More than a million-and-a-half Americans live in a dry county. That’s less than one percent of our population living in more than 80 counties around the United States, according to the 24/7 Wallstreet website.
Now, just because you can’t buy alcohol anywhere within the borders of these counties doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a glass of wine on your deck or crack open a beer for your barbeque. Of course, you won’t be able to have your favorite mixed drink at any restaurants within these counties or buy any bottles of anything in any store, either.
So, exactly how many states have a dry county? The 83 dry counties are only spread across nine states, according to 24/7 Wallstreet.
The majority of dry counties are located in the South, where religious beliefs echoing the Temperance Movement, which in the 1800s pushed for reduced alcohol consumption across the nation, continue to drive anti-alcohol sentiment.
Meanwhile, a couple of dry counties are battling rampant alcohol abuse or worried about the public health implications including drunk driving.
However, according to the Rehabs website, there isn’t much of a difference between wet and dry counties when it comes to alcohol issues. Actually, deaths from driving under the influence of alcohol are higher in dry counties than wet counties.
While 17 states prohibit the creation of dry locales anywhere, according to 24/7 Wallstreet, the rest of the country allows various jurisdictions to make their own laws.
Here are your nine states that have dry counties.
Arkansas is 45 percent dry across 34 dry counties.
Kentucky has 15 dry counties in 11 percent of the state.
Mississippi is 13 percent dry in 12 counties.
Tennessee has five dry counties covering three-and-a-half percent of the state.
Texas has five dry counties covering just two percent of the state.
Georgia has four dry counties covering nearly four percent of the state.
Florida is home to three dry counties covering three percent of the state.
Kansas has three dry counties in just two-and-a-half percent of the state.
South Dakota has one dry county covering almost three percent of the state.
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