How Much Alcohol People Drink In Every State

If you've ever been curious how much alcohol each of the 50 states is knocking back, consider your journey at an end. As part of a long-running study for the US Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has compiled a report on the volume of beer, wine, and spirits consumed in each state from the years 1977 through 2016.

The results show that, in general, beer consumption has decreased in every region of the country, while wine and spirits are up. Because these three alcohol types have varying levels of ethanol, the NIAA calculates the total volume consumed in each state, and the amount consumed per capita, by ethanol content. On average, Americans drink 2.35 gallons of ethanol per capita. At 1.34 gallons per resident, Utah drinks the least, which the NIAA claims is likely due to the state's strict alcohol regulations. New Hampshire has the highest per capita consumption, at 4.76 gallons.

As for how much it costs to get a drink in the USA, the excise tax on alcohol for each state is also included below. Every state except Wyoming imposes a tax on alcohol, with rates ranging from the mere $0.30 per gallon in New Hampshire to the whopping $32.52 per gallon in Washington state.


  • Total Ethanol Consumption: 8,072 Gallons

    Total Per Capita Ethanol Consumption: 2.01 Gallons

    Beer Consumption: 97,712 Gallons

    Wine Consumption: 8,093 Gallons

    Spirit Consumption: 6,402 Gallons

    Taxes Per Gallon: $19.15

  • Total Ethanol Consumption: 1,748 Gallons

    Total Per Capita Ethanol Consumption: 2.94 Gallons

    Beer Consumption: 15,146 Gallons

    Wine Consumption: 2,586 Gallons

    Spirit Consumption: 1,783 Gallons

    Taxes Per Gallon: $12.80

  • Total Ethanol Consumption: 4,392 Gallons

    Total Per Capita Ethanol Consumption: 2.31 Gallons

    Beer Consumption: 143,313 Gallons

    Wine Consumption: 17,540 Gallons

    Spirit Consumption: 10,705 Gallons

    Taxes Per Gallon: $3.00

  • Total Ethanol Consumption: 4,392 Gallons

    Total Per Capita Ethanol Consumption: 1.8 Gallons

    Beer Consumption: 50,621 Gallons

    Wine Consumption: 4,124 Gallons

    Spirit Consumption: 3,850 Gallons

    Taxes Per Gallon: $7.73

  • Total Ethanol Consumption: 75,148 Gallons

    Total Per Capita Ethanol Consumption: 2.33 Gallons

    Beer Consumption: 687,240 Gallons

    Wine Consumption: 148,347 Gallons

    Spirit Consumption: 61,036 Gallons

    Taxes Per Gallon: $3.30

  • Total Ethanol Consumption: 12,837 Gallons

    Total Per Capita Ethanol Consumption: 2.81 Gallons

    Beer Consumption: 115,745 Gallons

    Wine Consumption: 18,164 Gallons

    Spirit Consumption: 12,861 Gallons

    Taxes Per Gallon: $2.28