skip navigation

Age Youth First Drink

Geographic Area:

All Counties (customize)

See this topic by Grade, Race and Gender

Years

to

Display By

Grade

Gender

< Change Topic

Percent of Students Reporting That They First Had More than a Few Sips of Alcohol at Age 13 or Younger, All Available Years: by Grade, Gender, and County

2007201020132016
FemaleMaleTotalFemaleMaleTotalFemaleMaleTotalFemaleMaleTotal
Minnesota9th30.8%32.2%31.5%25.3%28.0%26.7%23.1%25.2%24.1%18.1%18.3%18.2%
Aitkin County9th47.0%38.3%42.9%33.3%41.2%37.6%43.8%55.9%49.6%23.7%37.0%29.5%
Anoka County9th30.9%30.8%30.9%29.2%27.1%28.2%23.9%22.5%23.2%18.2%16.3%17.3%
Becker County9th33.3%44.1%38.3%24.3%29.0%26.6%14.9%28.9%22.6%18.0%21.3%19.6%
Beltrami County9th36.9%39.8%38.3%33.0%32.8%32.9%31.3%26.9%29.1%28.5%27.9%28.2%
Benton County9th37.5%32.8%35.2%27.7%28.6%28.1%23.7%35.3%29.5%22.5%27.6%25.1%
Big Stone County9thN/AN/AN/A26.9%35.3%31.7%33.3%33.3%33.3%***
Blue Earth County9th28.6%30.0%29.3%23.8%28.1%25.8%21.9%24.0%23.0%13.3%14.1%13.7%
Brown County9th38.3%31.1%34.8%25.0%38.6%31.8%29.0%33.0%31.0%22.9%30.8%27.1%
Carlton County9th28.1%27.0%27.6%21.5%23.6%22.6%23.5%25.4%24.4%23.0%22.3%22.6%
Carver County9th27.0%36.6%31.9%17.8%24.5%21.2%20.1%23.7%21.8%13.6%19.4%16.5%
Cass County9th48.6%44.7%46.8%41.0%37.4%39.3%34.5%42.6%38.9%34.2%23.2%28.5%
Chippewa County9th27.6%33.0%30.1%N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A***
Chisago County9th37.2%42.0%39.4%29.9%38.0%33.5%29.9%31.1%30.5%***
Clay County9th27.5%32.8%30.2%21.1%25.0%23.0%21.4%16.5%19.0%16.9%16.3%16.6%
Clearwater County9th56.1%44.1%50.7%43.1%46.7%44.8%39.5%38.9%39.1%23.3%21.0%21.9%
Cook County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A23.8%47.6%35.7%***
Cottonwood County9th23.8%26.7%25.3%27.1%32.7%29.9%23.3%35.3%29.8%28.3%20.8%24.5%
Crow Wing County9th42.1%40.3%41.2%22.4%44.3%32.3%19.5%32.0%25.3%***
Dakota County9th28.7%30.2%29.4%21.2%24.5%22.8%20.8%20.9%20.8%15.7%15.6%15.7%
Dodge County9th41.7%33.3%37.9%33.0%35.2%34.2%18.7%36.5%27.2%9.6%14.9%12.1%
Douglas County9th31.4%27.7%29.5%26.5%29.1%27.7%26.4%22.0%24.1%18.0%23.8%20.9%
Faribault County9th21.6%28.8%25.2%N/AN/AN/A18.8%19.7%19.3%25.0%34.5%30.3%
Fillmore County9th30.0%39.5%34.6%27.1%35.6%31.4%38.2%43.6%40.9%18.3%25.4%21.6%
Freeborn County9th29.3%28.6%29.0%27.3%26.3%26.8%26.3%28.2%27.1%20.4%30.0%25.4%
Goodhue County9th34.9%30.9%33.0%25.7%21.3%23.5%35.2%32.6%33.9%26.7%27.8%27.3%
Grant County9th25.7%43.8%34.3%N/AN/AN/A42.9%40.7%41.9%6.5%38.2%23.1%
Hennepin County9th26.2%25.0%25.7%22.5%24.1%23.2%18.3%18.7%18.5%13.3%11.9%12.6%
Houston County9th34.2%42.4%38.0%22.8%24.3%23.5%18.9%33.3%25.8%19.8%29.5%25.3%
Hubbard County9th36.9%41.1%39.4%40.8%37.7%39.2%31.9%49.1%39.3%27.3%47.2%36.3%
Isanti County9th41.2%38.8%40.0%N/AN/AN/A24.7%32.4%28.5%32.6%30.7%31.7%
Itasca County9th40.1%35.6%37.9%29.7%34.2%31.9%32.5%37.6%35.1%25.5%26.0%25.7%
Jackson County9th29.2%43.1%36.4%33.3%35.2%34.4%15.6%29.8%23.5%22.7%29.3%25.9%
Kanabec County9th35.9%38.6%37.3%36.7%30.5%33.1%27.1%41.4%33.6%23.2%17.9%20.4%
Kandiyohi County9th28.9%28.1%28.5%14.5%18.9%16.8%12.8%22.4%17.5%17.4%23.8%20.7%
Kittson County9th27.8%30.0%29.2%14.3%37.9%28.0%35.5%29.6%32.8%22.2%25.0%23.5%
Koochiching County9thN/AN/AN/A20.0%34.8%27.9%29.4%61.8%45.6%***
Lac Qui Parle County9th33.3%38.0%35.6%22.6%26.0%24.3%18.9%22.7%21.0%16.2%16.7%16.4%
Lake County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A33.9%20.6%29.2%***
Lake of the Woods County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A36.4%54.5%45.5%***
Le Sueur County9th30.0%37.1%33.3%18.6%34.1%25.4%26.1%20.8%23.4%21.7%24.1%22.9%
Lincoln County9th47.2%48.8%48.1%26.7%30.4%28.3%46.7%34.8%39.5%***
Lyon County9th28.7%38.5%32.9%18.4%31.1%24.7%24.6%31.7%28.2%13.5%22.6%18.1%
McLeod County9th31.4%32.2%31.8%33.6%30.2%31.9%22.2%33.3%27.8%***
Mahnomen County9th44.7%40.5%42.7%44.4%45.8%45.1%41.4%43.6%42.6%51.7%32.4%41.3%
Marshall County9th17.8%47.5%31.8%20.8%28.6%24.5%22.2%31.7%26.3%17.9%15.6%16.9%
Martin County9th30.1%37.1%33.6%21.6%33.3%28.0%31.4%26.6%28.9%***
Meeker County9th26.7%30.9%28.6%22.7%24.7%23.7%32.0%28.7%30.2%18.6%19.3%19.0%
Mille Lacs County9th42.9%43.2%43.0%31.1%36.0%33.3%35.1%33.7%34.3%23.8%39.2%31.0%
Morrison County9th38.6%43.1%40.7%29.3%38.1%33.9%33.9%36.9%35.4%26.8%28.7%27.8%
Mower County9th33.2%31.4%32.3%23.2%27.0%25.0%29.7%25.0%27.6%21.9%22.3%22.1%
Murray County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A17.6%27.8%22.9%5.7%36.6%22.4%
Nicollet County9th32.4%32.9%32.6%N/AN/AN/A12.7%14.5%13.7%***
Nobles County9th33.9%30.0%32.1%30.7%32.0%31.3%22.0%26.8%24.3%17.3%19.4%18.5%
Norman County9th22.6%21.1%21.7%38.7%37.2%37.8%34.2%22.2%28.4%35.5%20.0%27.9%
Olmsted County9th24.7%28.2%26.3%20.1%22.9%21.3%16.3%25.8%21.1%16.1%16.0%16.1%
Otter Tail County9th27.2%38.3%32.6%33.5%33.7%33.6%23.4%27.7%25.6%21.0%22.4%21.7%
Pennington County9th33.7%27.3%31.0%N/AN/AN/A24.3%25.7%25.0%***
Pine County9th45.2%48.9%47.1%40.7%43.9%42.3%39.9%37.6%38.8%28.8%28.6%28.7%
Pipestone County9th32.8%33.3%33.0%N/AN/AN/A18.2%35.5%26.6%***
Polk County9th33.6%35.0%34.3%31.9%37.6%34.7%21.1%26.6%23.6%19.9%15.3%17.4%
Pope County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A25.8%15.6%19.7%20.0%16.7%18.2%
Ramsey County9th29.7%31.2%30.4%27.4%29.0%28.2%23.5%23.2%23.4%18.7%16.1%17.5%
Red Lake County9th18.2%37.0%28.6%34.6%17.6%27.9%40.7%40.6%40.7%23.8%13.0%18.2%
Redwood County9th35.2%32.9%34.0%32.0%38.8%35.2%34.6%34.8%34.7%27.3%27.4%27.3%
Renville County9th38.8%44.4%41.2%29.2%39.3%34.9%19.4%26.5%22.9%13.0%11.9%12.5%
Rice County9th23.3%29.9%26.7%31.7%28.2%29.8%22.5%24.4%23.5%12.3%17.5%14.9%
Rock County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A22.5%13.5%18.2%***
Roseau County9th37.9%37.1%37.4%30.5%38.5%34.5%19.3%33.3%26.2%16.7%26.6%21.9%
St. Louis County9th38.0%38.3%38.1%29.4%31.2%30.3%25.7%29.3%27.4%21.0%21.2%21.1%
Scott County9th32.3%33.3%32.8%25.3%29.3%27.2%19.8%22.9%21.4%18.6%17.1%17.8%
Sherburne County9th33.8%36.0%34.9%25.8%24.8%25.3%19.4%27.1%23.1%22.0%18.9%20.5%
Sibley County9th36.1%36.5%36.3%42.4%35.0%38.7%30.4%40.3%35.9%28.1%34.7%31.1%
Stearns County9th30.0%38.1%34.1%24.3%28.9%26.4%27.2%26.5%26.8%14.6%17.9%16.3%
Steele County9th32.7%29.0%30.9%23.4%22.2%22.8%22.3%29.9%25.9%18.9%17.9%18.4%
Stevens County9th25.0%41.9%32.0%N/AN/AN/A12.1%29.2%22.2%21.2%16.7%18.7%
Swift County9th28.3%34.6%31.4%11.1%25.6%19.0%25.0%30.8%27.8%***
Todd County9th34.3%32.7%33.4%30.3%40.2%35.3%40.2%47.7%43.4%29.9%30.6%30.3%
Traverse County9thN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A27.3%16.7%21.7%***
Wabasha County9th33.3%38.6%36.1%24.3%30.7%27.4%26.5%31.8%28.9%25.3%25.9%25.6%
Wadena County9th39.0%38.5%38.8%25.7%34.5%29.7%33.0%25.0%29.6%19.7%28.8%23.8%
Waseca County9th29.4%31.6%30.6%N/AN/AN/A20.7%31.6%26.6%16.3%21.9%19.2%
Washington County9th31.4%31.9%31.6%22.0%27.0%24.5%19.4%23.5%21.4%17.7%16.2%17.0%
Watonwan County9th30.6%25.0%28.2%27.1%39.1%33.3%28.6%32.4%30.3%34.8%32.3%33.6%
Wilkin County9th38.6%35.0%36.9%28.6%36.8%33.3%27.5%23.5%25.9%31.6%19.1%24.7%
Winona County9th32.4%31.4%31.9%33.7%36.1%34.9%29.2%25.0%27.1%22.4%22.1%22.3%
Wright County9th26.5%30.0%28.2%21.8%22.8%22.3%19.7%24.3%22.0%17.9%16.8%17.3%
Yellow Medicine County9th35.9%41.9%38.9%29.3%44.6%36.8%54.1%25.6%38.8%13.2%27.3%20.7%

About the Indicator:

The average age at which young people ages 12 to 17 begin to drink is 13 years old.

According to the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 20.3% of 9th graders and 15.2% of 11th graders nationally reported they first drank alcohol before age 13 years.

N/A or * indicates that the data are unavailable or were not collected.

Data Source: Minnesota Student Survey (MSS)

Description: The MSS is a confidential and anonymous self-administered survey given to students attending Minnesota public, charter and tribal schools. From 1995 to 2010, the survey was administered to students in 6th, 9th, and 12th grades. New in 2013, the survey was administered to students in 5th, 8th, 9th, and 11th grades. Trend data are now only available for 9th graders, and only for survey questions that did not change. Most schools elect to participate in the survey; in 2013, this included 84% of public schools in Minnesota.

Although the data are not presented here, the survey is also administered to area learning centers, juvenile correction facilities and private schools electing to participate.

Sponsored by: Minnesota Department of Education

Geographic Level: State, Region, and County

Aggregated data at the state and county level do not reveal disparities that may exist within a given geographic area.

Frequency: Data collected and reported every three years

Characteristics: The results of the MSS are also available at a county level. Data Privacy requirements mandate that data is presented in a manner such that no individual student can be identified through the presentation of the results. As part of the Data Privacy practices, the results are also presented in a manner that no individual school district could be identified through the results. Therefore, for counties that have only one school district, the results are not presented. Results are also withheld for counties in which the minimum number for student participation was not met.

The MSS is a “census” of schools, not a sample. The school districts get their own data. Fifth-graders were not asked all substance use questions. Some school districts do not participate, and student participation within the school district can vary widely. These data are self-reported.