8 2.0
Texas 4.6 2.1
Utah 4.2 1.7
Vermont 4.5 1.9
Virginia 4.5 1.8
Washington 3.9 1.6
West Virginia 6.5 2.4
Wisconsin 4.4 1.9
Wyoming 3.9 1.8

*Number of binge drinking occasions in the past 30 days among adults who reported binge drinking.
†Among adults who binge drink, 25% of them report binge drinking this many times or more in the past month.
§Half of adults who binge drink report doing so this many times or more in the past month.

The cost of excessive drinking in the United States

Excessive drinking cost the United States about $249 billion in 2010 (the most recent data available).A4 This includes:

  • Lost labor and lower worker performance in the workplace (72%)
  • Property damage, crashes, and criminal justice needs (17%)
  • Health care costs for injuries (11%)

Added to these costs is the toll on people's health, quality of life, safety, and well-being.

The cost impacts everyone, whether they drink or not.

On average, the direct and indirect costs of excessive drinking add up to about $807 per person in the United States.

Every alcoholic drink consumed creates an extra $2.05 in economic costs to address alcohol-related impacts.

Infographic showing the cost of excessive alcohol use.
The economic costs of excessive alcohol use are high.

State-level costs

The economic costs of excessive drinking also weigh on individual states across the country.4

  • The median cost to states (including Washington DC) was $3.5 billion in 2010.
  • Costs ranged from $488 million in North Dakota to $35 billion in California.
  • Costs were mostly the result of binge drinking (77%).

Governments paid for about $2 of every $5 spent to address the impacts of excessive alcohol use.B4

Keep in mind‎

Excessive alcohol use costs us all. Families and friends pay a high price. Every day, 488 people die from excessive alcohol use.5

Location Total Cost ($) Cost per drink ($) Cost per person ($)
Alabama 3,724,300,000 2.27 779
Alaska 827,200,000 2.25 1,165
Arizona 5,946,400,000 2.27 930
Arkansas 2,073,300,000 2.27 711
California 35,010,600,000 2.44 940
Colorado 5,056,500,000 2.14 1,005
Connecticut 3,029,000,000 2.04 847
Delaware 803,800,000 1.64 895
District of Columbia 918,400,000 2.14 1,526
Florida 15,322,200,000 1.82 815
Georgia 6,930,900,000 2.12 715
Hawaii 937,400,000 1.58 689
Idaho 1,137,900,000 1.62 726
Illinois 9,715,700,000 1.86 757
Indiana 4,468,200,000 1.96 689
Iowa 1,933,600,000 1.59 635
Kansas 2,075,800,000 2.18 728
Kentucky 3,194,500,000 2.36 736
Louisiana 3,801,400,000 1.91 839
Maine 938,700,000 1.58 707
Maryland 4,964,700,000 2.22 860
Massachusetts 5,634,600,000 1.93 861
Michigan 8,161,700,000 2.10 826
Minnesota 3,886,400,000 1.74 733
Mississippi 2,277,400,000 2.05 768
Missouri 4,603,600,000 1.83 769
Montana 870,800,000 1.73 880
Nebraska 1,166,500,000 1.61 639
Nevada 2,296,300,000 1.49 850
New Hampshire 959,900,000 0.92 729
New Jersey 6,175,200,000 1.70 702
New Mexico 2,232,900,000 2.77 1,084
New York 16,330,200,000 2.28 843
North Carolina 7,034,200,000 2.11 738
North Dakota 487,600,000 1.40 725
Ohio 8,519,800,000 2.10 739
Oklahoma 3,081,200,000 2.49 821
Oregon 3,520,200,000 2.08 919
Pennsylvania 9,544,200,000 1.92 751
Rhode Island 886,500,000 1.82 842
South Carolina 3,982,900,000 2.13 861
South Dakota 598,200,000 1.59 735
Tennessee 4,683,800,000 2.25 738
Texas 18,820,600,000 1.99 748
Utah 1,636,100,000 2.74 592
Vermont 513,000,000 1.66 820
Virginia 6,126,000,000 2.06 766
Washington 5,805,100,000 2.23 863
West Virginia 1,334,900,000 2.20 720
Wisconsin 4,452,900,000 1.62 783
Wyoming 593,100,000 2.33 1,052
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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP); About the Division of Population Health; CDC Alcohol Program
  1. These costs have likely increased because of factors like inflation and increased health care and public safety costs. However, this cost estimate still provides an idea of the minimum costs of excessive drinking.
  2. This includes local, state, and federal governments.
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Accessed February 29, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/
  2. Esser MB, Hedden SL, Kanny D, Brewer RD, Gfroerer JC, Naimi TS. Prevalence of alcohol dependence among US adult drinkers, 2009–2011. Prev Chronic Dis. 2014;11:140329.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic Disease Indicators. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2022. Accessed March 14, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/cdi/index.html
  4. Sacks JJ, Gonzales KR, Bouchery EE, Tomedi LE, Brewer RD. 2010 National and State Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption. Am J Prev Med. 2015;49(5):e73–e79.
  5. Esser MB, Sherk A, Liu Y, Naimi TS. Deaths from excessive alcohol use — United States, 2016-2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2024;73:154–161. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7308a1