This is The Drunkest City in Massachusetts

Historians agree that bars in Massachusetts are about as old as the state itself. Early settlers wasted no time setting up local taverns before schoolhouses in some cases.

In fact, Massachusetts is home to what are believed to be the oldest bars in the United States like the Green Dragon Tavern which dates back to 1654, or Warren Tavern in Charlestown which was the first building to be erected in Charlestown after the British burned the whole town during the Battle of Bunker Hill in June of 1775.

At the beginning of 2024, Massachusetts was home to 828 bars and 1,645 beer, wine, and liquor stores. That's a lot of drunk people. And don't forget to add in the 114 colleges and beer-guzzling Boston sports fans.

As far as how much alcohol Massachusetts consumes compared to the rest of the 50 states, we're basically right in the middle. In VinePair's recent ranking of how much alcohol each state drinks, Massachusetts came in at number 21.

While a high tolerance for alcohol is sometimes viewed as a badge of honor in certain cultures, the Food and Drug Administration reports about 60% of men and 51% of women drink regularly. At the same time, 19% of adults in the U.S. report regularly consuming unhealthy amounts of alcohol. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines "Binge Drinking" as four or more drinks on a single occasion for women and five or more for men. "Heavy Drinking" is defined as at least eight drinks per week for women and 15 for men.

Recently, 24/7 Wall St took a look a the drunkest city in each state. To compile a list of the drunkest places in every state, the website reviewed the percentage of men and women over 18 who reported heavy or binge drinking in each state’s metropolitan areas, and then singled out the city or metropolitan area with the highest rate.

What City in Massachusetts is the Drunkest?

According to 24/7 Wall Street, statistics show that Barnstable Town was is drunkest metro area in Massachusetts. In other words, Barnstable is home to most adults who drink excessively. The population of the metro area is 232,457 residents, according to their research, 24.2% of them drink to excess.

Their research also showed that the average Massachusetts resident spends $823. That's compared to $1,746 on gasoline and $344 on tobacco products.