Dive bars are part of a wider American drinking culture, but national and state-level figures show that alcohol use is not evenly distributed. The CDC reports that more than half of U.S. adults drink alcohol, while 17% binge drink and 6% drink heavily. Its 2022 state estimates also show substantial differences in age-adjusted binge-drinking prevalence, from 12.7% in Utah to 24.2% in the District of Columbia.
Contents
- National alcohol-use statistics
- What excessive drinking includes
- State comparison at a glance
- Southern states and the Deep South
- States with the highest reported prevalence
- States with the lowest reported prevalence
National alcohol-use statistics
The CDC Data on Excessive Alcohol Use places everyday drinking and excessive drinking in the same national context. More than half of U.S. adults drink alcohol. That broad measure includes adults who drink at different frequencies and quantities, so it should not be read as a measure of how often people visit bars or how much they drink on a night out.
The CDC reports that 17% of U.S. adults binge drink. Binge drinking is therefore a sizable national pattern, but it is still different from saying that 17% of adults drink every day or that 17% of adults are dependent on alcohol. The statistic describes a specific drinking pattern identified by the CDC, not a diagnosis.
Six percent of U.S. adults drink heavily. This is a narrower measure than the overall share of adults who drink, and it should be kept separate from the 17% binge-drinking figure. One person may fit more than one measure, while many drinkers fit neither excessive-drinking category.
The CDC also reports that over 90% of U.S. adults who drink excessively report binge drinking. This relationship helps explain why binge drinking is central to national discussions of excessive alcohol use. It does not mean that every person who binge drinks also drinks heavily, and it does not provide a direct estimate of the number of people visiting dive bars.
The health burden associated with these patterns is substantial. About 178,000 people die from excessive alcohol use each year in the United States, according to the CDC. The figure is a national annual estimate and concerns excessive alcohol use broadly; it is not a count of deaths connected specifically to bars, restaurants, live music venues, or dive bars.
What excessive drinking includes
The national numbers are easier to interpret when their scopes remain distinct. “More than half” describes the share of adults who drink at all. “Seventeen percent” describes binge drinking. “Six percent” describes heavy drinking. “Over 90%” describes the share of adults who drink excessively and report binge drinking. The measures answer different questions and should not be added together.
These figures also describe people, not individual drinks, venues, or transactions. A bar’s customer count, the number of drinks sold, and the share of adults who report a given behavior would be different measures. The CDC statistics provide a population-level frame for understanding alcohol use around nightlife, but they do not estimate the number of dive bars in the United States or the average spending of a bar customer.
The state figures below are age-adjusted binge-drinking prevalence estimates for 2022. “Age-adjusted” means the reported percentages have been adjusted to support comparisons between places with different age structures. They are not forecasts for 2026, and they do not measure current conditions inside any particular venue.
State comparison at a glance
The 2022 estimates span a wide range. The District of Columbia had the highest listed prevalence at 24.2%, followed by Montana at 24.0%, North Dakota at 23.9%, and Iowa at 23.2%. Utah had the lowest listed prevalence at 12.7%, followed by Alabama at 13.7%.
| Location | 2022 age-adjusted binge-drinking prevalence |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 24.2% |
| Montana | 24.0% |
| North Dakota | 23.9% |
| Iowa | 23.2% |
| Wisconsin | 21.8% |
| Minnesota | 21.0% |
| South Dakota | 21.0% |
| Utah | 12.7% |
| Alabama | 13.7% |
| Kentucky | 14.0% |
The difference between the highest and lowest listed locations is 11.5 percentage points. That comparison is descriptive only. The supplied CDC figures do not identify why locations differ, and they do not establish that venue density, bar style, music programming, tourism, income, or local alcohol policy caused any difference.
A large middle group sits between the extremes. Prevalence was 18.0% in Alaska, 18.7% in Arizona, 17.5% in Arkansas, 18.2% in California, 19.9% in Colorado, and 17.2% in Connecticut. Delaware was 15.6%, Florida 16.3%, Georgia 15.2%, Hawaii 19.9%, Idaho 16.4%, Illinois 18.3%, Indiana 15.7%, and Kansas 18.2%.
The next group includes Louisiana at 17.7%, Maine at 17.7%, Maryland at 14.4%, Massachusetts at 18.6%, Michigan at 18.7%, Missouri at 20.6%, Nebraska at 20.5%, Nevada at 18.7%, New Hampshire at 18.8%, New Jersey at 16.7%, and New Mexico at 16.8%.
Southern states and the Deep South
For a Deep South and live-music readership, the regional figures offer useful context without pretending to describe individual bars. Alabama’s 2022 age-adjusted binge-drinking prevalence was 13.7%. Georgia’s was 15.2%, Louisiana’s was 17.7%, Mississippi’s was 14.4%, and South Carolina’s was 18.2%.
The remaining listed Southern states were also varied. Florida recorded 16.3%, North Carolina 18.1%, Oklahoma 14.4%, Tennessee 16.4%, Texas 16.9%, and Virginia 17.8%. Kentucky recorded 14.0%, Maryland 14.4%, and West Virginia 15.5%.
| Southern location | 2022 age-adjusted binge-drinking prevalence |
|---|---|
| South Carolina | 18.2% |
| Louisiana | 17.7% |
| North Carolina | 18.1% |
| Virginia | 17.8% |
| Texas | 16.9% |
| Tennessee | 16.4% |
| Florida | 16.3% |
| Georgia | 15.2% |
| Mississippi | 14.4% |
| Oklahoma | 14.4% |
| Kentucky | 14.0% |
| Alabama | 13.7% |
Within this listed group, South Carolina’s 18.2% was 4.5 percentage points higher than Alabama’s 13.7%. Louisiana was 3.3 points higher than Alabama, while Georgia was 1.5 points higher. These are direct differences between the published percentages, not new estimates of population counts or drinking behavior.
States with the highest reported prevalence
The highest listed 2022 prevalence values were concentrated in several locations above 20%. The District of Columbia was 24.2%, Montana was 24.0%, North Dakota was 23.9%, and Iowa was 23.2%. Wisconsin was 21.8%, while Minnesota and South Dakota were each 21.0%.
Other states were just above the 20% mark. Missouri was 20.6%, Nebraska was 20.5%, and Vermont was 20.3%. Ohio and Colorado were each 19.9%, Wyoming was 19.8%, and Oregon was 19.4%.
These percentages are not rankings of nightlife scenes. A state with a higher age-adjusted prevalence does not necessarily have more dive bars, more live music, longer opening hours, or greater alcohol sales. The CDC measure is a population survey statistic, and the supplied source does not provide venue-level explanations for the ordering.
The distribution also shows why a single national figure can hide local variation. New Hampshire was 18.8%, while Michigan and Nevada were each 18.7%. Massachusetts was 18.6%, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island were each 18.4%, and Illinois was 18.3%. South Carolina, Kansas, and California were each 18.2%, while North Carolina was 18.1%.
States with the lowest reported prevalence
At the lower end of the listed 2022 estimates, Utah recorded 12.7%, Alabama 13.7%, Kentucky 14.0%, and Maryland, Mississippi, and Oklahoma each recorded 14.4%. West Virginia was 15.5%, Delaware 15.6%, and Indiana 15.7%.
The next values included Georgia at 15.2%, Florida at 16.3%, Idaho and Tennessee at 16.4%, Washington at 16.5%, New Jersey at 16.7%, New Mexico at 16.8%, and Texas at 16.9%. Connecticut was 17.2%, Arkansas 17.5%, and Louisiana and Maine were each 17.7%.
Lower prevalence should not be interpreted as the absence of nightlife or alcohol service. Likewise, a higher prevalence should not be interpreted as evidence that a specific type of venue is responsible. The data support comparisons of reported, age-adjusted binge-drinking prevalence in 2022; they do not support conclusions about the character or safety of a particular dive bar.
For readers thinking about live music and nightlife, the most defensible takeaway is that alcohol use is widespread nationally, while excessive-drinking indicators vary by location. More than half of U.S. adults reported drinking alcohol, 17% reported binge drinking, and 6% reported heavy drinking in the CDC’s national measures. The state estimates add a geographic lens, but they remain population statistics rather than a profile of any one night, neighborhood, or venue.