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How Much Americans Have Been Drinking (Almost) Every Year Since 1850

How Much Americans Have Been Drinking (Almost) Every Year Since 1850

How Much Americans Have Been Drinking (Almost) Every Year Since 1850

Adam Calaitzis / Getty Images

1850

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1860

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1870

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1871-1880

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1881-1890

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1891-1895

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1896-1900

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1901-1905

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1906-1910

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1911-1915

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1916-1919

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1934

FPG / Getty Images

1935

FPG / Getty Images

1936

MPI / Getty Images

1937

FPG / Getty Images

1938

Ben Shahn / Getty Images

1939

Kurt Hutton / Getty Images

1940

Archive Photos / Getty Images

1941

Archive Photos / Getty Images

1942

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

1943

Archive Photos / Getty Images

1944

FPG / Getty Images

1945

Frederic Lewis / Getty Images

1946

Archive Photos / Getty Images

1947

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

1948

Archive Photos / Getty Images

1949

Archive Photos / Getty Images

1950

James W. Welgos / Getty Images

1951

Archive Photos / Getty Images

1952

Graphic House / Getty Images

1953

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

1954

Archive Photos / Getty Images

1955

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

1956

Phil Burchman / Getty Images

1957

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

1958

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

1959

Archive Photos / Getty Images

1960

Harvey Meston / Getty Images

1961

Express / Getty Images

1962

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

1963

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

1964

Archive Photos / Getty Images

1965

Harvey Meston / Getty Images

1966

Archive Photos / Getty Images

1967

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

1968

Evening Standard / Getty Images

1969

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

1970

Harvey Meston / Getty Images

1971

Space Frontiers / Getty Images

1972

Archive Photos / Getty Images

1973

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

1974

Pictorial Parade / Getty Images

1975

Archive Photos / Getty Images

1976

Keystone / Getty Images

1977

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

1978

Space Frontiers / Getty Images

1979

Tony Duffy / Getty Images

1980

FPG / Getty Images

1981

Gene Forte / Getty Images

1982

Hulton Archive / Getty Images

1983

Tony Duffy / Getty Images

1984

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

1985

Space Frontiers / Getty Images

1986

Getty Images / Staff

1987

Rick Stewart / Getty Images

1988

Getty Images / Staff

1989

Pascal Rondeau / Getty Images

1990

Space Frontiers / Getty Images

1991

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1992

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1993

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1994

Phil Cole / Getty Images

1995

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1996

Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images

1997

Doug Pensinger / Getty Images

1998

Space Frontiers / Getty Images

1999

USAF / Getty Images

2000

NASA / Getty Images

2001

Mark Wilson / Getty Images

2002

Mark Wilson / Getty Images

2003

Scott Barbour / Getty Images

2004

Chris Jackson / Getty Images

2005

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

2006

Wathiq Khuzaie / Getty Images

2007

David Paul Morris / Getty Images

2008

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

2009

Alex Wong / Getty Images

2010

Chris Graythen / Getty Images

2011

Majid Saeedi / Getty Images

2012

Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images

2013

Michael Buckner / Getty Images

2014

Sean Gallup / Getty Images

2015

NASA / Getty Images

2016

Scott Olson / Getty Images

2017

NASA / Getty Images

2018

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

2019

Anthony Kwan / Getty Images

2020

flyparade / Getty Images

How Much Americans Have Been Drinking (Almost) Every Year Since 1850
1850
1860
1870
1871-1880
1881-1890
1891-1895
1896-1900
1901-1905
1906-1910
1911-1915
1916-1919
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
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1961
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1991
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2019
2020

How Much Americans Have Been Drinking (Almost) Every Year Since 1850

Alcohol consumption in the U.S. reached a 30-year high in 2020. The per capita ingestion of ethanol (drinking alcohol) was 2.45 gallons that year – a 2.9% increase from 2019, and the highest rate seen since 1990. By census region, the largest increases were seen in the Midwest (4.2%) and the South (3.5%). (These are the states where people drink the most alcohol.)
While pandemic stress and lockdowns may have influenced the recent rise, alcohol consumption has peaked at various points in history. Using data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 24/7 Tempo reviewed per capita alcohol consumption in the U.S. every year since 1850. Years are ranked by the total gallons of ethanol consumed per resident aged 15 and older prior to 1970 and population aged 14 and older thereafter. There is no data between 1920 and 1933 due to Prohibition.
Although 2020 consumption peaked at 2.45 gallons per person, the two decades between 1968 and 1988 saw the highest drinking rates on record, with rates each year equivalent to or exceeding 2020 numbers, peaking in 1981 at 2.76 gallons per person. During this period, liquor consumption reached highs not seen since the late 19th century, when spirits made up the vast majority of ethanol ingested in the U.S.
A trend of increased beer consumption began in the 1970s, and continued into the '80s. While beer still dominates the alcohol market – with spirits a close second – wine consumption has been steadily growing since 2009, reaching the highest rates on record in 2020. (Here are some of the best wine bars in America.)

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