Two Iowa Cities Made the List of Drunkest Cities in America

The annual list of the drunkest cities in America is officially here, and the Midwest pretty much dominates the top 20.

According to 24/7 Wall Street's updated list of the drunkest cities in the U.S., Midwest states make up over half of the top 20 spots. In fact, four out the top five drunkest cities in America are located in Wisconsin! The top 5 are:

1. Appleton, Wisconsin
2. Oshkosh/Neenah, Wisconsin
3. Green Bay, Wisconsin
4. Madison, Wisconsin
5. Fargo, North Dakota

Although we didn't have as many drunk cities as Wisconsin, Iowa definitely wasn't safe from the list. Two cities in Iowa ranked in the top 20 again, and both of them are college towns:

• #8 - Ames, Iowa
• #19 - Iowa City, Iowa

The main point of data used to determine the list is the percentage of adults drinking to excess, which includes binge drinking and heavy drinking. But, while that does lead to riskier behavior, it doesn't necessarily mean it leads to bad health. The article states:

"Many of the cities with a relatively high share of binge and heavy drinkers actually rank better than most U.S. cities in certain health measures, reporting less frequent physically and mentally unhealthy days and lower premature death rates. This is likely because cities with the highest binge drinking rates also tend to have higher incomes, higher insurance coverage rates, more physically active populations, and lower smoking rates than the cities with the lowest binge drinking rates, which may help to offset or mitigate the harms from alcohol abuse."

Read more details about the study and see the rest of the drunkest and driest cities in America HERE.