Michigan Might Be Surprised At The State’s Drunkest County

Recently, a list was made of America's drunkest and driest counties. Three of the top five counties for excessive drinking are in West Michigan.

Some States Drink More Excessively Than Others

Undoubtedly, Americans like to drink. The craft beer and distillery industry has been growing for years, giving Americans more places to grab a cold adult beverage.

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Our neighbors in Wisconsin have the most counties in America that drink excessively. Only one Wisconsin county isn't filled with heavy drinkers.

Utah is the driest of all the states in the U.S. Only 9% of the people who live in Utah are excessive drinkers.

Read More: 2 Michigan Cities Among the Most Obese in U.S.

Michigan Might Be Surprised At The State's Drunkest County

In late 2024, Brilliant Maps posted a map and story about America's drunkest and driest counties based on excessive drinking. The data used in creating the map was based on data from the CDC.

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What was surprising about this data was that three of the five top counties for excessive drinking were located in West Michigan. Even more surprising was the county that had the most excessive drinkers.

5 - Ionia County

Ionia County, Michigan, is rich in agricultural history and is most known for the Ionia Free Fair. The Ionia Free Fair is the world's largest fair with free admission. Maybe it's the loss of money for not charging for the Free Fair, or there's nothing else to do once the crops are planted, but 19.36% of Ionia County residents drink in excess.

4 - Kent County

Kent County is not a surprise because it's the home of Grand Rapid,s which is known as "Beer City USA." Grand Rapids is one of the first regions in the country where craft brewery's are everywhere. That being said, I'm surprised Kent County isn't the top county for excessive drinking since it has more places to get a drink. Kent County clocks in with 19.53% of its residents are excessive drinkers.

3 - Livingston County

Livingston County, Michigan, has a lots of outdoor parks, trails, lakes, and golf courses and apparently they like to drink a lot when enjoying these. I would have thought Oakland and Wayne counties would be higher since they are more populated but Livingston County has 19.94 or its residents that are excessive drinkers.

2 - Houghton County

Houghton County is in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and one thing I noticed about the map of the United States from Brilliant Maps is, colder climates seem to be where the most excessive drinking it taking place. That being said I thought more Upper Peninsula counties would be at the top of the list for excessive drinking in Michigan. Houghton County has 19,98 percent of its residents classified as excessive drinkers.

1 - Ottawa County

Ottawa County coming in at number one for the most excessive drinkers in Michigan is the most surprising of all. Ottawa County was Michigan's last county to allow alsohol sales. The town of Hudsonville didn't allow sales until late 2007. Maybe Ottawa County is catching up on its drinking because 20.09% of its residents are excessive drinkers.