Alcohol Outlet Density

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recognized having a high concentration of alcohol retailers in a small area, known as a high alcohol outlet density or high alcohol retailer density, as a risk factor for excessive drinking, disorderly conduct, noise pollution, neighborhood disruption, public nuisance, and property damage. Harms from a high alcohol outlet density are also seen further away through effects such as alcohol-impaired driving, pedestrian injuries, domestic violence, and child abuse and neglect [1]. Because of this, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (MTDPHHS) is interested in monitoring and reporting the current landscape of alcohol outlet density across the state.

Recent interest in alcohol outlet density has led to the development of multiple ways to express alcohol outlet density. MTDPHHS reports this data through four measures: alcohol outlets per capita, alcohol outlets per area, the average distance from one alcohol outlet to its nearest neighbor, and the average distance from alcohol outlets to where people live (also known as a population weighted distance index). These measures are reported below in relation to the total population, as well as to the population of adolescents between the ages of 12-17 years.

 Increases in alcohol retail density correlate with an increasing likelihood that local youth will drink alcohol within the next year, as well as the number of days per week engaged in harmful levels of drinking by adults [2,3]. Furthermore, having an alcohol retail outlet in close proximity to a school has been demonstrated to increase the odds of a student drinking underage [4,5]. In 2021, 31% of Montana high school students reported current alcohol use and 16% reported current binge drinking* [6]. By examining areas of high alcohol retail density and areas with alcohol outlets near schools we can anticipate the vulnerability of our communities to harms caused by underage drinking.

To learn more about how the state ensures alcohol retailers do not sell alcohol to minors, visit our  Alcohol Sales Compliance page .

*Current alcohol use is defined as having at least 1 alcoholic drink during the 30 days prior to the survey. Current binge drinking is defined as 4 or more drinks in a row for females and 5 or more drinks in a row for males on at least 1 day in the 30 days prior to the survey.

This indicator describes the number of alcohol outlets in a county compared to the population in that county. A higher number means there is a higher density of alcohol outlets. The state average for the total population is 3 outlets per 1,000 people*.

Uses: Measuring the prevalence of alcohol outlets among a population in a given area, such as a county.

Limitations: This number is strongly affected by changes in the population; if the number of alcohol outlets remains the same, but the population in the county increases over time, the alcohol outlet density per capita grows smaller. This measure also ignores how easily members of the population can access it; an alcohol outlet in one corner of a county may be more accessible to people living near that corner, including people in neighboring counties, compared to someone living in the opposite corner of the county. Finally, areas with clusters of alcohol outlets may serve as attractions, drawing in people from further distances; this means that the effects of the high alcohol outlet density may not be felt in the county where the cluster exists. Because of these limitations, this measure should not be used for monitoring changes in alcohol outlet density [1].

Calculated as the number of alcohol outlets, divided by the population, and multiplied by 1,000.

This indicator describes the number of alcohol outlets in a county compared to the number of square miles within that county. A higher number means there is a higher density of alcohol outlets. Due to the vast space of Montana, this number has been multiplied by 100 for easier comparison. The state average is nearly 6 outlets per 100 square miles (5.88); this can also be written as nearly 1 alcohol outlet for every 47 square miles.

Uses: Measuring changes in alcohol outlet density for defined geopolitical areas, such as counties.

Limitations: This measure is not effected by changes in the resident population, including changes in demographics. This, it cannot measure the population impact of alcohol outlet density over time. This metric also includes park lands, undeveloped lands, vacant lots, and natural features such as lakes, which add to the area of the county. This approach is expected to underestimate the actual concentration of the alcohol outlets within the community where they are located, which is often built and structured away from many of these features. Finally, this measure is influenced by the size of the county; it is possible for a large county with more alcohol outlets to therefore have a lower density than a small county with only a few outlets [1].

Calculated as the number of alcohol outlets divided by the number of square miles. Multiplied by 100 for easier comparison between outcomes. Alternative method of calculation (1 per 47 square miles) calculated as the number of square miles divided by the number of alcohol outlets.

This indicator measures the distance between alcohol retailers to their nearest neighboring alcohol retailer. This measure is especially useful for detecting clusters of alcohol retailer, or areas where there are a lot of retailers in a small area. In some cases, multiple retailers may share a location, such as a restaurant operating on the ground floor of a structure while a separate bar operates in the basement. In these cases the distance is treated as 1 foot to prevent calculation errors. The values are averaged out for the geographical area and reported as the average number of feet between neighboring retailers. In this case, a lower number indicates a higher density as it means there is a shorter distance between retailers. The state average is 3,194 feet.

Uses: Identifying areas with clusters of alcohol outlets.

Limitations: There is not empirical definition of a cluster of alcohol outlets. Therefore it is a judgement call to determine whether or not the density is considered high. This may be guided by characteristics of the community: if the high concentration of alcohol retailers occurs in a city, the standards for what counts as high density may be considerably different than if the same concentration of alcohol retailers occurs in a rural area [1].

Calculated as the mean distance in feet from each alcohol retailer to the next nearest alcohol retailer. Note that the next nearest retailer may not be in the same county. Out of state retailers were not considered in this calculation.

This indicator is a measure of the access a consumer has to an alcohol retailer relative to a reference point and to other alcohol retailers nearby. It additionally incorporated population characteristics into the formula, so that a retailer in an area with a higher population is considered to have more impact than a retailer in an area with a lower population. The initial formula is calculated on the Census Block Group level. Due to the nature of the formula, this may not be available for every county. In particular, if a county only has one Census Block Group in it the calculation cannot be completed for that county. A higher number indicates more density of alcohol retailers and more exposure to alcohol retailers in the community. The state average is 5.88 for the total population, however the when only considering Montanans between the age of 12-17 years the state average becomes 6.14.

Uses: Comparing risk attributable to high alcohol outlet density across communities. Identifying areas with clusters of alcohol outlets.

Limitations: Due to the complexity of calculation, this is the least intuitive measure to understand. There is no set value of what an ideal alcohol outlet density would look like and definitions of high or low are judgement calls.

Calculated as the inverse of the distance from the center of each Census Block Group to the nearest alcohol outlet times the population of the Census Block Group. This value is then summed for the larger area and divided by the total population in the area.