Utah Ranks Dead Last For Excessive Drinking Among All Fifty States
There are a lot of things Utah is known for.
Mountains. National parks. Skiing. Red rock. Green Jell-O. And, apparently, an almost heroic ability to stay out of the top 49 when it comes to excessive drinking.
A new ranking of the “drunkest states in America” has Utah sitting at No. 50.
Yes. Fifty. Are you really surprised?
The ranking from American Craft Beer uses data from County Health Rankings based primarily on 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. The measurement looks at the percentage of adults reporting binge drinking or heavy drinking. The national rate is 18.7 percent.
Utah comes in at 13 percent, the lowest rate among all 50 states. Kentucky is No. 49 at about 15.3 percent, meaning Utah isn't just barely avoiding the bottom of the barrel. Utah is standing several feet away from the barrel, looking at it suspiciously.
And this is where things get particularly interesting for those of us in Southern Utah.
You can drive south or west from here and, eventually, arrive in Nevada. Nevada is home to Las Vegas, a place famous around the world for casinos, nightlife, entertainment and the general understanding that if you are going to make a questionable decision, you might as well get a hotel room while you're at it.
Surely Nevada must be one of the great drinking capitals of America, right?
Nope.
In fact, Nevada is surrounded on the list by states that don't exactly carry the same international reputation for turning Tuesday night into Saturday night. Oregon is No. 22 and Texas is No. 23, both also at 19.2 percent.
Meanwhile, the top of the list belongs to North Dakota, followed by Montana, Iowa, Nebraska and Hawaii. Wisconsin, which seems like it should have a reserved parking space somewhere near the top of any drinking-related list, is sixth.
Utah, of course, is at the other end.
There is an important caveat here. This isn't a ranking of which states sell the most alcohol, have the most bars, consume the most alcohol per capita or have the most spectacularly questionable bachelor-party stories. It's specifically measuring reported binge or heavy drinking.
Read More: Utah Near The Top For Worst Drivers
Still, you have to admire the consistency.
The rest of the country is apparently competing for something.
Utah has chosen to compete in a completely different event.
And judging by the numbers, we're doing remarkably well at it.
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Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins