2021 BRFSS Survey Results: North Carolina

Alcohol Consumption

One drink is equivalent to a 12 ounce beer, a 5 ounce glass of wine, or a drink with one shot of liquor.
During the past 30 days, on the days when you drank, about how many drinks did you drink on the average?*

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  Total
Respond.^
Only one Two Three Four Five or more
N % C.I.(95%) N % C.I.(95%) N % C.I.(95%) N % C.I.(95%) N % C.I.(95%)
North Carolina 2,254 892 36.8 34.5-39.3 733 32.9 30.6-35.3 291 13.8 12.1-15.7 118 5.9 4.7- 7.4 220 10.6 9.1-12.3
-FEMALES 1,050 516 46.7 43.0-50.4 343 34.5 31.0-38.1 99 9.5 7.6-11.7 40 4.0 2.7- 6.0 52 5.4 3.9- 7.3
RACE
Non-Hispanic White 745 361 46.5 42.3-50.9 247 33.1 29.2-37.3 77 10.9 8.6-13.8 29 4.6 2.9- 7.3 31 4.8 3.2- 7.1
Non-Hispanic Black 165 87 50.2 41.2-59.2 53 36.5 28.1-45.8 11 5.7 2.8-11.0 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Other 131 *** *** *** *** *** *** 11 8.0 3.7-16.3 *** *** *** 13 10.6 5.8-18.5
AGE
18-34 251 82 32.7 26.3-39.9 91 37.7 30.9-45.1 39 14.3 10.2-19.7 12 5.8 2.8-11.4 27 9.5 6.3-13.9
35-44 201 92 45.8 37.8-54.1 70 34.2 26.9-42.4 19 8.8 5.4-14.1 11 4.6 2.3- 9.2 *** *** ***
45-54 162 84 51.6 42.6-60.6 56 35.8 27.5-45.0 13 8.5 4.7-14.9 *** *** *** *** *** ***
55-64 196 104 54.0 45.6-62.1 61 32.5 25.1-40.9 15 6.1 3.4-10.7 *** *** *** *** *** ***
65-74 146 93 64.5 54.4-73.5 37 25.9 18.1-35.5 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
75+ 75 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
EDUCATION
Less Than H.S. 33 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
H.S. or G.E.D. 154 61 39.1 30.4-48.5 58 43.1 34.0-52.6 20 9.7 5.7-15.9 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Some Post-H.S. 270 129 46.7 39.6-53.9 83 31.9 25.5-39.0 30 10.4 7.0-15.1 13 5.9 3.0-11.4 15 5.1 2.9- 9.0
College Graduate 590 309 50.5 45.8-55.1 191 32.4 28.2-36.9 47 9.2 6.8-12.4 20 3.1 1.9- 5.0 23 4.8 3.0- 7.6
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Less than $15,000 43 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
$15,000- 24,999 68 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
$25,000- 34,999 100 *** *** *** *** *** *** 11 10.6 5.5-19.4 *** *** *** *** *** ***
$35,000- 49,999 106 *** *** *** *** *** *** 14 11.1 5.9-20.0 *** *** *** *** *** ***
$50,000- 74,999 130 *** *** *** 43 36.0 26.6-46.5 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
$75,000+ 435 216 49.6 44.1-55.2 145 32.6 27.6-38.0 40 9.2 6.5-12.7 15 3.8 2.2- 6.6 19 4.8 2.9- 7.9
FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY
Yes 257 128 47.6 40.2-55.2 81 34.2 27.4-41.8 22 7.6 4.6-12.2 11 5.2 2.6-10.1 15 5.3 3.0- 9.3
No 786 384 46.2 42.0-50.4 260 34.8 30.8-39.0 76 9.9 7.7-12.6 29 3.7 2.2- 6.0 37 5.4 3.8- 7.8
VETERAN STATUS
Veteran 39 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Non-Veteran 1,010 491 46.3 42.6-50.1 338 35.3 31.7-39.0 93 9.4 7.5-11.7 39 3.6 2.5- 5.2 49 5.4 3.9- 7.4
RURAL-URBAN RESIDENT1
Urban 387 183 46.1 40.3-52.0 140 38.1 32.4-44.2 36 8.5 5.9-12.0 13 3.6 1.9- 6.6 15 3.7 2.2- 6.4
Regional City or Suburban County 305 149 44.3 37.8-51.0 100 34.3 28.2-40.9 28 10.1 6.7-14.9 11 4.3 1.9- 9.7 17 7.0 4.1-11.8
Rural 358 184 50.4 43.9-56.9 103 29.4 23.8-35.7 35 10.2 7.1-14.6 16 4.2 2.3- 7.6 20 5.8 3.6- 9.2
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
Employed or Self-Employed 647 294 44.0 39.5-48.6 219 35.4 31.0-40.0 69 10.2 7.9-13.0 29 4.5 2.8- 7.3 36 5.9 4.1- 8.6
Unemployed 48 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Retired 216 145 66.9 58.8-74.1 54 26.7 20.1-34.6 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Unable to Work 37 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Other not in Labor Force 99 *** *** *** *** *** *** 13 16.8 9.6-27.8 *** *** *** *** *** ***
POVERTY LEVEL2
Less than 50% 19 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
50% to 100% 62 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
101% to 150% 82 *** *** *** *** *** *** 13 16.7 9.2-28.6 *** *** *** *** *** ***
151% to 200% 73 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
More than 200% 642 324 49.6 45.0-54.2 205 31.7 27.5-36.1 57 9.0 6.7-11.9 29 4.9 3.0- 7.9 27 4.9 3.2- 7.4
NC DEPT OF COMMERCE COUNTY TIER3
Most Distressed Counties (Tier 1) 200 100 43.9 35.4-52.9 60 33.2 25.4-42.1 17 9.1 5.3-15.0 11 6.9 2.5-17.6 12 6.9 3.4-13.6
Less Distressed Counties (Tier 2) 430 214 47.0 41.1-52.9 128 29.7 24.5-35.6 49 12.3 9.0-16.6 17 4.7 2.7- 8.1 22 6.3 3.9-10.0
Least Distressed Counties (Tier 3) 420 202 47.3 41.9-52.8 155 38.8 33.5-44.3 33 7.3 5.0-10.5 12 2.5 1.3- 4.6 18 4.1 2.5- 6.7
CDC SOCIAL VULNERABILITY INDEX4
1st Quartile - Least Vulnerable 395 183 44.6 38.9-50.5 141 36.4 31.0-42.1 42 11.2 8.1-15.4 15 4.2 2.3- 7.3 14 3.6 2.0- 6.3
2nd Quartile 269 140 50.4 43.5-57.4 83 34.0 27.6-41.0 25 7.9 5.1-12.2 *** *** *** 15 6.2 3.6-10.5
3rd Quartile 301 145 44.8 38.0-51.8 98 32.5 26.1-39.7 25 8.9 5.7-13.5 15 7.3 3.7-14.1 18 6.5 3.7-11.1
4th Quartile - Most Vulnerable 85 *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

Back to Alcohol Consumption.

*This question was asked only of respondents who reported drinking at least one drink in the last month.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to changes in the weighting methodology and other factors, results from 2021
are NOT comparable to 2010 and earlier years.

***The estimate was suppressed because it did not meet statistical reliability standards. See BRFSS 2021 Annual Results Technical Notes for more details.

1Based on U.S Census Bureau population estimates at the county level. Please see the BRFSS 2021 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

2Based on 2021 U.S Census Bureau poverty threshold incomes. Please see the BRFSS 2021 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

3NC Dept. of Commerce County Tier Classification, based on respondent’s county of residence.
Please see the BRFSS 2021 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

4Quartile of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index
(https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/index.html) for respondent’s county of residence.
Please see the BRFSS 2021 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

^Use caution in interpreting cell sizes less than 50, % = Percentage, C.I.(95%) = Confidence Interval (at 95 percent probability level).
Percentages are weighted to population characteristics and therefore cannot be calculated exactly from the numbers in this table.

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This page was generated on 19AUG22.

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