In this article, we are going to discuss the 20 states that drink the least alcohol per capita.
There is a substantial amount of evidence that suggests that any alcohol consumption, however moderate, can have negative health consequences. Even low levels of drinking can increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and even certain types of cancer. Understanding that there is no such thing as risk-free drinking, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines moderate drinking as 2 drinks or less per day for men, and no more than one drink per day for women. Still, despite the well-publicized health risks, more than two-thirds of adult drinkers regularly exceed those levels.
The Economic Cost of Excessive Drinking:
The top 10% of American drinkers, which equates to around 24 million people, consume an average of 74 alcoholic drinks each week. If you break that number out, that means they consume a little more than 10 drinks each day.
As we mentioned in our article – 30 Drunkest Cities in America in 2023 – excessive use of alcohol costs the U.S. economy almost $250 billion per year. The federal government picks up roughly $100 billion of the tab, largely through Medicare and Medicaid payments. Several evidence-based strategies can help reduce excessive drinking, including increasing alcohol excise taxes, limiting alcohol outlet density, and commercial host liability.
Pharmaceutical Breakthrough:
Ozempic and Wegovy are two drugs developed by Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) that have recently become uber-popular in the U.S. The drugs are once-weekly injectables of a medication called semaglutide, prescribed for Type 2 diabetes and weight loss. However, doctors and patients have begun to notice a striking side effect of these drugs – they appear to reduce people’s cravings for alcohol, nicotine, and opioids.
As it turns out, these drugs don’t just work on blood sugar, but also on the brain. The mechanism in the brain that regulates overeating overlaps with those responsible for the development and maintenance of addiction, including alcohol disorder, according to Dr. Lorenzo Leggio, clinical director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
In the past year, prescriptions for both Ozempic and Wegovy have skyrocketed, despite the fact that each costs about $1,000 a month and some health insurers recently stopped covering them. Their increasing popularity has boosted Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) to new heights, and the Danish pharmaceutical giant is now the Most Valuable Company in Europe by market cap, with currently $452.24 billion of it. Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) is also part of the Jim Simons Stock Portfolio.
Sober Workplace Culture:
According to the Institute for Work & Health, employees at companies that most discouraged social drinking were 45% less likely to be heavy drinkers than those in workplaces with the most liberal attitudes to drinking, after taking into account other factors that influence drinking levels.
Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is a company that famously banned alcohol from in-office events back in 2016. Soberforce is an employee-led resource group within the cloud-based software company that was started with the goal to provide a community and connection for sober employees, support people with addiction issues, and destigmatize addiction.
Soberforce holds regular virtual meetings and leads conversation threads on Slack, which is made available to all of 75,000 global employees of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM). Shares of CRM were held by 122 hedge funds in the Insider Monkey database at the end of Q2 2023. Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) sits among Jim Cramer’s 10 Best AI Stocks.
With that said, here are the Most Sober States in America.
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Methodology:
To collect data for this article,, we have referred to the 2023 Surveillance Report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, looking for the States that Drink the Least Alcohol. Findings in this report are based on alcoholic beverage sales data collected by the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS) from the states or from the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association. The following states have been ranked by their per capita ethanol consumption in gallons, based on population ages 14 and older. The data collected in this report is for the year 2021.
If you also wish to read about the top drinking states, here are the States that Consume the Most Alcohol per Capita.
20. South Dakota
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.33 gallons
South Dakota has taken a number of initiatives to control excessive drinking. The state’s innovative 24/7 Sobriety Program requires those arrested for or convicted of alcohol-involved offenses to take twice-a-day breathalyzer tests or wear a continuous alcohol monitoring bracelet.
19. New Mexico
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.33 gallons
The New Mexico Department of Health launched its CSTE alcohol surveillance system in 2017, which brings together information (alcohol consumption behaviors and associated morbidity, mortality, and policy-related measures) necessary to show a clear picture of the alcohol effects in the state. This information yields usable, timely data from which the state officials can monitor trends and develop interventions to reduce the prevalence of alcohol-attributable morbidity and mortality.
18. Indiana
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.32 gallons
While Indiana ranks among the Least Drinking States in the U.S., the detrimental outcomes of alcohol abuse are still prevalent and continuously rising within The Hoosier State. Indiana also faced a high prevalence of frequent mental distress in 2021, which may account for the increase in alcoholism within the state. The Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking (ICRUD) works to reduce youth access to alcohol through awareness, advocacy, and policy change.
17. Arizona
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.32 gallons
Earlier this year, Governor Katie Hobbs proclaimed the month of April to be Arizona Alcohol Awareness Month, to raise awareness of the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States, and to call upon all citizens, parents, governmental agencies, public and private institutions, businesses, hospitals, schools, and colleges in the Grand Canyon State to support efforts that will provide early education about alcoholism and addiction that will increase support for individuals and families coping with alcoholism.
16. Washington
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.27 gallons
Washington has the highest alcohol tax rate on distilled spirits in America, at $36.55 per gallon. Such a high levy helps keep excessive drinking in control and brings in revenue for various public services and initiatives. However, critics argue that such high taxes may lead to increased cross-border shopping and the resultant negative effects on local businesses.
15. Virginia
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.26 gallons
As one of America’s 17 control states, where the state government manages the sale and distribution of distilled spirits, Virginia sells distilled spirits exclusively in ABC stores operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia. This limits alcohol outlet density, which has been proven to keep excessive drinking in control.
14. New York
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.26 gallons
The New York State Alcohol Surveillance and Epidemiology Program (ASEP) was established in September 2021 through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct public health surveillance on excessive alcohol use and its related harms in the Empire State.
13. Kentucky
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.24 gallons
Although Kentucky is home to the country’s burgeoning Bourbon industry, the Bluegrass State has the 17th lowest share of adults who report excessive drinking at 17.3%, compared to 19% nationwide.
12. Maryland
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.21 gallons
Maryland’s 2011 tax on the price of an alcoholic drink was the state’s first increase in alcohol taxes in decades. After the sales tax took effect, statewide alcohol sales decreased by 3.8% compared to what trends predicted. Moreover, the Old Line State raised about $70 million in additional tax revenue that year, which helped fund education programs and services for people with disabilities.
11. Kansas
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.18 gallons
Kansas has some of the strictest alcohol restrictions in the country. The state prohibited all alcohol from 1881 to 1948, and continued to prohibit on-premises sales of alcohol from 1949 to 1987. Even today, 29 counties in the Sunflower State do not permit the on-premises sale of booze. Aside from that, motorists who transport open containers of alcohol can also face severe penalties in the state, even if they’re not drinking.
10. South Carolina
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.14 gallons
South Carolina also follows the pattern of low alcohol consumption exhibited by the Deep South states. A major reason for this could be that these states have large evangelical Christian populations, many of whom abstain from alcohol.
South Carolina ranks among the Top 10 States with the Lowest Alcohol Consumption per Capita.
9. Ohio
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.13 gallons
The average Ohioan drank 689 alcoholic drinks in 2021, an 11% decrease from 776 the previous year, according to a survey by DrugAbuse.com. A possible reason for this welcomed drop in drinking could be a change in routines for individuals, as restrictions eased in the pandemic’s second year and more people returned to out-of-home jobs.
8. Nebraska
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.13 gallons
As more and more people turn towards a healthier lifestyle, sober bars and an alcohol-free lifestyle have grown in popularity in recent years across the United States, including Nebraska. Dry Spokes, a leader in the non-alcoholic bar movement in Nebraska, recently established its presence in downtown Omaha.
7. Alabama
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.06 gallons
Alabama is one of the many states with strict laws related to virtually all aspects of alcohol. That includes manufacturing, distributing, selling, and even consuming. In Alabama, just 16% of adults reported excessive drinking, which is less than the national average of 19%.
6. Idaho
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2 gallons
Although Idaho ranks among the Least Alcoholic States, Idahoans set a new record for the highest spending on liquor in the last financial year, which ended on June 30th 2023. The state’s residents spend just under $320 million on liquor during the year, with Tito’s vodka dominating the market in the Gem State.
5. Arkansas
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 1.96 gallons
Arkansas laws are strict and uncompromising when it comes to liquor, and more than half of the state’s counties are dry. In these dry counties, there’s no legal sale of alcohol in bars or stores and only licensed restaurants can serve alcoholic beverages.
Although it has a low rate of alcohol consumption per capita, the Natural State has more alcohol-related deaths per capita than a majority of states and a higher rate of underage drinking. Arkansas taxpayers spent $2.073 billion as a result of excessive alcohol use in 2010 – adjusted for inflation, this is equivalent to $2.799 billion in 2022.
4. Georgia
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 1.91 gallons
Georgia has a lower rate of binge drinking as compared to the national average – 6.9% against the country’s average of 8.2%. Still, approximately 2,400 deaths occur annually in the state that are linked to excessive alcohol use. The economic cost of alcohol abuse in the Peach State is around $700 per person.
Started in 2011, Georgia’s Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention Project uses the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) and a public health approach to tackle Georgia’s leading substances of abuse and misuse issues.
3. Oklahoma
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 1.87 gallons
The Sooner State is reported to have some of the strictest laws in the country concerning the sale of alcoholic beverages. Until 2018, Oklahoma allowed the sale of beer with only a 3.2% alcohol content by weight in grocery stores. Beer with any more alcohol than that – called ‘high-point beer’ – was only to be sold in liquor stores.
Noticing the ‘sober curious’ trend popular in Oklahoma, the state’s Stonecloud Brewery has decided to launch a number of non-alcohol offerings this year, including Fuzzy Rabbit – a sparkling water drink infused with hops.
2. West Virginia
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 1.82 gallons
A major reason why West Virginia has such low alcohol consumption is the predominant religious sentiment in the state. Even though the Mountain State reported a below-average rate of adults drinking excessively (14%), the state still reported 26% of motor vehicle crash deaths involving alcohol between 2016 and 2020. There have been improvements, however. The number of West Virginia students who reported recently driving with someone who had been drinking decreased from 39% in 1993 to 13% in 2017.
1. Utah
Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 1.3 gallons
Most people know Mormons are supposed to be teetotalers, so the fact that Utah doesn’t drink much isn’t surprising. Over half of the state’s population identifies as Mormon, a religion that explicitly forbids alcohol consumption. Utah was the first state in the union to lower the blood alcohol limit to 0.05, just as it was the first to lower the limit from 0.10 to 0.08 back in 1983.
Though despite its stigma against booze, the Beehive State has seen an increase in alcohol sales over the last five years. The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverages reported revenue of $557.6 million from the fiscal year of July 2021 to June 2022. The almost 8% rise is more than double the increase from 2020 to 2021.
Utah is the State with the Lowest Rate of Alcoholism in America.
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Disclosure: None. 20 States that Drink the Least Alcohol per Capita is originally published on Insider Monkey.
