The Drunkest Cities

By Denny Watkins

New Year's Day 1916 was rough for Colorado residents looking for a little hair of the dog. On that Saturday, the state stopped all liquor sales, predating Prohibition by 4 years. Today, Colorado once again leads the nation in its attitude toward alcohol--but now, the mandate seems to be "drink till you drop." In our second ranking of urban inebriation, Aurora comes in 82nd, Colorado Springs finishes 98th, and, once again, Denver is Most Dangerously Drunk.

We looked at annual death rates due to alcoholic liver disease, as well as who's headed there by regularly downing five or more drinks in a sitting (CDC). Next, we factored in drunk-driving arrests (FBI) and the percentage of fatal accidents involving intoxicated motorists (U.S. Department of Transportation). Then, after tallying the MADD report card of state efforts to cut down on excessive drinking, we had our ranking and, for the state of Colorado, an invitation to AA.

Most Dangerously Drunk

100       Denver, CO                    F
99         Anchorage, AK              F
98         Colorado Springs, CO     F
97         Omaha, NE                   F
96         Fargo, ND                     F
95         San Antonio, TX             F
94         Austin, TX                     F
93         Fresno, CA                    F
92         Lubbock, TX                  F
91         Milwaukee, WI               F
90         El Paso, TX                   F
89         Spokane, WA                F
88         Washington, DC            F
87         Columbia, SC                F
86         St. Louis, MO                D-
85         Bakersfield, CA              D-
84         San Diego, CA               D
83         Cheyenne, WY              D
82         Aurora, CO                    D
81         Houston, TX                   D
80         Portland, OR                 D
79         Seattle, WA                  D
78         Boise, ID                       D
77         Tucson, AZ                    D+
76         Dallas, TX                      D+
75         Jacksonville, FL             D+
74         Toledo, OH                    D+
73         Madison, WI                  D+
72         Oakland, CA                  D+
71         Modesto, CA                 D+
70         Billings, MT                   D+
69         Fremont, CA                  D+
68         Oklahoma City, OK        D+
67         San Francisco, CA         D+
66         Sacramento, CA            D+
65         Los Angeles, CA            D+
64         Phoenix, AZ                  D+
63         Albuquerque, NM           D+
62         Chicago, IL                    D+
61         Providence, RI               D+
60         Fort Wayne, IN              C-
59         Manchester, NH             C-
58         Charleston, WV             C-
57         Burlington, VT                C-
56         Lincoln, NE                   C-
55         Corpus Christi, TX          C-
54         Des Moines, IA              C-
53         Indianapolis, IN              C-
52         Pittsburgh, PA               C-
51         Honolulu, HI                   C-
50         St. Paul, MN                 C
49         Tampa, FL                     C
48         Greensboro, NC            C
47         Las Vegas, NV              C
46         Baltimore, MD               C
45         Riverside, CA                 C
44         Norfolk, VA                    C
43         Detroit, MI                     C+
42         Arlington, TX                  C+
41         Grand Rapids, MI           C+
40         San Jose, CA                C+
39         St. Petersburg, FL         C+
38         Nashville, TN                 C+
37         Charlotte, NC                 C+
36         Wilmington, DE             C+
35         Orlando, FL                   C+
34         Minneapolis, MN            C+
33         Kansas City, MO           C+
32         Fort Worth, TX               C+
31         Tulsa, OK                      C+
30         Anaheim, CA                 B-
29         Wichita, KS                   B-
28         Lexington, KY                B-
27         Philadelphia, PA            B-
26         Montgomery, AL            B-
25         Rochester, NY               B-
24         Raleigh, NC                   B
23         Cincinnati, OH               B
22         Louisville, KY                 B
21         Bangor, ME                   B
20         Memphis, TN                 B
19         Boston, MA                   B
18         Hartford, CT                   B+
17         Sioux Falls, SD             B+
16         Birmingham, AL             B+
15         Baton Rouge, LA           B+
14         Columbus, OH               B+
13         Cleveland, OH                B+
12         Atlanta, GA                   B+
11         Newark, NJ                    B+