Map: These Oregon counties are home to the most excessive drinkers, study finds
(NEXSTAR) — It is hard to overlook the connection between Oregon and alcohol, especially craft brews and hard ciders. There are, however, some apparent downsides: data shows some Oregon counties may be prone to excessive drinking.
Earlier this year, the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released its 2023 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps report, which is meant to raise awareness about factors that can impact health outcomes and disparities nationwide.
Researchers use numerous data points to determine the length and quality of life on a state-by-state basis. Among those factors is alcohol use, including reported excessive drinking.
To determine the rates of excessive drinking, researchers used self-reported data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance system. For the 2023 report, the University of Wisconsin used data from 2020 — the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Excessive drinking includes both binge drinking (four or more drinks on one occasion for women, five or more for men) and heavy drinking (eight or more drinks a week for women, fifteen or more for men).
Overall, 20% of adults in Oregon report they drink excessively. That’s the seventh-highest rate in the nation, tied with Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, Missouri, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Alaska. (That being said, Oregon also has the eighth-lowest rate in the U.S., because of so many states being tied).
Except for Nevada, Oregon’s neighbors have lower rates of excessive drinkers. In Idaho, the excessive drinking rate was 17% and in California and Washington, it was 18%, the study found.
Overall, 19 states had an excessive drinking rate at or above 20%.
Wisconsin is home to the most over-drinkers: 26% of adults in the state — which sports an MLB team named in honor of its beer brewing industry — self-reported excessive drinking. Utah had the lowest rate in the nation at 12%.
When reviewing county-level data in Oregon, researchers found Deschutes had the highest rate of self-reporting excessive drinkers in Colorado at 23%. Four other counties — Baker, Multnomah, Wallowa, and Yamhill — had rates of 22%.
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Of Oregon’s 36 counties, only nine had excessive drinking rates below 20%. Marion County had the lowest rate at 17%.
The interactive map below shows the rates reported per Oregon county. You can view a nationwide map here.
The University of Wisconsin also reviewed the number of alcohol-impaired driving deaths per state and county.
Though it has a relatively low rate of adults drinking excessively (18%), California had the highest number of alcohol-impaired driving deaths at 5,185 between 2016 and 2020, according to data collected from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
While Oregon had a higher rate of adults drinking excessively, it reported far fewer alcohol-impaired driving deaths over the same time at 680. Researchers determined that 28% of driving deaths in Oregon involved alcohol.
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Nationally, 27% of all driving deaths involved alcohol, according to the County Health Rankings.
“When consumed in excess, alcohol is harmful to the health and well-being of those that drink as well as their families, friends, and communities,” researchers noted.
A recent study published in the Journal of American Medicine found that more Americans are dying from alcohol-related deaths, especially women. Between 2018 and 2020, researchers say CDC shows mortality rates among men increased by 12.5%, Nexstar’s WPIX reports. Among women, that rate was almost 15%.
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