Mapped: The States That Drink the Most Beer Per Person

Mapped: States That Drink the Most Beer Per Person

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Beer purchases vary dramatically across the United States, with residents of some states buying more than three times as much beer per person as others.

Using data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), this map shows gallons of beer purchased per resident across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. in 2023.

While New Hampshire, Montana, and Vermont top the rankings, many of the country’s largest states sit near the middle of the pack. The results point to a surprisingly strong regional pattern in America’s beer market.

Ranked: Beer Consumption by State

Below is the full ranking of beer purchases per person by state.

Rank	State	Gallons of Beer per Person 2023
1	New Hampshire	35.6
2	Montana	34.0
3	Vermont	33.3
4	North Dakota	29.6
5	Oregon	29.3
6	Pennsylvania	29.1
7	Nevada	28.0
8	Louisiana	26.9
9	Maine	26.9
10	Hawaii	26.7
11	South Dakota	26.4
12	Iowa	25.8
13	Texas	25.6
14	New Mexico	25.1
15	Wisconsin	25.1
16	California	24.2
17	District of Columbia	24.2
18	Colorado	24.0
19	Mississippi	24.0
20	Wyoming	24.0
21	West Virginia	23.1
22	Kansas	22.9
23	Minnesota	22.9
24	Ohio	22.9
25	Delaware	22.7
26	Missouri	22.4
27	Nebraska	22.4
28	Florida	22.2
29	North Carolina	22.2
30	Arizona	21.8
31	Illinois	21.6
32	Alaska	21.3
33	Tennessee	21.3
34	South Carolina	20.9
35	Alabama	20.0
36	Michigan	19.8
37	Oklahoma	19.8
38	Arkansas	19.6
39	Kentucky	19.3
40	Indiana	18.9
41	Georgia	18.7
42	Virginia	18.7
43	New York	18.0
44	Washington	18.0
45	Massachusetts	16.7
46	New Jersey	16.2
47	Connecticut	15.6
48	Idaho	15.3
49	Rhode Island	15.1
50	Maryland	14.9
51	Utah	10.2
—	U.S. Average	22.0

New Hampshire leads the nation in beer purchases, followed by Montana, Vermont, North Dakota, and Oregon. At the other end, Utah is the clear outlier, followed by Maryland, Rhode Island, Idaho, and Connecticut.

The gap is striking: New Hampshire residents purchased the equivalent of nearly 380 12-ounce beers per person in 2023, compared with about 109 in Utah. That means the average New Hampshire total was more than three times higher.

Why New Hampshire Leads the Country

New Hampshire’s top ranking is not just about local drinking habits.

The state has no general sales tax, and its alcohol stores are often positioned near highways and state borders. That makes New Hampshire a major destination for cross-border alcohol purchases, especially from nearby Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine.

In 2025, New Hampshire’s liquor commission generated $743 million in sales while serving roughly 12 million customers, nearly nine times the state’s population.

America’s Beer Belt

The map also reveals a clear northern pattern.

High-ranking states stretch across Northern New England, the Northern Plains, and parts of the Mountain West.

Maine has the most craft breweries per capita nationwide after California, with 157 breweries per 100,000 adults over 21. Montana follows at 105 breweries per 100,000 adults, while New Hampshire also ranks in the top 10.

Meanwhile, Oregon buys more beer per person than any other Western state and also ranks among the national leaders in brewery density.

Why Utah Is the Outlier

Utah ranks last by a wide margin, with 10.2 gallons of beer purchased per person in 2023.

A major reason is demographics. Roughly 40% of Utah residents are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose faith prohibits alcohol consumption. The state also has a long history of stricter alcohol rules than most of the country.

Few states illustrate the impact of religion on consumer behavior as clearly as Utah.

Beer’s Growing Decline in America

The state rankings come at a time when beer’s dominance in America is fading.

For decades, beer was the dominant alcoholic beverage in the U.S. Today, younger consumers are spreading their spending across spirits, canned cocktails, hard seltzers, wine, and non-alcoholic alternatives, or opting out altogether.

The trend extends to other global markets as well. Heineken announced it was laying off 6,000 employees worldwide due to lower demand. Both Carlsberg and Molson Coors have also reported slower sales as U.S. beer sales fall near their lowest level in decades.

That shift makes the top-ranked states stand out even more. They are not just places where people buy more beer today; they are places where beer still appears to hold a stronger cultural position as national habits change.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on which countries drink the most wine.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-states-that-drink-the-most-beer-per-person/