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Youth Binge Drinking

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Percent of Students Reporting Having 5 or More Drinks in a Row on at Least One Occasion in the Past 30 Days, All Available Years: by Grade, Gender, and County

201320162019
FemaleMaleTotalFemaleMaleTotalFemaleMaleTotal
Minnesota9th7.0%6.7%6.9%4.5%4.3%4.4%3.6%
Aitkin County9th13.6%11.9%12.8%5.0%2.1%3.7%3.0%
Anoka County9th7.9%6.4%7.2%5.2%3.4%4.3%2.4%
Becker County9th9.6%11.3%10.5%5.4%7.3%6.3%2.9%
Beltrami County9th12.7%8.9%10.8%9.5%10.6%10.1%3.6%
Benton County9th3.7%5.1%4.4%9.1%8.4%8.8%2.4%
Big Stone County9th13.3%6.1%9.5%****
Blue Earth County9th5.1%7.8%6.5%2.7%2.7%2.7%2.8%
Brown County9th8.6%10.3%9.4%3.6%4.9%4.3%3.6%
Carlton County9th6.0%6.9%6.4%3.9%3.6%3.8%5.8%
Carver County9th8.0%5.1%6.6%3.2%4.2%3.7%1.9%
Cass County9th14.6%17.2%15.9%9.9%5.6%7.7%6.3%
Chippewa County9thN/AN/AN/A***1.3%
Chisago County9th5.4%11.3%8.5%***3.8%
Clay County9th3.4%2.2%2.8%1.9%4.3%3.2%3.3%
Clearwater County9th12.8%11.1%11.8%9.5%4.7%6.6%*
Cook County9th9.5%20.0%14.6%****
Cottonwood County9th0.0%2.0%1.1%8.5%6.1%7.3%3.4%
Crow Wing County9th3.5%9.1%6.1%***1.4%
Dakota County9th7.2%4.1%5.7%3.8%2.9%3.3%2.8%
Dodge County9th2.2%6.3%4.2%4.8%0.9%2.9%1.0%
Douglas County9th6.3%6.1%6.2%5.8%4.6%5.2%5.4%
Faribault County9th8.3%7.5%7.9%2.3%5.1%3.9%3.8%
Fillmore County9th3.6%3.6%3.6%0.0%3.1%1.5%*
Freeborn County9th6.9%5.8%6.4%4.3%4.7%4.5%5.2%
Goodhue County9th7.1%5.3%6.2%5.9%11.3%8.8%*
Grant County9th5.7%0.0%3.2%3.1%2.9%3.0%0.0%
Hennepin County9th4.8%5.0%4.9%2.9%2.6%2.8%2.3%
Houston County9th6.3%5.7%6.0%6.1%7.5%6.9%3.3%
Hubbard County9th7.0%23.5%13.9%9.2%11.1%10.1%16.1%
Isanti County9th13.5%6.6%10.1%5.0%9.9%7.4%6.5%
Itasca County9th11.8%13.8%12.8%12.4%9.8%11.2%3.7%
Jackson County9th6.7%1.7%3.9%13.6%5.0%9.5%12.1%
Kanabec County9th5.7%8.5%7.0%2.8%8.9%6.0%4.2%
Kandiyohi County9th3.7%4.9%4.3%4.8%4.0%4.4%2.5%
Kittson County9th6.5%3.7%5.2%0.0%12.5%5.9%*
Koochiching County9th17.6%17.1%17.4%****
Lac Qui Parle County9th0.0%4.5%2.5%0.0%0.0%0.0%2.3%
Lake County9th14.3%5.9%11.3%***4.0%
Lake of the Woods County9th25.0%20.0%22.7%****
Le Sueur County9th7.5%7.4%7.5%9.8%6.0%7.8%2.4%
Lincoln County9th6.7%4.3%5.3%****
Lyon County9th7.0%11.6%9.3%1.5%6.6%4.1%1.0%
McLeod County9th11.1%0.0%5.9%****
Mahnomen County9th13.3%7.5%10.0%9.7%8.6%9.1%10.5%
Marshall County9th5.5%0.0%3.1%2.5%0.0%1.4%*
Martin County9th10.4%9.0%9.7%***5.8%
Meeker County9th6.0%3.4%4.6%8.7%3.5%6.0%*
Mille Lacs County9th8.3%5.4%6.8%4.9%9.3%6.9%7.9%
Morrison County9th7.6%9.6%8.6%7.1%6.8%7.0%12.5%
Mower County9th12.4%9.2%10.9%3.3%2.5%2.9%2.1%
Murray County9th5.9%5.6%5.7%2.9%14.3%9.1%6.1%
Nicollet County9th7.3%0.0%3.4%***3.5%
Nobles County9th10.1%12.5%11.3%2.6%4.8%3.8%4.6%
Norman County9th5.1%5.6%5.3%6.5%6.5%6.5%*
Olmsted County9th7.2%9.2%8.2%2.9%2.3%2.6%4.0%
Otter Tail County9th4.9%6.1%5.5%4.4%2.7%3.5%5.5%
Pennington County9th10.0%9.2%9.6%***5.6%
Pine County9th14.4%13.6%14.1%3.3%6.3%4.8%10.5%
Pipestone County9th8.8%16.1%12.3%***14.3%
Polk County9th6.0%8.6%7.2%5.8%4.7%5.2%5.8%
Pope County9th6.5%6.5%6.5%8.0%3.3%5.5%2.9%
Ramsey County9th7.4%6.7%7.0%3.8%3.1%3.4%3.3%
Red Lake County9th3.7%9.4%6.8%14.3%0.0%6.8%7.7%
Redwood County9th11.3%7.7%9.3%4.5%3.2%3.9%1.5%
Renville County9th2.8%2.9%2.9%3.7%0.0%2.1%0.0%
Rice County9th9.0%6.0%7.4%2.2%2.8%2.5%0.8%
Rock County9th5.0%2.7%3.9%***8.0%
Roseau County9th1.2%8.5%4.9%8.2%7.3%7.7%6.4%
St. Louis County9th9.5%10.8%10.1%6.7%5.5%6.1%5.1%
Scott County9th7.7%5.3%6.5%4.7%5.4%5.1%2.6%
Sherburne County9th6.1%9.8%7.9%6.2%5.5%5.9%4.9%
Sibley County9th12.3%15.5%14.1%3.6%19.6%11.3%6.3%
Stearns County9th5.9%6.0%5.9%3.3%4.1%3.7%2.7%
Steele County9th7.4%6.3%6.9%2.7%4.0%3.4%2.7%
Stevens County9th2.9%8.2%6.0%8.8%7.1%7.9%*
Swift County9th21.4%3.8%13.0%****
Todd County9th12.1%16.1%13.8%6.9%10.1%8.6%10.9%
Traverse County9th9.1%0.0%4.3%****
Wabasha County9th2.9%4.4%3.6%5.4%9.8%7.4%4.2%
Wadena County9th7.9%1.5%5.1%7.5%1.6%4.9%0.0%
Waseca County9th8.5%7.2%7.8%1.0%7.5%4.4%9.2%
Washington County9th8.1%7.3%7.7%5.4%4.9%5.2%4.3%
Watonwan County9th4.5%8.6%6.3%4.4%4.3%4.3%3.6%
Wilkin County9th3.9%9.1%6.0%7.9%6.3%7.0%*
Winona County9th6.2%5.0%5.6%6.5%6.4%6.5%2.9%
Wright County9th3.8%4.6%4.2%5.1%5.0%5.0%4.8%
Yellow Medicine County9th13.5%13.6%13.6%2.6%4.5%3.7%2.6%

About the Indicator:

Up through the 2016 MSS, acute, short-term “binge drinking” was defined as having five or more drinks of alcohol on a single occasion. In 2019, the binge drinking definition changed to 5 or more drinks for male students and 4 or more drinks for female students. Therefore, trend data for female students CANNOT BE COMPARED between 2013/2016 and 2019.

Up until 2010, the MSS asked students about past two-week binge drinking; in 2013 they were asked about past 30-day binge drinking.

Binge drinking has been associated with alcohol related injuries and deaths, as well as violence and crime. In Minnesota, it is illegal for a person under age 21 to consume alcohol. 

According to the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 13.5% of 9th graders and 24.6% of 11th graders reported binge drinking in the past month nationally.

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.