Revealed: America’s Most Hungover States

If we’re being honest, most of us have probably had a bit too much to drink over the holidays which can lead to waking up with a real hangover. After all, it’s easy to become swept up in all the socialization as well as the great food and drink. In fact, previous research by Morning Recovery found that the average American will drink 100% more once the holiday season arrives.

Since we’ve past Thanksgiving and are nearing Christmas, we’ve gone ahead and taken a beat from Kentucky sports betting and ranked all 50 US states based on various factors to see which are the most and least likely to suffer from a holiday hangover after all the celebrations. 

Just keep on reading to see where your home state ranks, and if you agree or not!

The Five Most Hungover States

With an overall hangover index score of 63.6, North Dakota is revealed to be the state most likely to be suffering from a hangover after the holiday celebrations. It’s probably no surprise to hear that this is perhaps down to the sheer number of locations selling alcohol in the state. Out of the entire index comprised of all 50 states, North Dakota ranks top for the number of beer, wine, and liquor stores, as well as second for bars.

In second is Montana which scored 56.8 in our index. A couple of reasons why Montana is amongst our most hungover states is due to boasting the highest number of bars and having the third highest alcohol consumption. Understandably, this has then led to people from Montana then searching for hangover remedies with the state ranking fifth for Google Trends data.

A neighboring state of the top two, South Dakota manages to secure the third spot with a score of 56.4. Whether you’re planning on going out or just want to pick up some bottles yourself, it’s clear that you won’t have a problem finding alcohol in this state. Delving further into the data, South Dakota ranks ahead of its northern counterpart in second for the number of beer, wine, and liquor stores and only slightly behind in fourth for bars. 

Vermont scores an impressive 51.6, which means it takes the fourth spot in our top five hungover states. As the state boasting the most breweries, wineries, and distilleries and ranking second for overall alcohol consumption, it makes sense to see it score so highly in our research.

Rounding out the top five most hungover states is New Hampshire, which achieved a score of 50.5 in our index. Perhaps most interestingly, the Granite State did rank highest for alcohol consumption. However, the fact that it actually ranked the lowest of all 50 states for number of bars did end up bringing its total index score down.

The Five Least Hungover States

At the other end of the index and revealed to be the least hungover state is Alabama scoring just 13.7. The fact that the state ranks third lowest for Google Trends data related to hangover remedies only further proves the idea that not many residents from Alabama will be waking up with a holiday hangover. 

Just missing out on claiming the bottom spot is Maryland with a score of 14.5. When you consider the fact that the state ranks second lowest for alcohol consumption and has the second lowest amount of binge drinkers, there’s a clear reason why holiday hangovers probably don’t happen often in Maryland.  

Up next in third is Utah due to a score of 16.2. Most notably, Utah does have the lowest alcohol consumption of all the states in the index, but the number of bars and stores selling alcohol ends up leading to a higher score.

Virginia finds itself in fourth after scoring 17 in our index. This is likely down to the state ranking the lowest for Google Trends data about hangover remedies which does imply that waking up with a hangover after celebrating the holidays might not be all that common.  

Last but not least, Kentucky manages to secure its place in our five least hungover states thanks to a score of 17.4. Whilst the state doesn’t rank in the bottom five for any of the various factors, its low rankings across the board still led to a particularly low score.

So, there you have it – the most and least likely states to be left with a holiday hangover this Thanksgiving and Christmas season. No matter where your state ranked in our index, it’s always best to watch how much alcohol you’re drinking, especially because symptoms may last a while.  

Methodology

This ranking shows America’s most hungover states. To create this, BetKentucky.com considered six equally weighted metrics.

These included:

  • "Hangover/Hungover" Remedies (Google Trends)
    • A 1-100 scale which represents overall interest in the search term based on geography and time range.
    •  
  • Percentage of Population Who Admitted to Binge Drinking 
    • The percentage people who said they had binge drunk in the last month (men having drunk 5 or more drinks on a single occasion, and for women as having had 4 or more drinks on a single occasion), as per CDC.gov.
    •  
  • Number of Bars (Per 100,000 people)
    • The number of drinking places primarily dedicated to serving alcohol in each state, as per Census Bureau
    •  
  • Number of Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores (Per 100,000 people)
    • The number of retail stores selling alcoholic beverages, as per Census Bureau
    •  
  • Breweries, Wineries, and Distilleries (Per 100,000 People)
    • The number of breweries, wineries, and distilleries in the state, as per Census Bureau
    •  
  • Alcohol Consumption in Gallons (Per Capita)
    • The amount of alcohol consumed in a state per capita, as per NIAAA

To create the index, the above metrics were considered, all of which were weighted equally and adjusted for populations. The final score was then given out of 100. And the higher the number, the more hungover the state.

Author

The BetKentucky.com Staff is comprised of seasoned sports betting experts, writers, analysts, and editors. Our content is based on experience, data, and analytical insights to provide the best reviews of sports betting apps in Kentucky.

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