These states are drinking less alcohol as habits shift, analysis finds

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As the so-called "sober-curious" movement continues to spread across the country, habits around alcohol consumption are shifting. 

Several polls in recent years have found that younger adults are becoming more likely to turn away from alcohol, and one 2025 Gallup poll suggests it’s because they say moderate drinking is bad for their health.  

Other reasons could include financial, religious or personal. But whatever the reason – habits are shifting. 

Here is a look at which states are seeing the biggest decline in alcohol consumption in a new analysis from Trace One, a software provider specializing in the food & beverage industry.

Which states are drinking less alcohol? 

Dig deeper:

Over the years, clear regional patterns were hard to spot as far as which states were drinking less alcohol, Trace One noted, but found significant declines did occur across the country. 

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By the numbers:

Here were the states that showed the biggest decline in alcohol use: 

• Massachusetts: Down 13.3 percentage points from its peak in 2013
• Arizona: Down 12.8 percentage points from its peak in 2005 
• Maryland: Down 11.1 percentage points from its peak in 2015
• Wisconsin: Down 10.6 percentage points from its peak in 2005
• Connecticut: Down 10.2 percentage points from its peak in 2018

Of note:

Trace One did say one pattern stood out among the data – that Southeastern states tend to drink less overall, yet are more likely to show no statistically significant change from their peak years. 

Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia all report stable rates, indicating that alcohol consumption in much of the region has held steady even as other parts of the country have experienced notable declines, Trace One said. 

FILE - A bartender preparing drinks on a bar top. (Photo by Maansi Srivastava for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Big picture view:

The analysis found alcohol use is generally more prevalent in the northern half of the United States than the South. 

What they're saying:

Trace One said this is because of cultural, historical and demographic differences. "Northern states tend to have stronger traditions of beer and spirits consumption, higher rates of social drinking, and, in some cases, fewer cultural or religious influences discouraging alcohol use," Trace One said. 

Methodology:

Trace One based this analysis on data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) State Estimates on the share of adults who reported when the surveys were taken about alcohol use in the past month.