Western Colorado’s Drinking Compared to the Rest of the State

Suppose one attempted to determine why certain parts of a state had higher rates of excessive drinking. In that case, factors considered might be things like boredom, depression, and demographics, including segments of the population like college students that are, far and wide, known to party more than the average working adult.

Read More: LOOK: These are the 13 Drunkest Counties in Colorado |

However, new data that outlines the rates of excessive drinking by county in the state of Colorado may require a closer look at what really causes the tendency for residents to overindulge, and the varying levels of drunkenness from county to county are fascinating to look at, to say the least.

How Drunk is Western Colorado Compared to the Rest of the State?

The data shows percentages of excessive drinking per county for the entire United States and shows that the trend is not as present in Colorado as, say, Wisconsin or Montana.

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However, the drunkest counties in Western Colorado are easily Gunnison and Garfield, with similar statistics shown in counties on the other side of the Continental Divide, including Larimer, Jefferson, and Adams.

While the aforementioned counties show a percentage between 22 and 25% when it comes to heavy drinking, counties between 20 and 24% include Lincoln and Crowley, both located on the state's Eastern Plains, as well as San Miguel in the state's southwest region.

As we descend into drunkenness, Western Colorado counties, including Mesa, Rio Blanco, and Moffat, report rates ranging from 16 to 19%, while counties on the state's Eastern Plains, such as Morgan, Washington, Yuma, and Weld, also experience similar rates.

Just below that figure, we find counties in the 15 to 17% range to include most of southeastern Colorado, including El Paso and Pueblo, as well as the one Colorado county that falls below that figure,e making it the least drunk county in the state, Costillo County along the New Mexico border.

It's also interesting to note that New Mexico is drastically less prone to excessive drinking than Colorado, as is the state that borders the Centennial State to the west, Utah.

Check out the full story here.