Stand tall, Minnesotans, because apparently lots of people in Wisconsin can't.
Twelve of 20 drunkest American cities are in Wisconsin
State has 12 of the top 20 "Drunkest Cities" in U.S.; Minnesota has one.
May 20, 2016 at 12:13AM
A new list of the "Drunkest Cities in America" puts a perhaps unwelcome spotlight on Wisconsin, which is home to 12 cities in the top 20, ranked by the highest rates of binge drinking in adults.
The findings were compiled by online financial news outlet 24/7 Wall St.
The group analyzed self-reported data from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a joint program with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Excessive drinking, concentration of bars and alcohol-related driving deaths all were contributing factors in determining America's drunkest cities — all but two of which are in the Midwest.
Just one Minnesota city — Mankato — appears on the Top 20 list, at number 10. Nearly one-quarter of residents there admitted to excessive drinking.
Wisconsin outdrinks any other state, results showed. Our neighbor to the east boasted seven of the top 10 "Drunkest Cities," including the top four: Appleton, Oshkosh-Neenah, Green Bay and Madison.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines binge drinking as consuming at least four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men during one sitting. Heavy drinking refers to the number of alcoholic beverages consumed per week (15 or more for men and eight or more for women).
On average, 18 percent of adults drink unhealthy amounts of alcohol, according to the study. Wisconsinites consistently imbibe on a grander scale, with more than one-quarter of adults reporting that they binge or drink heavily throughout the week.
Appleton, Wis., topped the national list just six months after winning the statewide honors. Data showed that 26.8 percent of Appleton residents drank excessively and nearly one-third of driving deaths involved alcohol. The city has 4.4 drinking establishments per 10,000 residents, compared to an average of 1.6 bars per 10,000 population across the 381 cities covered by the survey.
Using the same methodology, the study also ranked America's 20 driest cities — the majority of which fell inside the Bible Belt. Two Utah cities topped that list, with less than 13 percent of residents consuming excessive amounts of alcohol.
Liz Sawyer • 612-673-4648
These Minnesotans are poised to play prominent roles in state and national politics in the coming years.
