Do Minnesota and Wisconsin Really Have the Drunkest Cities in America?

Sure, there's been a great expansion of craft breweries here in Minnesota. And, of course, Wisconsin's long been known for its beer. But are the Drunkest Cities in America really all located here?

Well, according to a new survey by 24/7 Wall Street, it looks like they are. Especially in Wisconsin. Outside of Fargo, ND, their survey says the rest of the Top 5 drunkest cities in America are all in the Dairy State. (Those would be Madison, Green Bay, Oshkosh and Appleton, by the way.) The only Minnesota city to make their list clocked in at number-10, and that'd be Mankato.

But just how is this list ranking these cities? Well, the article lists these cities according to several factors. "Excessive drinking can take the form of binge drinking or heavy drinking. The CDC defines binge drinking as consuming four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men during a single sitting. Heavy drinking is defined as some 15 or more drinks consumed per week for men and eight or more drinks for women," the study said.

So, to rank these cities, this report used several self-reported drinking rates, especially the number of people who reported they binge drink or drink heavily. They also factored in the number of drinking establishments compared to the town's population, as well as other factors, like how alcohol uses impacts fatal car crashes. The study said, "Drunk driving accounts for 31.0% of roadway fatalities nationwide. In many of the cities with the highest excessive drinking rates, the share of deadly car accidents attributable to alcohol is far higher. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, for example, a city where over a quarter of adults drink excessively, 47.5% of fatal car accidents involve alcohol, the seventh highest share in the country," the study concluded.

Maybe they do have a point. The study also listed the DRIEST cities in the country. And, of course, none of them are located here in Minnesota or Wisconsin. Either way, though, it's still a subjective list. But, having traveled a bit throughout other areas of the country, I think it's fair to say we do enjoy our beer here in the Upper Midwest.

What do you think? Do you agree with this list and its rankings?