Drinking is down across the US. Is New Jersey following the trend?
Alcohol and binge drinking have declined nationally. New Jersey's latest estimates have also moved lower, though the data don't establish a clear decline.
More Stories
Americans are drinking less, according to a new federal survey that found declines in alcohol use, binge drinking and heavy drinking across the United States.
About 44% of Americans age 12 and older reported drinking alcohol in the previous month in 2025, down from 47.4% in 2021, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
The trend extends to heavier drinking. The share of people who reported binge drinking in the previous month fell from 21.7% in 2021 to 19.5% in 2025, while heavy alcohol use declined from 5.7% to 5%. SAMHSA found significant declines in both measures.
What about New Jersey?
New Jersey's numbers have moved in the same direction, but the state's decline is less clear.
An estimated 49.6% of New Jersey residents age 12 and older reported drinking alcohol in the previous month in 2023-24, compared with 51% in 2021-22, according to separate state estimates from the same federal survey. The difference was not statistically significant, meaning the data do not establish that alcohol use has declined in New Jersey.
For the same 2023-24 period, the Northeast rate was 50.3% and the national rate was 47.1%. New Jersey's estimated binge-drinking rate of 20.9%, meanwhile, was virtually identical to the national rate.
The state figures combine two years of survey data, unlike the annual national estimates in the newly released 2025 report.
Drinking is down across age groups
The national decline in binge drinking spans age groups.
Among young adults ages 18 to 25, the rate fell from 30% in 2021 to 26.7% in 2025. Binge drinking declined from 22.5% to 20.2% among adults age 26 and older and from 4% to 3% among adolescents ages 12 to 17. SAMHSA found significant declines in all three groups.
There is a notable finding among young adults in New Jersey, too. The estimated binge-drinking rate among 18- to 25-year-olds fell from 32.7% in 2021-22 to 28.6% in 2022-23, a statistically significant decline. The latest estimate was 27.7% in 2023-24, though that additional change was not statistically significant.
About the survey
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health is conducted annually and covers the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population age 12 and older. The 2025 survey included more than 60,000 completed interviews conducted online and in person.
SAMHSA cautions against comparing results from 2021 through 2025 with estimates from 2020 or earlier because of changes in how the survey was conducted.
