With over 8.1 billion gallons of alcohol consumed in the U.S. every year, it’s safe to say that Americans love to drink. And while U.S. drinkers may consume more beer and wine than spirits on a yearly basis, Americans still drank a whopping 680.5 million gallons of spirits in 2023, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) — likely driven by the ongoing bourbon boom and tequila’s rapid rise.

When it comes to which region enjoys spirits the most, that title is claimed by the South, where its residents drink an average of 249.5 million total gallons per year. Conversely, Americans in the Northeast drink the least amount of spirits per year, coming in at roughly 122.5 million gallons. The West ranks second in terms of most spirits overall, with 161.8 gallons consumed in 2023, and the Midwest rounds out the top three with 146.8 gallons. But when broken down on a per capita basis, the South actually consumes the least, at 0.97 gallons per person, while the Midwest drinks the most at 1.06 gallons per person.

Curious to learn more about your home state’s spirits consumption and how it compares to your neighbors? Check out our maps below to discover how much your state drinks by volume and per capita.

The States That Drink the Most Ethanol Per Capita

Delaware takes the crown for the most spirits consumed per capita per year, though it’s important to note that the state’s lack of sales tax likely attracts consumers from neighboring states. Rounding out the top three are Washington D.C. and New Hampshire, the latter of which similarly enjoys a lack of sales tax. Alternately, drinkers in West Virginia drink the least amount of spirits per capita, followed by Utah and Oklahoma.

The States That Drink the Most Alcohol in Ethanol

Predictably, the most populous states in the U.S. are those that consume the most spirits annually, with California taking the top spot. Highly populous Florida and Texas claim the second and third spots, respectively, while Vermont’s population of just north of 645,000, consumes the least. Joining the Northeastern state in the bottom three are Wyoming and South Dakota. Utah, with its strict alcohol laws, surprisingly doesn’t even rank in the bottom 10 in terms of overall consumption.

Ranking the States

Gallons Per Capita

Gallons Overall

*This data uses an estimate of average ethanol content of sold or shipped beer into gallons of ethanol (pure alcohol) before calculating per capita consumption estimates. For this data, the alcohol by volume value for beer is 0.045.

**Image retrieved from 5ph via stock.adobe.com

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