Community Data
Binge Drinking
Quick Facts – Adults:
- 1 in 6 adults in the US binge drinks.
- Of adults in the US who binge drink, about 25% report binge drinking at least once per week.
- Binge drinking is most common among adults between the ages of 18 and 34 and twice as common among men than among women.
- In the United States alone, about 2,300 people die every year from alcohol poisoning related to binge drinking.
- Binge drinking cost the United States about $191 billion in 2010 for lost productivity, health care costs, and criminal justice costs.
- Almost all adults (90%) who report drinking alcohol heavily also binge drink.



What is Binge Drinking?
Binge drinking is another term for excessive alcohol use. It is a common and deadly health problem in the United States. For men, binge drinking is defined as having 5 or more drinks on one occasion, and for women, it is having 4 or more drinks on one occasion. Binge drinking has been associated with health problems including:
- Unintentional injuries from car accidents, falls, and alcohol poisoning
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
- Chronic diseases like high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease
- Cancer
Binge Drinking in Our Community
Darker colors on the maps indicate worse outcomes.
In 2018, 17.7% of Taylor County residents reported binge drinking. That’s approximately 1 in 6 residents. In 2019, the rate of binge drinking in Taylor County increased slightly to 18.1%, which is 1 in 5.5 residents. The Taylor County zip code with the highest rate of binge drinking was 79607. In this zip code, 29% of residents, or about 1 in 3.5 residents, reported binge drinking. The zip code in Taylor County with the lowest rate of binge drinking was 79566 with only 14.9% of residents reporting binge drinking.
Data value category ranges: 25.2 – 29.5 | 29.6 – 33.9 | 34.0 – 38.3 | 38.4 – 42.7 | 42.8 – 47.3
Click for Data Sources
- National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Population Health. (2022, January 6). Binge Drinking. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed May 26, 2022 from https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drinking.htm
- National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Population Health. (2022, January 6). Data on Excessive Drinking. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed May 26, 2022 from https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/data-stats.htm
- CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Population Health. PLACES: County Data (GIS Friendly), 2021 release. https://chronicdata.cdc.gov/500-Cities-Places/PLACES-County-Data-GIS-Friendly-Format-2021-releas/i46a-9kgh
- CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Population Health. PLACES: County Data (GIS Friendly), 2020 release. https://chronicdata.cdc.gov/500-Cities-Places/PLACES-County-Data-GIS-Friendly-Format-2020-releas/mssc-ksj7
- CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Population Health. PLACES: ZCTA Data (GIS Friendly), 2021 release. https://chronicdata.cdc.gov/500-Cities-Places/PLACES-ZCTA-Data-GIS-Friendly-Format-2021-release/kee5-23sr