Every so often, we see new rankings claiming that this state or that state is now the most alcohol-drenched one in the nation. They never get old, though, so here — have another one: Data-driven tech company Find the Best recently put their powers of analysis to the test by finding out the booziest states in the U.S. Oh, and did I mention that they also made a neat-o interactive out of it? Because they did. Everybody loves an interactive, right?
Not going to lie: This time round, I'm a little a surprised. Not that anyone should feel like they have to defend their place on the ranking — whatever your spot is, own it — but still. Anyway, in order to create their interactive, Find the Best did a little number-crunching and determined the number of bars per capita for every state in the nation. Interestingly, the top five booziest states all seem to be located in the same part of the country (that is, the Midwest); the bottom five, however, are spread out all over the place. I'm not totally sure if that means anything, but maybe it's worth noting.
Of course, there's one flaw in this piece of data analysis — and I think it actually might be a fatal one: It only looked at the number of bars per capita. I can't help but feel a more complete study of how boozy any given state is would also include things like the number of liquor stores, breweries, wineries, and distilleries, too. After all, bars are only one type of location in which one might choose to imbibe; perhaps a more accurate name for this ranking would be the Biggest Bar Hopping States in America.
But maybe that's just me. Here are the five booziest and five driest states according to this particular data set; scroll down to take a look at the full interactive.
The Booziest:
1. Wisconsin
Congratulations, Wisconsin! At 12.57 bars for every 10,000 people, you win the award for Booziest State in the Nation! I suppose the appropriate thing to do would be to celebrate with a toast, wouldn't it?
2. North Dakota
The Dakotas both scored highly, but only North Dakota took the number two slot. According to Find the Best's data, there are 11.24 bars for every 10,000 people in the Peace Garden State. Also, North Dakota's nickname is the Peace Garden State. I did not know that until today. Fun fact.
3. Montana
Taking the third slot, we have Montana, with 10.39 bars per 10,000 people. Well done, Montana!
4. South Dakota
Ah, there's South Dakota! The Mount Rushmore State nabs the fourth slot with 9.54 bars for every 10,000 people.
5. Iowa
And rounding out the top five is Iowa; there are 8.34 bars for every 10k people here.
The Least Boozy:
1. Utah
It's perhaps unsurprising that Utah is the driest state in the nation; there are only 1.73 bars for every 10,000 people in the state. Exactly how one has three-quarters of a bar remains to be seen, but, well… that's statistics for you.
2. Arkansas
If you're a fan of bar hopping, you might not want to do it in Arkansas — 1.95 bars for every 10k people isn't exactly an encouraging figure. But hey, if you're a non-booze drinker, it might be a food place to hang out.
3. Virginia
Virginia is next on the list, with 2.17 bars for every 10,000 person.
4. Mississippi
2.29 bars per 10k people is the number in Mississippi, making it the fourth driest state around.
5. Alabama
Next up: Alabama, with exactly two and a half bars for every 10,000 people. Again, I have to ask what half a bar looks like (even though I know it likely doesn't exist — that's just how the math works out). Thoughts, anyone?
Here's the full interactive. Where does your state fall on the spectrum of boozy to dry?
Images: 920Grill/Instagram; Getty Images (7); clay.wells, BobMical, John Pozadzides, James Willamor/Flickr
