As we ring in the New Year this week, Americans will be tossing back a few adult beverages in celebration. While alcohol consumption certainly increases around holidays and other times of celebration, many Americans imbibe year-round. So where across this great land of ours are you most likely to find adults willing and able to raise a glass (or two) and where are you most likely to be surrounded by teetotalers? Experian Simmons has the answer.
Leveraging data from our SimmonsLOCAL study, we examined the drinking patterns of adults of legal drinking age in the 106 Designated Market Areas (DMAs) with populations of at least 500,000 adults age 21 and older. We then ranked those markets by the number of alcoholic beverages consumed by the average adult during a typical month.
The chart below lists the DMAs that consume the most alcoholic beverages per capita in a typical month. First place goes to Boston, where the average adult of legal drinking age regularly kicks back 14.4 drinks a month. (Celebrations in Beantown are probably already underway.)
| Rank | DMA | Average drinks per month |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 14.4 |
| 2 | Austin | 13.8 |
| 3 | Providence-New Bedford | 13.4 |
| 4 | Madison | 13.2 |
| 4 | Hartford & New Haven | 13.2 |
| 6 | Philadelphia | 13.1 |
| 7 | Chicago | 13 |
| 8 | Denver | 12.9 |
| 9 | Tallahassee-Thomasville | 12.8 |
| 9 | Milwaukee | 12.8 |
| 11 | Minneapolis-St. Paul | 12.6 |
| 11 | West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce | 12.6 |
| 11 | Seattle-Tacoma | 12.6 |
| 11 | Tucson (Sierra Vista) | 12.6 |
| 15 | Green Bay-Appleton | 12.5 |
| 16 | San Diego | 12.4 |
| 16 | Baltimore | 12.4 |
| 16 | Washington, DC | 12.4 |
| 16 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy | 12.4 |
| 20 | New Orleans | 12.3 |
| 20 | St. Louis | 12.3 |
| 20 | Colorado Springs-Pueblo | 12.3 |
| 23 | Burlington-Plattsburgh | 12.2 |
| 23 | Syracuse | 12.2 |
| 23 | Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News | 12.2 |
| 23 | Spokane | 12.2 |
| 23 | Portland-Auburn | 12.2 |
| Source: Experian Simmons | ||
Adult residents of the markets listed below surely know how to have a good time-it’s just unlikely to include a cocktail. The chart below lists the DMAs that consume the fewest alcoholic beverages per capita in a typical month. Residents of Chattanooga consume only 6 alcoholic beverages per month, on average, making it the least imbibing market-and probably the one that feels the best the morning after a big gathering.
| Rank | DMA | Average drinks per month |
|---|---|---|
| 106 | Chattanooga | 6 |
| 105 | Salt Lake City | 7.2 |
| 105 | Florence-Myrtle Beach | 7.2 |
| 105 | Charleston-Huntington | 7.2 |
| 105 | Tri-Cities, TN-VA | 7.2 |
| 101 | Knoxville | 7.4 |
| 100 | Lexington | 7.9 |
| 99 | Birmingham | 8 |
| 98 | Huntsville-Decatur | 8.5 |
| 97 | Nashville | 8.9 |
| 97 | Evansville | 8.9 |
| 95 | Paducah-Cape Girardeau-Harrisburg-Mt Vernon | 9.1 |
| 94 | Springfield, MO | 9.2 |
| 94 | Tulsa | 9.2 |
| 94 | Greenville-New Bern-Washington | 9.2 |
| 91 | Memphis | 9.3 |
| 90 | Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson | 9.4 |
| 90 | Jackson, MS | 9.4 |
| 90 | Wichita-Hutchinson Plus | 9.4 |
| 86 | Little Rock-Pine Bluff | 9.5 |
| 86 | Louisville | 9.5 |
| 86 | Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers | 9.5 |
| 83 | Fresno-Visalia | 9.6 |
| 82 | Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem | 9.7 |
| 82 | Roanoke-Lynchburg | 9.7 |
| Source: Experian Simmons | ||
For more information on SimmonsLOCAL’s vivid reporting of consumer behaviors, attitudes, lifestyles and media consumption in 209 Designated Market Areas down to the ZIP code level, visit our website.