Note: Age-adjusted to the 2000 US Census standard population. Binge drinking is defined as 4 or more drinks for a woman or 5 or more drinks for a man on an occasion during the past 30 days. Intensity is defined as the average largest number of drinks consumed by binge drinkers on any occasion in the past 30 days.

Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Economic Costs

Excessive alcohol consumption cost the United States $249 billion in 2010. This cost amounts to about $2.05 per drink, or about $807 per person.

Costs due to excessive drinking largely resulted from losses in workplace productivity (72% of the total cost), health care expenses (11%), and other costs due to a combination of criminal justice expenses, motor vehicle crash costs, and property damage.

Excessive alcohol use cost states and DC a median of $3.5 billion in 2010, ranging from $488 million in North Dakota to $35 billion in California.

Binge drinking, defined as consuming 4 or more drinks per occasion for women or 5 or more drinks per occasion for men, was responsible for about three-quarters (77%) of the cost of excessive alcohol use in all states and DC.

About $2 of every $5 of the economic costs of excessive alcohol use were paid by federal, state, and local governments.