Data from several national surveys document the use of alcohol among young people. The 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that among high school students, during the past 30 days:
 

• 29% drank alcohol

• 14% binge drank

• 5% of drivers drove after drinking alcohol

• 17% rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol

Rates of current and binge drinking among high school students have generally been declining in recent decades. Although males historically had higher rates, in 2019, female high school students were more likely to drink alcohol and binge drink than male high school students.

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According to the CDC, other national surveys find:

• 19% of young people aged 12 to 20 years reported drinking alcohol

• 11% reported binge drinking in the past 30 days 

• 8% of 8th-grade students and 29% of 12th-grade students reported drinking alcohol during the past 30 days 

• 4% of 8th-grade students and 14% of 12th-grade students reported binge drinking during the past two weeks