Historians agree that bars in Massachusetts are about as old as the state itself. Early settlers wasted no time setting up local taverns before schoolhouses in some cases.

In fact, Massachusetts is home to what are believed to be the oldest bars in the United States like the Green Dragon Tavern which dates back to 1654, or Warren Tavern in Charlestown which was the first building to be erected in Charlestown after the British burned the whole town during the Battle of Bunker Hill in June of 1775.

In 2019, Massachusetts was home to 828 bars and 1,645 beer, wine, and liquor stores. That's a lot of drunk people. And don't forget to add in the 114 colleges and beer-guzzling Boston sports fans.

As far as how much alcohol Massachusetts consumes compared to the rest of the 50 states, we're basically right in the middle. In VinePair's recent ranking of how much alcohol each state drinks, Massachusetts came in at number 21.

While a high tolerance for alcohol is sometimes viewed as a badge of honor in certain cultures, the Food and Drug Administration reports about 60% of men and 51% of women drink regularly. At the same time, 19% of adults in the U.S. report regularly consuming unhealthy amounts of alcohol. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines "Binge Drinking" as four or more drinks on a single occasion for women and five or more for men. "Heavy Drinking" is defined as at least eight drinks per week for women and 15 for men.

What City in Massachusetts Consumes the Most Alcohol?

The capital city of Boston spends the 4th highest amount of money on alcohol out of all 50 states. According to 24/7 Wall Street, the average Massachusetts resident spends $823. That's compared to $1,746 on gasoline and $344 on tobacco products.

Boston was the only East Coast city the crack the top five. Number five was Anchorage, Alaska, number three was San Francisco, California, number two was Seattle, Washington, and coming in at number one was San Diego, California.

 

What Are the Signature Drinks From Every State?

 

 

More From WUPE