10 states where people with money binge drink

Finnish researchers, for example, found when they followed twins for 25 years, until the twins were 65 years old or older, that study participants who admitted to binge drinking during the first round of surveys were three times more likely to be suffering dementia at the end of the study period than other participants. Participants who said early on that they had passed out at least twice in the past year due to heavy drinking were 10 times more likely to end up suffering from dementia as the other study participants.

While many types of health problems afflict lower-income people more often than higher-income people, the opposite is true of binge drinking.

In 2014, 16 percent of U.S. adults reported engaging in binge drinking in the 30 days before being surveyed. The prevalence of binge drinking was just 9.7 percent for people with less than $15,000 in annual household income; 11.6 percent for people in the middle, $25,000-$34,999 category; and and 15.1 percent for people in the $50,000-and-over category.

We used the BRFSS data to come up with state-level prevalence data for people in the $50,000-and-over income category.

For a look at the 10 states and territories with what appear to be the worst binge drinking problems, and a table that shows the binge drinking prevalence for all states and territories, read on.

10. Illinois

Binge drinking prevalence: 22.8%

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9. Montana

Binge drinking prevalence: 22.8%

See also: 12 best cities for successful aging: 2014

8. Michigan

Binge drinking prevalence: 22.9%

See also: Analyst: Mental parity hard to enforce

7. Minnesota

Binge drinking prevalence: 23.0%

See also: 7.6% of pregnant women drink (Atlantic)

6. Guam

Binge drinking prevalence: 23.2%

See also: HHS exempts territories from many PPACA rules

5. Iowa

Binge drinking prevalence: 25.1%

See also: Study: Seniors may be drinking too much

4. Nebraska

Binge drinking prevalence: 25.3%

See also: Plastered

3. Wisconsin

Binge drinking prevalence: 25.7%

See also: New rule implements MHPAEA

2. North Dakota

Binge drinking prevalence: 26.2%

See also: Billions drained from economy by drinking

1. District of Columbia

Binge drinking prevalence: 31.1%

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Binge drinking

Here's a table showing the prevalence, for all 50 U.S. states and comparable jurisdictions, for BRFSS survey participants with $50,000 or more in annual household income.

See also:

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Fired Oregon officer: Alcoholism was a disability

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