These Are The US Cities With The Most DUIs

Driving under the influence of alcohol remains a serious public safety issue across the United States. According to the NHTSA, 34 people across the country die every day from drunk-driving crashes.

In this visualization, Visual Capitalist’s Marcus Lu shows the rate of DUIs per 1,000 drivers across America’s 50 biggest cities, based on an analysis conducted by LendingTree.

Data & Discussion

The data for this visualization is based on LendingTree’s analysis of “tens of millions” of insurance quotes from 2024.

They ranked the 50 largest U.S. cities by the number of DUI violations per 1,000 drivers, highlighting regional differences in driving behavior and law enforcement.

Rank
City
State
DUIs per
1,000 Drivers
1
Omaha
NE
4.48
2
San Jose
CA
3.68
3
Sacramento
CA
3.55
4
Virginia
Beach
VA
3.46
5
Fresno
CA
3.31
6
Minneapolis
MN
3.3
7
Long Beach
CA
2.83
8
Bakersfield
CA
2.78
9
Oakland
CA
2.76
10
New York
NY
2.73
11
San Diego
CA
2.68
12
Colorado
Springs
CO
2.63
13
San Francisco
CA
2.59
14
Milwaukee
WI
2.39
15
Albuquerque
NM
2.35
15
Columbus
OH
2.35
17
Mesa
AZ
2.33
18
Denver
CO
2.23
19
Raleigh
NC
2.16
20
Indianapolis
IN
2.11
21
Tucson
AZ
2.05
22
Phoenix
AZ
2.04
23
Las Vegas
NV
2.01
24
Los Angeles
CA
1.94
25
Nashville
TN
1.81
26
Seattle
WA
1.67
27
Kansas City
MO
1.66
28
Portland
OR
1.57
29
Washington
DC
1.56
30
Boston
MA
1.5
31
Charlotte
NC
1.49
32
El Paso
TX
1.38
33
Oklahoma
City
OK
1.37
34
Austin
TX
1.32
35
Louisville
KY
1.28
36
Jacksonville
FL
1.23
37
Atlanta
GA
1.18
38
Tampa
FL
1.17
39
Baltimore
MD
1.14
40
Fort Worth
TX
1.08
41
Arlington
TX
1.03
41
Dallas
TX
1.03
43
Houston
TX
1.02
44
San Antonio
TX
1.01
45
Detroit
MI
0.81
46
Philadelphia
PA
0.66
46
Memphis
TN
0.66
46
Miami
FL
0.66
49
Tulsa
OK
0.65
50
Chicago
IL
0.45

Omaha Leads the Nation in DUIs

Omaha, Nebraska tops the list with 4.48 DUI violations per 1,000 drivers. That’s nearly 10 times the rate seen in Chicago, which ranks lowest at 0.45.

While it’s hard to say why Omaha took the top spot, possible reasons could include higher car dependency or stricter DUI enforcement. Either way, it stands out significantly from the national average.

California Dominates the Top 10

Six of the top 10 cities with the most DUIs are located in California. San Jose, Sacramento, Fresno, Long Beach, Bakersfield, and Oakland all report high DUI rates ranging from 2.76 to 3.68 per 1,000 drivers.

This may reflect the state’s large population and vehicle-centric culture, though variations in enforcement or reporting practices could also play a role.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Violent Crime Rates by State on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.