Boston out-drinks Providence

By Kimberley Donoghue
PBN Web Editor
Twitter: @kdonog

PROVIDENCE – Providence has ranked at the bottom of another list, but in this case it may be a good thing.

The Daily Beast took a look at “America’s Drunkest Cities of 2011” and ranked Providence at No. 21 out of 25; Boston, on the other hand, took the No. 1 spot.

The ranking was based on the average monthly drinks consumed per person; percent of the population that are heavy drinkers; percent of the population that are binge drinkers.

The number of drinks per month was given twice the weight of the heavy and binge drinking population; the data was provided by market research firm Experian Simmons and the Centers for Disease Control.

The average Providence resident consumes 13.9 drinks per month; 5.7 percent of the population is considered “heavy” drinkers by the CDC and 17.6 percent are considered binge drinkers.

Binge drinkers in Boston, however, made up a larger percentage of the population – 20.1 percent – and heavy drinkers were 7.4 percent. The average monthly drinks consumed per person were 15.5, according to the ranking.

Following Boston at the No. 2 spot was Springfield, Mass., and Milwaukee was No. 3. Also regionally, Burlington, Vt., stood at No. 11, and Buffalo, N.Y., at No. 16.