Data about beer consumption in America is usually robust. According to beer news site, Beer Info, U.S. beer consumption by people 21 years or over totals 28.2 gallons per person per year. That is about a six-pack per week. Since not all Americans drink beer, the figures for those who do must be much higher on an annual basis — with many no doubt regularly imbibing some of America’s 30 oldest beers.
Consumption is usually high in the Plains States. North Dakota tops the list at 45.8 gallons per adult a year. Montana is third at 41 gallons and South Dakota is fourth at 38.9 gallons. At the far end of the spectrum is Utah, at 20.2 gallons. In addition, there are rankings of best and worst cities for beer lovers. The worst American city for beer lovers is San Bernardino, California.
Lawn Love has been able to break down the best and worst cities for beer lovers. This list delivers very different results than state consumption data does. It uses different metrics. Across America’s 180 largest cities, Lawn Love measured access to establishments where people drink beer. It also ranked what it calls “establishment quality,” a yardstick of consumer rankings. It looked at beer quality and costs. It listed its sources as BreweryDB, Eventbrite, Great American Beer Festival, Livability, Meetup, North American Brewers Association, World Beer Awards, and Yelp.
Each of the measurements was weighted to calculate an overall score for each of the 180 cities. The highest among them posted a score of 55.07. The lowest score was 14.46, for San Bernardino, California.
24/7 Tempo listed the 50 worst cities for beer lovers. The two largest states by population, California and Texas, dominate the worst 10 cities. California has two more cities among the worst 10: Fontana with a score of 21.01 and Bakersfield with a score of 21.02. In Texas, Plano has a score of 18.38 and Laredo a score of 19.05.Â
Virginia also has two cities among the worst 10 for beer lovers, Chesapeake, with a score of 20.55 and Virginia Beach with a score of 21.19. Rounding out the list, Columbus, Georgia, has a score of 17.07; Kansas City, Kansas, has a score of 17.8; and Scottsdale, Arizona has a score of 20.96.
Two geographic areas dominate the top of the list — the best cities for beer lovers. Among the Pacific Northwest states, Spokane, Washington, has a 55.07 score, the highest nationwide. Portland, Oregon, ranks second with a score of 53.41. Seattle ranks fourth with a score of 48.97. With that beer, you might want a burger — this is the best American city for burger lovers.
Click here to see the worst American city for beer lovers
Click here to read our detailed methodology
Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
> 50. Memphis, Tennessee
> Overall score: 27.98
> Drinking places: 5.2 per 100,000
> Total population: 651,932
[in-text-ad]
Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images
> 49. Fort Wayne, Indiana
> Overall score: 27.88
> Drinking places: 16.1 per 100,000
> Total population: 265,752
Source: Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images
> 48. Omaha, Nebraska
> Overall score: 27.77
> Drinking places: 32.8 per 100,000
> Total population: 475,862
Source: RoschetzkyIstockPhoto / iStock via Getty Images
> 47. Amarillo, Texas
> Overall score: 27.49
> Drinking places: 26.7 per 100,000
> Total population: 198,955
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: choness / iStock via Getty Images
> 46. Los Angeles, California
> Overall score: 27.33
> Drinking places: 7.8 per 100,000
> Total population: 4.0 million
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
> 45. Naperville, Illinois
> Overall score: 27.05
> Drinking places: 7.9 per 100,000
> Total population: 147,501
[in-text-ad]
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
> 44. Newark, New Jersey
> Overall score: 26.63
> Drinking places: 11.1 per 100,000
> Total population: 281,054
24/7 Wall St.
Source: DenisTangneyJr / E+ via Getty Images
> 43. Stockton, California
> Overall score: 26.60
> Drinking places: 6.6 per 100,000
> Total population: 309,228
Source: MattGush / iStock via Getty Images
> 42. Pomona, California
> Overall score: 26.48
> Drinking places: 7.8 per 100,000
> Total population: 152,209
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: ChrisBoswell / iStock via Getty Images
> 41. Clarksville, Tennessee
> Overall score: 26.47
> Drinking places: 6.0 per 100,000
> Total population: 152,934
Source: csfotoimages / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
> 40. Murfreesboro, Tennessee
> Overall score: 26.43
> Drinking places: 4.1 per 100,000
> Total population: 136,366
[in-text-ad]
Source: Kruck20 / iStock via Getty Images
> 39. Mobile, Alabama
> Overall score: 26.35
> Drinking places: 10.4 per 100,000
> Total population: 190,432
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Javier_Art_Photography / iStock via Getty Images
> 38. Pembroke Pines, Florida
> Overall score: 26.30
> Drinking places: 8.5 per 100,000
> Total population: 170,072
Source: PhilAugustavo / E+ via Getty Images
> 37. Bellevue, Washington
> Overall score: 26.23
> Drinking places: 15.8 per 100,000
> Total population: 144,403
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
> 36. Alexandria, Virginia
> Overall score: 26.15
> Drinking places: 3.2 per 100,000
> Total population: 157,613
Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images
> 35. San Jose, California
> Overall score: 26.15
> Drinking places: 7.1 per 100,000
> Total population: 1.0 million
[in-text-ad]
Source: DenisTangneyJr / E+ via Getty Images
> 34. Fresno, California
> Overall score: 25.94
> Drinking places: 6.4 per 100,000
> Total population: 525,010
Source: Stewart Sutton / Photodisc via Getty Images
> 33. Lancaster, California
> Overall score: 25.87
> Drinking places: 7.8 per 100,000
> Total population: 159,028
Source: Sundry Photography / iStock via Getty Images
> 32. Fremont, California
> Overall score: 25.85
> Drinking places: 9.8 per 100,000
> Total population: 235,740
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
> 31. Bridgeport, Connecticut
> Overall score: 25.69
> Drinking places: 6.1 per 100,000
> Total population: 145,639
Source: Cheri Alguire / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
> 30. Rockford, Illinois
> Overall score: 25.64
> Drinking places: 20.0 per 100,000
> Total population: 147,070
[in-text-ad]
Source: yenwen / Getty Images
> 29. Anchorage, Alaska
> Overall score: 25.58
> Drinking places: 11.6 per 100,000
> Total population: 293,531
24/7 Wall St.
Source: typhoonski / Getty Images
> 28. Irving, Texas
> Overall score: 25.07
> Drinking places: 9.4 per 100,000
> Total population: 239,783
Source: Kruck20 / iStock via Getty Images
> 27. Augusta, Georgia
> Overall score: 25.05
> Drinking places: 10.4 per 100,000
> Total population: 197,191
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Solidago / Getty Images
> 26. Salinas, California
> Overall score: 24.96
> Drinking places: 5.5 per 100,000
> Total population: 156,143
Source: By Pedro Xing - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22156313
> 25. Palmdale, California
> Overall score: 24.80
> Drinking places: 7.8 per 100,000
> Total population: 156,293
[in-text-ad]
Source: MCCAIG / E+ via Getty Images
> 24. Irvine, California
> Overall score: 24.29
> Drinking places: 7.7 per 100,000
> Total population: 273,157
24/7 Wall St.
Source: sanfel / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
> 23. Rancho Cucamonga, California
> Overall score: 24.13
> Drinking places: 4.1 per 100,000
> Total population: 176,379
Source: felixmizioznikov / iStock via Getty Images
> 22. Port St. Lucie, Florida
> Overall score: 23.99
> Drinking places: 6.1 per 100,000
> Total population: 189,396
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
> 21. Henderson, Nevada
> Overall score: 23.79
> Drinking places: 20.5 per 100,000
> Total population: 300,116
Source: Mshake / iStock via Getty Images
> 20. Toledo, Ohio
> Overall score: 23.65
> Drinking places: 21.6 per 100,000
> Total population: 276,614
[in-text-ad]
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
> 19. Modesto, California
> Overall score: 23.61
> Drinking places: 6.6 per 100,000
> Total population: 212,616
Source: DenisTangneyJr / E+ via Getty Images
> 18. Newport News, Virginia
> Overall score: 23.33
> Drinking places: 3.3 per 100,000
> Total population: 179,673
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
> 17. Fayetteville, North Carolina
> Overall score: 23.33
> Drinking places: 9.3 per 100,000
> Total population: 210,432
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
> 16. Montgomery, Alabama
> Overall score: 22.73
> Drinking places: 5.3 per 100,000
> Total population: 199,783
Source: traveler1116 / Getty Images
> 15. Jackson, Mississippi
> Overall score: 22.09
> Drinking places: 3.8 per 100,000
> Total population: 166,383
[in-text-ad]
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
> 14. Brownsville, Texas
> Overall score: 22.08
> Drinking places: 8.8 per 100,000
> Total population: 182,271
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
> 13. Mesa, Arizona
> Overall score: 22.00
> Drinking places: 7.9 per 100,000
> Total population: 499,720
Source: GCShutter / Getty Images
> 12. New York, New York
> Overall score: 22.00
> Drinking places: 13.6 per 100,000
> Total population: 8.4 million
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: MattGush / Getty Images
> 11. Riverside, California
> Overall score: 21.54
> Drinking places: 4.1 per 100,000
> Total population: 326,414
Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images
> 10. Virginia Beach, Virginia
> Overall score: 21.19
> Drinking places: 4.4 per 100,000
> Total population: 450,201
[in-text-ad]
Source: ChrisBoswell / iStock via Getty Images
> 9. Bakersfield, California
> Overall score: 21.02
> Drinking places: 6.1 per 100,000
> Total population: 377,917
Source: MattGush / iStock via Getty Images
> 8. Fontana, California
> Overall score: 21.01
> Drinking places: 4.1 per 100,000
> Total population: 210,759
Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
> 7. Scottsdale, Arizona
> Overall score: 20.96
> Drinking places: 7.9 per 100,000
> Total population: 250,602
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: kenlund / Flickr
> 6. Chesapeake, Virginia
> Overall score: 20.55
> Drinking places: 2.5 per 100,000
> Total population: 239,982
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
> 5. Laredo, Texas
> Overall score: 19.05
> Drinking places: 5.5 per 100,000
> Total population: 259,151
[in-text-ad]
Source: Gary Fink / iStock via Getty Images
> 4. Plano, Texas
> Overall score: 18.38
> Drinking places: 2.8 per 100,000
> Total population: 287,064
Source: TriggerPhoto / iStock via Getty Images
> 3. Kansas City, Kansas
> Overall score: 17.80
> Drinking places: 9.1 per 100,000
> Total population: 152,522
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images
> 2. Columbus, Georgia
> Overall score: 17.07
> Drinking places: 9.7 per 100,000
> Total population: 195,739
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Ron and Patty Thomas / E+ via Getty Images
> 1. San Bernardino, California
> Overall score: 14.46
> Drinking places: 4.1 per 100,000
> Total population: 216,089
To determine the 50 worst American cities for beer lovers, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data from lawn care company Lawn Love’s 2021 Best Cities for Beer Lovers. The 180 largest U.S. cities were ranked based on 21 measures assessing the access to, quality of, and cost of beer and beer establishments, as well as community. 24/7 Tempo added data on the number of drinking places in the city and surrounding county from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 County Business Patterns and was adjusted for population using five-year data from the Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.
Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With A Financial Advisor (Sponsored)
Take the quiz below to get matched with a financial advisor today.
Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.
Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the
advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future
Take the retirement quiz right here.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
