Alcohol Use in the United States: Age Groups and Demographic Characteristics

Updated: 2023

Prevalence of Lifetime Drinking

People Ages 12 and Older

According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 219.2 million people ages 12 and older (78.3% in this age group) reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime.1,2 This includes:

  • 109.1 million males ages 12 and older (79.8% in this age group)1,2  
  • 110.0 million females ages 12 and older (76.9% in this age group)1,2  
  • 144.0 million White people ages 12 and older (84.2% in this age group)1,2  
  • 23.8 million Black or African American people ages 12 and older (69.4% in this age group)1,2
  • 1.4 million American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 and older (79.6% in this age group)1,2
  • 10.0 million Asian people ages 12 and older (60.9% in this age group)1,2
  • 4.1 million people of two or more races ages 12 and older (75.8% in this age group)1,2
  • 35.2 million Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 and older (70.6% in this age group)1,2
  • Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 and older were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.1,2

Youth Ages 12 to 17

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 6.0 million youth ages 12 to 17 (22.9% in this age group) reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime.1,2 This includes:

  • 2.7 million boys ages 12 to 17 (20.1% in this age group)1,2
  • 3.3 million girls ages 12 to 17 (25.8% in this age group)1,2
  • 3.3 million White youth ages 12 to 17 (25.2% in this age group)1,2
  • 514,000 Black or African American youth ages 12 to 17 (14.5% in this age group)1,2
  • 140,000 Asian youth ages 12 to 17 (9.6% in this age group)1,2
  • 191,000 youth of two or more races ages 12 to 17 (20.9% in this age group)1,2
  • 1.7 million Hispanic or Latino youth ages 12 to 17 (25.5% in this age group)1,2
  • Estimates for American Indian or Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander youth ages 12 to 17 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.1,2
Alcohol use in the United States. In 2021, 84.0% of people ages 18 and older reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime. Source: 2021 NSDUH. Learn more at RethinkingDrinking.niaaa.nih.gov.

Adults Ages 18 and Older

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 213.2 million adults ages 18 and older (84.0% in this age group) reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime.1,2 This includes:

  • 106.5 million men ages 18 and older (86.2% in this age group)1,2
  • 106.7 million women ages 18 and older (81.9% in this age group)1,2
  • 140.7 million White adults ages 18 and older (89.1% in this age group)1,2
  • 23.3 million Black or African American adults ages 18 and older (75.7% in this age group)1,2
  • 1.4 million American Indian or Alaska Native adults ages 18 and older (84.7% in this age group)1,2
  • 9.9 million Asian adults ages 18 and older (65.8% in this age group)1,2
  • 3.9 million adults of two or more races ages 18 and older (87.1% in this age group)1,2
  • 33.5 million Hispanic or Latino adults ages 18 and older (77.6% in this age group)1,2
  • Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults ages 18 and older were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.1,2

Prevalence of Past-Year Drinking

People Ages 12 and Older

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 174.3 million people ages 12 and older (62.3% in this age group) reported that they drank in the past year.3,4 This includes:

  • 87.2 million males ages 12 and older (63.8% in this age group)3,4
  • 87.2 million females ages 12 and older (60.9% in this age group)3,4
  • 114.5 million White people ages 12 and older (66.9% in this age group)3,4
  • 19.1 million Black or African American people ages 12 and older (55.8% in this age group)3,4
  • 1.0 million American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 and older (56.5% in this age group)3,4
  • 7.5 million Asian people ages 12 and older (45.4% in this age group)3,4
  • 3.3 million people of two or more races ages 12 and older (61.1% in this age group)3,4
  • 28.5 million Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 and older (57.2% in this age group)3,4
  • Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 and older were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.3,4

Youth Ages 12 to 17

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 4.6 million youth ages 12 to 17 (17.8% in this age group) reported that they drank in the past year.3,4 This includes:

  • 2.0 million boys ages 12 to 17 (15.0% in this age group)3,4
  • 2.6 million girls ages 12 to 17 (20.6% in this age group)3,4
  • 2.6 million White youth ages 12 to 17 (19.9% in this age group)3,4
  • 349,000 Black or African American youth ages 12 to 17 (9.9% in this age group)3,4
  • 91,000 Asian youth ages 12 to 17 (6.2% in this age group)3,4
  • 150,000 youth of two or more races ages 12 to 17 (16.3% in this age group)3,4
  • 1.3 million Hispanic or Latino youth ages 12 to 17 (19.9% in this age group)3,4
  • Estimates for American Indian or Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander youth ages 12 to 17 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.3,4

Adults Ages 18 and Older

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 169.7 million adults ages 18 and older (66.9% in this age group) reported that they drank in the past year.3,4 This includes:

  • 85.2 million men ages 18 and older (69.0% in this age group)3,4
  • 84.5 million women ages 18 and older (64.8% in this age group)3,4
  • 111.9 million White adults ages 18 and older (70.8% in this age group)3,4
  • 18.8 million Black or African American adults ages 18 and older (61.1% in this age group)3,4
  • 981,000 American Indian or Alaska Native adults ages 18 and older (60.5% in this age group)3,4
  • 7.4 million Asian adults ages 18 and older (49.2% in this age group)3,4
  • 3.1 million adults of two or more races ages 18 and older (70.3% in this age group)3,4
  • 27.2 million Hispanic or Latino adults ages 18 and older (62.9% in this age group)3,4
  • Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults ages 18 and older were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.3,4

Prevalence of Past-Month Drinking

People Ages 12 and Older

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 133.1 million people ages 12 and older (47.5% in this age group) reported that they drank in the past month.5,6 This includes:

  • 68.7 million males ages 12 and older (50.2% in this age group)5,6
  • 64.4 million females ages 12 and older (45.0% in this age group)5,6
  • 89.4 million White people ages 12 and older (52.2% in this age group)5,6
  • 14.3 million Black or African American people ages 12 and older (41.6% in this age group)5,6
  • 674,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 and older (37.6% in this age group)5,6
  • 318,000 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 and older (31.0% in this age group)5,6
  • 5.3 million Asian people ages 12 and older (32.0% in this age group)5,6
  • 2.3 million people of two or more races ages 12 and older (43.2% in this age group)5,6
  • 20.8 million Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 and older (41.9% in this age group)5,6

Youth Ages 12 to 17

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 1.8 million youth ages 12 to 17 (7.0% in this age group) reported that they drank in the past month.5,6 This includes:

  • 767,000 boys ages 12 to 17 (5.8% in this age group)5,6
  • 1.1 million girls ages 12 to 17 (8.3% in this age group)5,6
  • 1.1 million White youth ages 12 to 17 (8.4% in this age group)5,6
  • 92,000 Black or African American youth ages 12 to 17 (2.6% in this age group)5,6
  • 40,000 Asian youth ages 12 to 17 (2.8% in this age group)5,6
  • 57,000 youth of two or more races ages 12 to 17 (6.2% in this age group)5,6
  • 502,000 Hispanic or Latino youth ages 12 to 17 (7.6% in this age group)5,6
  • Estimates for American Indian or Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander youth ages 12 to 17 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.5,6

Adults Ages 18 and Older

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 131.2 million adults ages 18 and older (51.7% in this age group) reported that they drank in the past month.5,6 This includes:

  • 67.9 million men ages 18 and older (55.0% in this age group)5,6
  • 63.3 million women ages 18 and older (48.6% in this age group)5,6
  • 88.3 million White adults ages 18 and older (55.9% in this age group)5,6
  • 14.2 million Black or African American adults ages 18 and older (46.1% in this age group)5,6
  • 662,000 American Indian or Alaska Native adults ages 18 and older (40.8% in this age group)5,6
  • 5.2 million Asian adults ages 18 and older (34.8% in this age group)5,6
  • 2.3 million adults of two or more races ages 18 and older (50.8% in this age group)5,6
  • 20.3 million Hispanic or Latino adults ages 18 and older (47.2% in this age group)5,6
  • Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults ages 18 and older were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.5,6

Prevalence of Past-Month Binge Drinking

People Ages 12 and Older

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 60.0 million people ages 12 and older (21.5% in this age group) reported binge drinking in the past month (see glossary for definition of binge drinking).7,8 This includes:

  • 32.2 million males ages 12 and older (23.5% in this age group)7,8
  • 27.9 million females ages 12 and older (19.5% in this age group)7,8
  • 37.5 million White people ages 12 and older (21.9% in this age group)7,8
  • 7.4 million Black or African American people ages 12 and older (21.6% in this age group)7,8
  • 381,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 and older (21.2% in this age group)7,8
  • 1.8 million Asian people ages 12 and older (10.7% in this age group)7,8
  • 1.4 million people of two or more races ages 12 and older (26.2% in this age group)7,8
  • 11.4 million Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 and older (22.9% in this age group)7,8
  • Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 and older were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.7,8

Youth Ages 12 to 17

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 995,000 youth ages 12 to 17 (3.8% in this age group) reported binge drinking in the past month (see glossary for definition of binge drinking).7,8 This includes:

  • 401,000 boys ages 12 to 17 (3.0% in this age group)7,8
  • 594,000 girls ages 12 to 17 (4.7% in this age group)7,8
  • 602,000 White youth ages 12 to 17 (4.6% in this age group)7,8
  • 46,000 Black or African American youth ages 12 to 17 (1.3% in this age group)7,8
  • 13,000 Asian youth ages 12 to 17 (0.9% in this age group)7,8
  • 28,000 youth of two or more races ages 12 to 17 (3.1% in this age group)7,8
  • 280,000 Hispanic or Latino youth ages 12 to 17 (4.2% in this age group)7,8
  • Estimates for American Indian or Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander youth ages 12 to 17 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.7,8
Binge drinking in the United States. In 2021, 23.3% of people ages 18 and older reported that they engaged in binge drinking in the past month. Source: 2021 NSDUH. Learn more at RethinkingDrinking.niaaa.nih.gov.

Adults Ages 18 and Older

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 59.0 million adults ages 18 and older (23.3% in this age group) reported binge drinking in the past month (see glossary for definition of binge drinking).7,8 This includes:

  • 31.8 million men ages 18 and older (25.7% in this age group)7,8
  • 27.3 million women ages 18 and older (20.9% in this age group)7,8
  • 36.9 million White adults ages 18 and older (23.3% in this age group)7,8
  • 7.4 million Black or African American adults ages 18 and older (23.9% in this age group)7,8
  • 370,000 American Indian or Alaska Native adults ages 18 and older (22.8% in this age group)7,8
  • 1.7 million Asian adults ages 18 and older (11.6% in this age group)7,8
  • 1.4 million adults of two or more races ages 18 and older (30.9% in this age group)7,8
  • 11.1 million Hispanic or Latino adults ages 18 and older (25.8% in this age group)7,8
  • Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults ages 18 and older were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.7,8

Prevalence of Past-Month Heavy Alcohol Use

People Ages 12 and Older

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 16.3 million people ages 12 and older (5.8% in this age group) reported heavy alcohol use in the past month (see glossary for definition of heavy alcohol use).9,10 This includes:

  • 10.0 million males ages 12 and older (7.3% in this age group)9,10
  • 6.4 million females ages 12 and older (4.4% in this age group)9,10
  • 11.4 million White people ages 12 and older (6.7% in this age group)9,10
  • 1.8 million Black or African American people ages 12 and older (5.2% in this age group)9,10
  • 129,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 and older (7.2% in this age group)9,10
  • 57,000 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 and older (5.6% in this age group)9,10
  • 318,000 Asian people ages 12 and older (1.9% in this age group)9,10
  • 305,000 people of two or more races ages 12 and older (5.7% in this age group)9,10
  • 2.3 million Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 and older (4.7% in this age group)9,10

Youth Ages 12 to 17

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 103,000 youth ages 12 to 17 (0.4% in this age group) reported heavy alcohol use in the past month (see glossary for definition of heavy alcohol use).9,10 This includes:

  • 60,000 boys ages 12 to 17 (0.5% in this age group)9,10
  • 43,000 girls ages 12 to 17 (0.3% in this age group)9,10
  • 51,000 White youth ages 12 to 17 (0.4% in this age group)9,10
  • 2,000 Black or African American youth ages 12 to 17 (0.1% in this age group)9,10
  • 5,000 youth of two or more races ages 12 to 17 (0.5% in this age group)9,10
  • 45,000 Hispanic or Latino youth ages 12 to 17 (0.7% in this age group)9,10
  • Estimates for American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and Asian youth ages 12 to 17 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.9,10

Adults Ages 18 and Older

According to the 2021 NSDUH, 16.2 million adults ages 18 and older (6.4% in this age group) reported heavy alcohol use in the past month (see glossary for definition of heavy alcohol use).9,10 This includes:

  • 9.9 million men ages 18 and older (8.0% in this age group)9,10
  • 6.3 million women ages 18 and older (4.8% in this age group)9,10
  • 11.3 million White adults ages 18 and older (7.2% in this age group)9,10
  • 1.8 million Black or African American adults ages 18 and older (5.8% in this age group)9,10
  • 129,000 American Indian or Alaska Native adults ages 18 and older (8.0% in this age group)9,10
  • 57,000 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander adults ages 18 and older (6.5% in this age group)9,10
  • 318,000 Asian adults ages 18 and older (2.1% in this age group)9,10
  • 300,000 adults of two or more races ages 18 and older (6.7% in this age group)9,10
  • 2.3 million Hispanic or Latino adults ages 18 and older (5.3% in this age group)9,10

Emerging Trend—High-Intensity Drinking

High-intensity drinking is defined as consuming alcohol at levels that are two or more times the gender-specific binge drinking thresholds (see glossary for additional details about the definition of high-intensity drinking). Compared with people who did not binge drink, people who drank alcohol at twice the gender-specific binge drinking thresholds were 70 times more likely to have an alcohol-related emergency department visit, and those who consumed alcohol at three times the gender-specific binge thresholds were 93 times more likely to have an alcohol-related emergency department visit.11

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), caution should be used when comparing estimates from the 2020 and 2021 NSDUH to those from prior years due to methodological changes. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, data for NSDUH were collected during in-home visits, using computer-assisted techniques. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a delay in data collection during 2020 and the introduction of web-based data collection, with very limited in-person data collection. Because these changes in data collection coincided with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and any related behavioral or mental health changes, we cannot fully separate the effects of methodological changes from true changes in the outcomes. Please see the Methodological Summary and Definitions [PDF – 4 MB] for more information.

References

  1. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.25A—Alcohol use in lifetime: among people aged 12 or older; by age group and demographic characteristics, numbers in thousands, 2021. [cited 2023 Jan 11]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt39441/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetTabsSect2pe2021.htm#tab2.25a
  2. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.25B—Alcohol use in lifetime: among people aged 12 or older; by age group and demographic characteristics, percentages, 2021. [cited 2023 Jan 11]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt39441/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetTabsSect2pe2021.htm#tab2.25b
  3. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.26A—Alcohol use in past year: among people aged 12 or older; by age group and demographic characteristics, numbers in thousands, 2021. [cited 2023 Jan 11]. Available from:  https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt39441/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetTabsSect2pe2021.htm#tab2.26a
  4. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.26B—Alcohol use in past year: among people aged 12 or older; by age group and demographic characteristics, percentages, 2021. [cited 2023 Jan 11]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt39441/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetTabsSect2pe2021.htm#tab2.26b
  5. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.27A—Alcohol use in past month: among people aged 12 or older; by age group and demographic characteristics, numbers in thousands, 2021. [cited 2023 Jan 11]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt39441/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetTabsSect2pe2021.htm#tab2.27a
  6. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.27B—Alcohol use in past month: among people aged 12 or older; by age group and demographic characteristics, percentages, 2021. [cited 2023 Jan 11]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt39441/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetTabsSect2pe2021.htm#tab2.27b
  7. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.28A—Binge alcohol use in past month: among people aged 12 or older; by age group and demographic characteristics, numbers in thousands, 2021. [cited 2023 Jan 11]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt39441/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetTabsSect2pe2021.htm#tab2.28a
  8. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.28B—Binge alcohol use in past month: among people aged 12 or older; by age group and demographic characteristics, percentages, 2021. [cited 2023 Jan 11]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt39441/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetTabsSect2pe2021.htm#tab2.28b
  9. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.29A—Heavy alcohol use in past month: among people aged 12 or older; by age group and demographic characteristics, numbers in thousands, 2021. [cited 2023 Jan 11]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt39441/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetTabsSect2pe2021.htm#tab2.29a
  10. SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Table 2.29B—Heavy alcohol use in past month: among people aged 12 or older; by age group and demographic characteristics, percentages, 2021. [cited 2023 Jan 11]. Available from: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt39441/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetailedTabs2021/NSDUHDetTabsSect2pe2021.htm#tab2.29b
  11. Hingson RW, Zha W, White AM. Drinking beyond the binge threshold: predictors, consequences, and changes in the U.S. Am J Prev Med. 2017;52(6):717-27. PubMed PMID: 28526355
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