Statistics
This page contains links to the most recent underage drinking statistics provided
by the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking
agencies. The data provide information on the prevalence,
trends, and consequences of underage
drinking.
Prevalence
National Surveys
Monitoring the Future
Since 1975, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has sponsored the annual
Monitoring the Future Survey, which measures drug, alcohol, and cigarette
use and related attitudes among adolescent students nationwide. Survey participants
report their drug use behaviors across three time periods: lifetime, past year,
and past month.
National Survey on Drug
Use and Health
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health provides national and State-level data
on the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs (including nonmedical use of prescription
drugs) and mental health in the United States. This annual survey is supported by
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and is the primary
source of information on prevalence, patterns, and consequences in the general U.S.
civilian noninstitutionalized population, ages 12 and older. Data and findings are
reported in a full survey report as well as in numerous
special short reports related to underage drinking.
Youth Risk Behavior
Surveillance System
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Youth Risk
Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors priority health-risk behaviors and
the prevalence of obesity and asthma among youth and young adults. The YRBSS includes
the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS),
a national school-based survey of 9th- to 12th-grade students that is conducted
every 2 years to record the prevalence and trend of behaviors—such as underage
drinking—that place a young person’s health at risk. Behaviors that
contribute to injuries, such as driving after consumption of alcohol, also are reported.
Local Data
Youth
Online
Youth Online, a service of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lets
you analyze national, State, and local Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System data
from 1991 to 2009. Data from high school and middle school surveys are included.
You can filter and sort on the basis of race/ethnicity, sex, grade, or site; create
customized tables and graphs; and perform statistical tests by site and health topic,
including “Alcohol
and Other Drug Use.”
Special Populations
Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among Active Duty Military
Personnel: 2008 Survey Summary as Q&A
This report from the Military Health System summarizes the results of a periodically
conducted survey of active-duty military personnel to assess substance abuse, mental
well-being, deployment issues, fitness, nutrition, and weight management. (Military
Health System, U.S. Department of Defense; 2009)
Alcohol and Other Drugs on Campus—The Scope of the Problem
The most widespread health problem on college and university campuses in the United
States is high-risk alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. This overview provides readers
with data that show the scope of the underage drinking problem on campuses across
the country. (Higher Education Center, U.S. Department of Education; 2003, updated
2008.)
Trends in the Prevalence of Alcohol Use
This chart from the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey shows the prevalence
of alcohol use by students in grades 9 to 12 from 1991–2009.
Trends in the Prevalence of Behaviors that Contribute to Unintentional Injury
This chart from the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey of students in
grades 9 to 12 shows the prevalence of behaviors, such as drinking and driving or
being in a car with someone who has been drinking, that contribute to unintentional
injuries. Trend data are reported for 1991–2009.
Impact on Campuses
A Snapshot of Annual High-Risk College Drinking Consequences
This snapshot of annual high-risk college drinking consequences includes a concise
list of facts outlining the effects of alcohol abuse on college campuses, communities,
and students. (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services; updated 2010)
Alcohol and Other Drugs on Campus—The Scope of the Problem
The most widespread health problem on college and university campuses in
the United States is high-risk alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. This overview provides
data on the scope and consequences of underage drinking on campuses across the country.
(Higher Education Center, U.S. Department of Education; 2003, updated 2008)
Impact on Emergency Departments
States and Cities—Brief
Reports
This series of Metro Briefs provides detailed statistical snapshots of
drug-related visits to hospital emergency departments occurring in 11 metropolitan
areas across the Nation. Each brief provides a range of information about the nature
and scope of drug-related admissions, including those from underage drinking, through
a variety of charts, graphs, and accompanying text. (Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2011)
The DAWN Report:
Emergency Department Visits Involving Underage Alcohol Use in Combination With Other
Drugs
This brief report highlights the strong relationship between the
use of alcohol and other drugs among young people involved in an emergency department
visit. Of the estimated 188,981 alcohol-related emergency department visits made
by patients aged 12 to 20 in 2008, 70.0 percent involved alcohol only, and
30.0 percent involved alcohol in combination with other drugs. (Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services;
January 2011)
The DAWN Report:
Emergency Department Visits Involving Underage Alcohol Use: 2008
This brief report summarizes the role of underage drinking in emergency department
(ED) visits. Among the findings in this report is that, in 2008, an estimated 188,981
alcohol-related ED visits were made by patients aged 12 to 20, accounting for about
one third of all drug-related ED visits (32.9 percent) made by this age group. (Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services; July 2010)
Impact on Law Enforcement
Underage Drinking
Enforcement Training Center: Underage Drinking Costs
The Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center was established by the Office
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to support its Enforcing Underage
Drinking Laws Program. This page presents the costs associated with underage drinking
for the United States as a whole and for individual States.
Easy
Access to FBI Arrest Statistics
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention provides a database
of arrest statistics for 1994–2007, by offense, and for adults, juveniles, or all
ages. Arrest statistics for youth aged 10 to 17 include driving under the influence,
liquor laws, and drunkenness. (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention,
U.S. Department of Justice; no date)
Impact on Transportation Safety
Traffic Safety Facts:
Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Fatal Crashes and Fatalities Involving Alcohol-Impaired
Drivers
This factsheet, using 2008 data, summarizes alcohol-related fatalities, including
those in which drivers were aged 16 to 20 years old. (National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation; no date)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on Underage Drinking
Often called “the voice of CDC,” the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report (MMWR) series is CDC’s primary vehicle for scientific
publication of timely, accurate, and objective public health information and recommendations.
The data in the weekly MMWR are provisional, based on weekly reports to
CDC by State health departments. Recent MMWRs related to underage drinking
include:
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,
Alcohol Alerts
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Alcohol Alert is
a quarterly bulletin that disseminates important research findings on a single
aspect of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Reports related to underage drinking
include:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
NSDUH Reports on Underage Drinking
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is the primary source of information
on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug
use and abuse in the general U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population, ages
12 and older. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration periodically
publishes The NSDUH Report, which presents special topics based on NSDUH
data. Reports related to underage drinking include: