Despite a thriving craft brewing industry and its reputation as heavy drinking state, a new survey shows Wisconsin is not the top state in the nation when it comes to the average amount of beer consumed by residents. According to numbers released by the Beer Institute, an industry trade group, Wisconsinites ages 21 and over drank an average of 36.2 gallons of beer last year, the equivalent of 386 12 ounce beers.
Despite that high rate of per capita consumption, Wisconsin lost out to North Dakota and three others for the top spot, coming in fifth. Likely driven by a large influx of workers for a booming oil industry, North Dakota had an average consumption of 45.8 gallons per legal resident. Rounding out the top four above Wisconsin were New Hampshire, Montana, and South Dakota.
The national consumption average was 28.2 gallons.