While Americans are certainly known for throwing some beers back, that certainly doesn’t apply to drinkers in every zip code.
A report by 24/7 Wall Street that revealed the “drunkest cities in America” also identified the driest. While six of the cities on this list can be found in Tennessee, West Virginians were deemed most likely to shy away from the strong stuff. The report reveals that a mere 11.8 percent of adults in the Mountain State report drinking excessively — a lower percentage than anywhere else in the U.S. That’s a stark difference from the country’s so-called “drunkest” state, Wisconsin, where some 26.2 percent of adults say they drink in excess.
To establish the nation’s least heavy-drinking states, 24/7 Wall Street consulted data compiled by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Using health data from 281 metro areas in the U.S., researchers examined the percentage of the adult population that reported binge drinking or drinking heavily — as in, 4 to 5 drinks in a sitting or 15 or more drinks per week, respectively — in a 30-day period. States were then ranked from lowest percentage to highest. In its report, 24/7 Wall Street also included the number of bars and restaurants per capita, residents’ median income, and the percentage of driving deaths involving alcohol. These factors, while relevant, didn’t impact the final ranking.
Wondering if your city is known for its teetotallers? Keep reading to learn the 20 cities in the U.S. with the lowest amount of adults that binge drink and the corresponding percentage of heavy drinkers:
- Provo-Orem, UT (8.5%)
- St. George, UT (10.8%)
- Beckley, WV (10.8%)
- Jackson, TN (10.9%)
- Charleston, WV (11.1%)
- Logan, UT-ID (11.6%)
- Morristown, TN (11.9%)
- Parkersburg-Vienna, WV (12.2%)
- Pine Bluff, AR (12.2%)
- Cleveland, TN (12.2%)
- Johnson City, TN (12.3%)
- Knoxville, TN (12.3%)
- Gadsden, AL (12.4%)
- Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH (12.6%)
- Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA (12.7%)
- McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX (12.8%)
- Fort Smith, AR-OK (12.9%)
- Ogden-Clearfield, UT (12.9%)
- Rocky Mount, NC (12.9%)
- Dothan, AL (13%)
