Driving under the influence is unfortunately more common during the holiday season. These are cities in each state where DUI offenses occur at exceptionally high rates.

Driving during the month of December is historically more dangerous compared to other months. Increased traffic during the holiday season, paired with inclement and unpredictable weather patterns, spells for trouble on the roads for many drivers. Not only are general road conditions less-than-ideal, but the influx of celebrations with no shortage of libations leads to a spike in DUIs during this time of year.

Getting behind the wheel after having a drink (or a few) is not only unwise but incredibly dangerous and potentially fatal. In fact, 28% of fatal crashes during the month of December involve drunk drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). To investigate where drunk driving occurs most often in 2021, the research team at Insurify turned to their proprietary database of over 4 million car insurance applications and identified the city in each state with the highest DUI rate.

Icon map showing the city in each state with the highest DUI rate in 2021.
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Insights

  • National averages. Across U.S. metropolitan areas, the average share of drivers reporting a DUI is 1.9%. Among the top cities in each state, the average share of drivers reporting a DUI is 2.9%, which is 53% greater than the national average.
  • Canton, OH, and Fargo, ND drivers are the most DUI-prone. The city with the highest overall DUI rate in the nation is Canton, Ohio. Canton drivers rack up DUI citations nearly 3x more often than the average American driver. Fargo, North Dakota closely follows Canton, with a rate that exceeds the national average by 184%.
  • Florida and Washington are home to the lowest citywide DUI rates. Some cities, fortunately, have drivers whose penchant for getting behind the wheel while under the influence is notably lower than average. Coral Springs, Florida, and Bellevue, Washington have the lowest citywide DUI rates in the U.S., at 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively.

Methodology

The data scientists at Insurify, a site to compare auto insurance rates, referred to their database of over 4 million car insurance applications to determine the city with the most DUIs for each state. When applying for auto insurance, drivers disclose their city and state of residence, in addition to any prior infractions on their record within the past seven years. Insurify’s research team compared the population of drivers with at least one DUI to the total number of drivers across 566 U.S. cities. The city with the highest share of drivers with a DUI in each state was selected as the city with the most DUIs in its respective state.

Cities in this analysis were designated using the United States Census Bureau’s classification of an “urbanized area,” defined as an urban area with a population over 50,000. States with insufficient municipal data were excluded from the analysis (Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Vermont, and West Virginia).

The findings in this article represent statistical trends found in Insurify’s database of over 4 million car insurance applications. The findings of this study are not meant to imply the direction nor necessarily the existence of a causal relationship. Rather, this is a presentation of statistical correlations of public interest.

The Cities with the Most DUIs by State

Alabama: Auburn

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 1.5% (29% higher than state average)

Arizona: Flagstaff

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 3.6% (58% higher than state average)

Arkansas: Fayetteville

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 3.3% (70% higher than state average)

California: Redding

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 4.2% (75% higher than state average)

Colorado: Longmont

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 3.6% (39% higher than state average)

Connecticut: Manchester

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 1.8% (62% higher than state average)

Florida: Jupiter

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 1.7% (94% higher than state average)

Georgia: Athens

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 1.9% (36% higher than state average)

Idaho: Caldwell

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 4.1% (32% higher than state average)

Illinois: Springfield

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 2.5% (50% higher than state average)

Indiana: Lafayette

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 3.6% (33% higher than state average)

Iowa: Waterloo

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 4.6% (40% higher than state average)

Kansas: Olathe

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 2.4% (22% higher than state average)

Kentucky: Bowling Green

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 3.0% (33% higher than state average)

Louisiana: Bossier City

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 1.8% (72% higher than state average)

Maryland: Bowie

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 1.9% (39% higher than state average)

Massachusetts: Lynn

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 1.7% (50% higher than state average)

Michigan: Battle Creek

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 1.8% (52% higher than state average)

Minnesota: Rochester

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 4.9% (28% higher than state average)

Mississippi: Gulfport

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 1.3% (25% higher than state average)

Missouri: Blue Springs

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 3.3% (38% higher than state average)

Montana: Missoula

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 3.5% (19% higher than state average)

Nebraska: Lincoln

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 4.7% (21% higher than state average)

Nevada: Reno

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 2.7% (51% higher than state average)

New Jersey: Clifton

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 2.7% (149% higher than state average)

New Mexico: Albuquerque

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 2.2% (14% higher than state average)

New York: Schenectady

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 3.4% (121% higher than state average)

North Carolina: Wilmington

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 3.1% (77% higher than state average)

Ohio: Canton

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 5.5% (63% higher than state average)

Oklahoma: Norman

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 1.7% (24% higher than state average)

Oregon: Springfield

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 3.2% (37% higher than state average)

Pennsylvania: Erie

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 2.5% (29% higher than state average)

Rhode Island: Cranston

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 1.1% (67% higher than state average)

South Carolina: Charleston

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 1.9% (33% higher than state average)

South Dakota: Sioux Falls

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 4.5% (4% higher than state average)

Tennessee: Hendersonville

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 2.7% (59% higher than state average)

Texas: Grapevine

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 2.4% (88% higher than state average)

Utah: Orem

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 3.4% (35% higher than state average)

Virginia: Virginia Beach

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 2.5% (40% higher than state average)

Washington: Auburn

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 2.3% (41% higher than state average)

Wisconsin: Green Bay

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 3.8% (39% higher than state average)

Wyoming: Casper

  • Share of drivers with a DUI: 4.8% (19% higher than state average)

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