For many years, beer was the strong favorite of U.S. drinkers, mentioned by close to half as the alcoholic beverage they most often drink. It still leads, but by a thinner, four-percentage-point margin over wine, 35% to 31%, according to the 2022 survey. Some say staying sober can lead to significant savings in the long run, especially for those who go out often. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey, a national study of how families and individuals spend their hard-earned income. Our results reveal current and historical trends in alcohol expenditures, and which demographics burn the most cash on getting buzzed. To see how America’s drinking habits translate into dollars, keep reading.
How can we prevent excessive alcohol consumption and reduce its economic costs?
The NIAAA weekly volume guideline is not to exceed 14 drinks per week for men and 7 drinks per week for women. (Daily guideline is no more than 4 drinks in any day for men, and 3 drinks in any day for women.) Refer to the U.S. low-risk drinking guidelines. The chart shows direct death detox and treatment articles rates (not including suicide deaths) from alcohol use disorders across the world. The death rates are typically higher in Eastern Europe and lower in North Africa and the Middle East. With the change country feature, it is possible to view the same data for other countries.
Rate of premature deaths due to alcohol
- Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.
- Overall, these groups drink less, but a higher percentage will drink heavily when they do.
- Decanter’s January 2022 “Top wine Trends for 2022” listed the average consumer’s “inability…to afford” wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Champagne.
- Much of this trend is attributable to changing prices that have climbed steadily across the country since 1996.
- When we look at gender differences, we see that in all countries, men have a higher alcohol consumption than women.
- The ‘disease burden’ – measured in Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) – considers mortality and years lived with disability or health burden.
As the map shows, the average per capita alcohol consumption varies widely globally. Per-capita alcohol consumption peaked in the early 1980s at 3.28 gallons, or almost 700 drinks. It bottomed out in the late 1990s at 2.45 gallons per person, or about 523 drinks.
Alcohol consumption by type of alcoholic beverage
When data from the National Alcohol Survey (NAS) are released, our scientists update the drinking norms for the US. The most recent data from the 2020 NAS draw on the drinking patterns of individuals residing in 50 states and Washington, DC and look at the number of drinks both women and men said they consumed per week on average in the previous 12 months. Older Gen Xers — ages — have the second-highest overall daily spending average among all of the age groups, right after millennials. The difference is that although millennials don’t spend the most or least in any of the average daily spending categories, older Gen Xers spend the most overall in eight out of 14 of them. Education spending alone averages $3,213 per year for this group, which is by far the highest of all age groups. So, how much does the average American spend on a daily basis in different categories?
Drinking by pregnant women can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or birth defects. And health officials say alcohol is a factor in as many as one-third of serious falls among the elderly. NielsenIQ indicated that Wine RTD innovation will include “wine cocktail RTDs, especially sparkling versions.” Spirits seltzers and cocktails are “driving growth,” especially those with an ABV of 5% and under and an ABV between 5.1 and 10%. Vodka was the most popular base for spirits RTDs, followed by whiskey and tequila, then rum and gin. Hop water is a “carbonated beverage made with hops,” which “tastes a lot like beer, but contains zero alcohol, as well as zero calories, carbs, sugar or gluten.”
Americans spend the least amounts overall on alcohol, pets and vehicle insurance. Gen Zers — those under the age of 25 — spend the least amount on alcohol, followed by older baby boomers. Gen Z also outlays the least amount on vehicle insurance and pet spending, followed by millennials — ages — in both spending categories. GOBankingRates analyzed annual expenditure data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 15 categories covering both necessary and discretionary spending to find out how much the average American in each age generation spends in a day. Keep reading to find out where you stand within your age group and whether or not you’re guilty of bad spending habits that can bust your budget.
Further, 2 of every 5 dollars were paid by federal, state, and local governments, demonstrating that we are all paying for excessive alcohol use. This interactive map shows the annual average alcohol consumption of alcohol, expressed per person aged 15 years or older. To account for the differences in alcohol content of different alcoholic drinks (e.g., beer, wine, spirits), this is reported in liters of pure alcohol per year. Overall, 62% of U.S. adults say they ever drink alcohol, while 38% abstain completely, according to a July 2023 Gallup survey. Gallup has asked Americans for more than eight decades whether they have “had occasion to use alcoholic beverages such as liquor, wine or beer.” During that span, majorities have consistently said they consume alcohol. This share peaked in the late 1970s, when 71% of adults said they drank alcohol.
Looked at another way, 17.4% of all alcohol consumed by Americans in 2021 came from wine, up from 12.0% in 1971. The share coming from beer fell from 44.6% to 42.3% during the same period, while the share coming from spirits fell from 43.5% to 40.3%. While 66% of beer sales were attributed to “large, non-craft domestic” companies in 2021, imports accounted for 21% and craft beer at 13%. The beer category (excluding hard seltzers and flavored alcohol beverages) is “expected to decrease by volume through 2025;” however, craft beer volumes are “expected to increase.” Several industry sources mention consumer willingness to spend more on alcohol and are trading up and purchasing premium beverages. The percent change in total volume for certain beverages and the percent change in premium-and-above alcohol volume in 2022, as reported by IWSR are listed below.
It’s also a risk to others — through drunken driving or alcohol-fueled violence. And research based on surveys suggests that more than half of the alcohol sold in the U.S. is consumed during episodes of binge drinking. However, there have been some positive trends, including decreased drinking among teenagers and the social media trend of “Dry January,” an indication that people are taking alcohol cyclobenzaprine: muscle relaxer uses side effects and dosage seriously. Consumers are looking for a beverage made with natural ingredients and coloring for the overall beverage category. Based on the 52 weeks ending November 5, 2022, off-premise hard cider sales decreased by 2.1%. While regional/local ciders, which account for 54% of the total hard cider sales, experienced positive growth (a 5.7% increase), national cider brands decreased in growth by 8.9%.
In 2023, 46% of 12th graders said they had consumed alcohol in the 12 months prior to the survey, as did 31% of 10th graders and 15% of eighth graders. These shares are down from 2001, when 73% of 12th graders, 64% of 10th graders and 42% of eighth graders said they had drunk alcohol in the previous year. Americans under 25 years old spend the least in every category except for education, gasoline, animal therapy cellphone service, and clothing. Although Gen Z puts the second most toward education spending — right after Older Gen Xers who are ages — they spend less overall on gasoline, cellphone service and clothing than every other age group aside from older baby boomers. On the whole, U.S. drinkers reported consuming a modest amount of alcohol in 2022, averaging four drinks per week for all drinkers.
While Americans’ cigarette use is in steep decline, future changes in their use of marijuana and alcohol are uncertain. The cigarette smoking rate among young adults in the U.S. has fallen by more than 20 points in the past two decades. Young adults are now more likely to smoke marijuana or electronic cigarettes than tobacco cigarettes. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
Data on the prevalence of binge drinking by age and gender in the UK can be found here, and trends in heavy and binge drinking in the USA can be found here. The comparison of this map with the previous maps makes clear that heavy drinking is not necessarily most common in the same countries where alcohol consumption is most common. Alcohol consumption – whilst a risk factor for a number of health outcomes – typically has the greatest negative impacts when consumed within heavy sessions.