Photo by Kelsey Chance on Unsplash
This may not come as too much of a surprise for many of the locals, but – news flash – San Francisco has been ranked the city that spends the most money on alcohol in the country.
According to Delphi Behavioral Health Group, American households spent an average of $484 per year on alcoholic beverages like wine, beer, liquor and other malt beverages in the last two decades. However, San Francisco locals spent well over that, with an average of $1,131 per year between 1996 and 2016. In fact, this money spent on booze eats into 1.5 percent of our annual salary whereas the nation on average loses only 0.9 percent.
This does not necessarily mean locals are consuming more alcohol – just spending more money on it. Furthermore, as seen in Napa Valley Visitor Industry Economic Impact and Visitor Profile from 2016, over 40 percent of their day-tripping, wine-tasting guests come from San Francisco.
We might have to get comfortable: San Francisco & Oakland could soon be spending even more on alcohol if a bill passes that will allow bars in those cities to remain open until 4 AM. Check out the full rankings below that list the city, average annual alcohol expenditure, and percentage of average income.
- San Francisco, $1,131, 1.5%
- Minneapolis, $852, 1.1%
- San Diego, $850, 1.1%
- Seattle-Tacoma, $747, 1.0%
- Anchorage, $733, 1.0%
- Boston, $681, 1.0%
- Washington D.C., $678, 0.9%
- St. Louis, $636, 1.1%
- Denver, $628, 0.9%
- Baltimore, $621, 0.9%
- Phoenix, $599, 1.0%
- Houston, $582, 0.9%
- Philadephia, $563, 0.9%
- Cleveland, $548, 1.1%
- Detroit, $537, 0.9%