Houston among America's booziest cities, sobering new study says

HOUSTON, Texas -- At this point, locals are pretty accustomed to seeing Houston nab top spots on various lists. Not only is it the most diverse city in the country, it's one of the best places to live and start a business, boasts one of the most affordable housing markets for the middle class, and is one of the best summer destinations in the country.

But this new ranking is unlikely to make it to a convention and visitors bureau pamphlet. According to a June study released by alcohol abuse resource site Alcohol.org, Houston has the 24th highest percentage of drinkers in the country.

The rankings, which compared census figures with data culled from public information trove City-Data, actually highlight cities with the highest percentage of non-drinkers. But Houston - and the rest of Texas - failed to crack the top 50 on the list of non-imbibers.

Instead, the state nabbed 12 out of the 50 cities with the lowest percent of non-drinkers, led by Laredo at No. 4, Austin at No. 5, and Plano at No. 10.

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