I saw that there was a list of the drunkest states in America, and I honestly couldn’t guess where New Jersey would rank. Sure, we have a lot of bars and drunken revelry at the Shore isn’t exactly a secret, but I also realize that only represents a small percentage of the populace.

Spoiler alert: compared to other states, we’re pretty sedated; we rank 43rd out of the fifty states for drunkenness, according to 24/7 Wall Street.

Young handsome man enjoying beer in beach bar
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To identify the states with the highest excessive drinking rates, 24/7 Tempo reviewed on the percentage of adults 18 and older who reported binge or heavy drinking within a 30-day period across all metro areas in the country from the 2023 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program.

According to their research, adults drink excessively at a national average rate of 19.8%, and exactly half of the states drink that much or more. New Jersey’s rate is 16.1%; we have the ninth-lowest rate of alcohol-related driving deaths, and our median household income (which apparently matters) is third highest.

Serving cold beer at a street food market
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I may have buried the lede by not starting by telling you which New Jersey town they deemed the “drunkest.”

Ready?

It’s Ocean City, yes the Ocean City that is a dry town. It turns out that it’s not so dry. According to 24/7 Wall Street, 21.4% of OC’s residents drink excessively.

BTW, Wisconsin is the drunkest state and Utah is the least drunk.

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