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Underage Drinking in the United States (ages 12 to 20)

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In 2023, there were 1,392 deaths in ages <21 from motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver.

Prevalence of Lifetime Drinking

According to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 12.7 million people ages 12 to 20 (32.9% in this age group) reported that they have had at least one drink in their lives.1,2 This includes:

  • 6.2 million males ages 12 to 20 (31.4% in this age group)1,2
  • 6.5 million females ages 12 to 20 (34.4% in this age group)1,2
  • 80,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 to 20 (29.9% in this age group)1,2
  • 427,000 Asian people ages 12 to 20 (17.5% in this age group)1,2
  • 1.4 million Black or African American people ages 12 to 20 (27.3% in this age group)1,2
  • 6.8 million White people ages 12 to 20 (36.3% in this age group)1,2
  • 491,000 people of two or more races ages 12 to 20 (34.0% in this age group)1,2
  • 3.4 million Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 to 20 (33.1% in this age group)1,2
  • Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 to 20 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.1,2

Prevalence of Past-Year Drinking

According to the 2024 NSDUH, 10.4 million people ages 12 to 20 (27.0% in this age group) reported that they drank in the past year.1,2 This includes:

  • 5.1 million males ages 12 to 20 (25.7% in this age group)1,2
  • 5.3 million females ages 12 to 20 (28.4% in this age group)1,2
  • 58,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 to 20 (21.9% in this age group)1,2
  • 360,000 Asian people ages 12 to 20 (14.7% in this age group)1,2
  • 1.1 million Black or African American people ages 12 to 20 (21.4% in this age group)1,2
  • 5.6 million White people ages 12 to 20 (30.2% in this age group)1,2
  • 364,000 people of two or more races ages 12 to 20 (25.2% in this age group)1,2
  • 2.8 million Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 to 20 (27.6% in this age group)1,2
  • Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 to 20 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.1,2

Prevalence of Past-Month Drinking

According to the 2024 NSDUH, 5.1 million people ages 12 to 20 (13.3% in this age group) reported that they drank in the past month.1,2 This includes:

  • 2.4 million males ages 12 to 20 (12.4% in this age group)1,2
  • 2.7 million females ages 12 to 20 (14.3% in this age group)1,2
  • 22,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 to 20 (8.1% in this age group)1,2
  • 172,000 Asian people ages 12 to 20 (7.0% in this age group)1,2
  • 459,000 Black or African American people ages 12 to 20 (8.7% in this age group)1,2
  • 7,000 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 to 20 (4.9% in this age group)1,2
  • 3.0 million White people ages 12 to 20 (16.3% in this age group)1,2
  • 188,000 people of two or more races ages 12 to 20 (13.0% in this age group)1,2
  • 1.2 million Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 to 20 (12.1% in this age group)1,2

Prevalence of Past-Month Binge Drinking

According to the 2024 NSDUH, 2.9 million people ages 12 to 20 (7.6% in this age group) reported binge drinking in the past month (see glossary for definition of binge drinking).1,2 This includes:

  • 1.4 million males ages 12 to 20 (7.1% in this age group)1,2
  • 1.6 million females ages 12 to 20 (8.3% in this age group)1,2
  • 11,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 to 20 (4.2% in this age group)1,2
  • 88,000 Asian people ages 12 to 20 (3.6% in this age group)1,2
  • 289,000 Black or African American people ages 12 to 20 (5.5% in this age group)1,2
  • 4,000 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 to 20 (2.9% in this age group)1,2
  • 1.8 million White people ages 12 to 20 (9.6% in this age group)1,2
  • 100,000 people of two or more races ages 12 to 20 (6.9% in this age group)1,2
  • 665,000 Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 to 20 (6.5% in this age group)1,2

Prevalence of Past-Month Heavy Alcohol Use

According to the 2024 NSDUH, 576,000 people ages 12 to 20 (1.5% in this age group) reported heavy alcohol use in the past month (see glossary for definition of heavy alcohol use).1,2 This includes:

  • 320,000 males ages 12 to 20 (1.6% in this age group)1,2
  • 256,000 females ages 12 to 20 (1.4% in this age group)1,2
  • 3,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 to 20 (1.0% in this age group)1,2
  • 2,000 Asian people ages 12 to 20 (0.1% in this age group)1,2
  • 44,000 Black or African American people ages 12 to 20 (0.8% in this age group)1,2
  • 383,000 White people ages 12 to 20 (2.1% in this age group)1,2
  • 18,000 people of two or more races ages 12 to 20 (1.3% in this age group)1,2
  • 123,000 Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 to 20 (1.2% in this age group)1,2
  • Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 to 20 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.1,2

Prevalence of High-Intensity Drinking

According to the 2024 Monitoring the Future survey, 3.0% of students in 12th grade reported high-intensity drinking (10+drinks in a row) in the last two weeks.3

Consequences of Underage Alcohol Use

  • Underage drinking contributes to a range of immediate and lasting consequences, such as injuries,4 sexual assaults,5 alcohol overdoses, and death.
  • Alcohol is a factor in the deaths of thousands of people younger than age 21 in the United States each year. This includes:
    • 1,392 from motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver (defined as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 grams per deciliter) 6
    • 978 from homicides7
    • 644 from alcohol-related poisoning (overdose), fall injuries, fire injuries, and drowning7
    • 615 from suicides7
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), many (but not all) NSDUH estimates from 2024 are comparable with 2022, 2023, and updated 2021 estimates. However, 2021–2024 estimates are not comparable with 2020 or prior years’ estimates. Please see the 2024 NSDUH Frequently Asked Questions and Section 2.3.4 of the 2024 Methodological Summary and Definitions Report for more details.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), due to scientific updates to Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI), estimates of alcohol-attributable deaths or years of potential life lost generated in the current version of ARDI should not be compared with estimates that were generated using the ARDI default reports or analyses in the ARDI Custom Data Portal prior to February 29, 2024.

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