Explore national- and state-level data for hundreds of health, environmental and socioeconomic measures, including background information about each measure. Use features on this page to find measures; view subpopulations, trends and rankings; and download and share content.
Vermont Value:
Percentage of children ages 12-17 who reported drinking alcohol in the past month
Vermont Rank:
Appears In:
Percentage of children ages 12-17 who reported drinking alcohol in the past month
US Value: 8.8%
Top State(s): Utah: 6.6%
Bottom State(s): Montana: 11.8%
Definition: Percentage of children ages 12-17 who reported drinking alcohol in the past month
Data Source and Years(s): SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2019-2020
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.
Alcohol is the most commonly used substance among youth in the U.S. Each year, 3,900 youth under 21 die from excessive drinking. In 2014, more than 57,000 alcohol-related emergency department visits were among people ages 12-17. Other risks associated with underage drinking include:
Adolescence is a high-risk period for binge drinking. Most alcohol consumption among underage drinkers occurs in binge episodes (4 to 5 drinks per drinking episode). Binge drinking is linked to decreased cognitive functioning, specific to adolescents’ vulnerability to the effects of alcohol as well as alcohol poisoning and fatal accidents. Underage binge drinking also increases the risk of physical and sexual assault.
The economic cost of underage drinking was $24.3 billion in 2010.
The prevalence of alcohol use is higher among:
Strategies to prevent excessive drinking, including alcohol use among youth, include:
Parents have a strong influence on a child’s attitude toward alcohol. Communicating the dangers of alcohol with children, setting a good example and deglamorizing alcohol can help children make good decisions about alcohol. Parents should monitor the alcohol supply in their homes and ensure children can’t access it without permission.
The Community Guide provides additional evidence-based strategies to prevent and reduce excessive alcohol use among youth.
Healthy People 2030 has a goal to reduce the number of adolescents ages 12-17 who reported drinking alcohol in the past month.
Bitsko, Rebecca H., Angelika H. Claussen, Jesse Lichstein, Lindsey I. Black, Sherry Everett Jones, Melissa L. Danielson, Jennifer M. Hoenig, et al. 2022. “Mental Health Surveillance Among Children — United States, 2013–2019.” MMWR Supplements 71 (2): 1–42. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7102a1.
Jones, Christopher M., Heather B. Clayton, Nicholas P. Deputy, Douglas R. Roehler, Jean Y. Ko, Marissa B. Esser, Kathryn A. Brookmeyer, and Marci Feldman Hertz. 2020. “Prescription Opioid Misuse and Use of Alcohol and Other Substances Among High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2019.” MMWR Supplements 69 (1): 38–46. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su6901a5.
Lees, Briana, Lindsay R. Meredith, Anna E. Kirkland, Brittany E. Bryant, and Lindsay M. Squeglia. 2020. “Effect of Alcohol Use on the Adolescent Brain and Behavior.” Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 192 (May): 172906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2020.172906.
Sacks, Jeffrey J., Katherine R. Gonzales, Ellen E. Bouchery, Laura E. Tomedi, and Robert D. Brewer. 2015. “2010 National and State Costs of Excessive Alcohol Consumption.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 49 (5): e73–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2015.05.031.
White, Aaron M., Megan E. Slater, Grace Ng, Ralph Hingson, and Rosalind Breslow. 2018. “Trends in Alcohol-Related Emergency Department Visits in the United States: Results from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, 2006 to 2014.” Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 42 (2): 352–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.13559.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.