The US states with the highest rates of underage drinking

A new analysis of health data has revealed that Massachusetts is the state with the highest rate of underage drinking in America.

The study, conducted by personal injury firm Suzuki Law Offices, analyzed 2022 data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), gathering the percentage of people below America’s legal drinking age of 21 who have used alcohol in the past month.

Massachusetts emerged as the state with the highest percentage of underage drinkers, with 23.23% of its population aged 12-20 reporting that they have used alcohol in the last month.

This is significantly higher than the national average of 15.90%, with one-fifth of the state’s younger population engaging in underage drinking.

Vermont takes second place, with 22.29% of its teenage population admitting to consuming alcohol within the last month.

In third place, 21.54% of Wisconsin’s underage residents reported having used alcohol in the last month.

Rhode Island ranks fourth, with 21.06% of the state’s underage residents admitting to consuming alcohol within the last month.

North Dakota rounds out the top five, with 20.65% of the state’s teenagers engaging in underage drinking.

On the other end of the scale, Utah residents are the least likely to engage in underage drinking, with only 9.63% of the state’s teenagers reporting that they had used alcohol in the last month – significantly lower than the 15.90% national average (39.43% less).

West Virginia has the second-lowest rate of underage drinking, with only 12% of its teenagers reporting that they had used alcohol in the last month, and North Carolina follows closely in third place with 12.29%.

Alaska and Kentucky round out the bottom five states, with 12.56% and 12.78% of underage residents admitting to drinking alcohol.

Richard Suzuki, founding attorney of Suzuki Law Offices, commented:

“Underage drinking remains a significant issue in the United States, with detrimental effects on both mental and physical development. Underage drinking also contributes to reckless driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports

that one-third of fatal car accidents involved young drivers who had consumed alcohol.

“The implementation of minimum drinking age laws has proven effective in saving lives. It is estimated that these laws have prevented up to 31,959 deaths between 1975 and 2017. This statistic underscores the importance of enforcing regulations to curb underage drinking.”

This information was provided by https://www.suzukilawoffices.com