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Researchers have been suggesting for a while that the United States has a drinking problem. Over 6% of American adults reported heavy alcohol use within the past month, according to a 2021 national survey provided by the National Institute of Health. That's over 16 million people potentially putting themselves in danger at the time. Statistics like this also shed light on prominent, longstanding issues in the country, like alcohol use disorder and drunk driving.
That's why 24/7 Wall St. found the drunkest city in every state. Researchers "reviewed the percentage of men and women over 18 who reported heavy or binge drinking in each state’s metro areas. Metro level data was aggregated from county data in the 2022 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program."
According to the study, the Denver metro area was named Colorado's drunkest city. This also includes Lakewood and Aurora. Analysts also provided data to back up the city's place on the list:
- Adults binge or heavy drinking: 20.2% (Colorado: 20.1%)
- Driving deaths involving alcohol: 34.6% (Colorado: 34.0%)
- Median household income: $83,289 (Colorado: $75,231)
- Metro area population: 2,928,437