Substance Use in the 15 Largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 2002-2005
Source: Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (HHS)

Highlights:

• According to the U.S. population in 2005, the 15 largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) are: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Riverside, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Rates of past month (i.e., current) illicit drug use, binge alcohol use, and cigarette use for each of these MSAs were compared with the national average. To obtain sufficient numbers to make reliable estimates, the comparisons are based on the combined data from SAMHSA’s 2002 to 2005 annual National Surveys of Drug Use and Health.
• The national annual average rate of current illicit drug use was 8.1% of persons aged 12 or older. Among the 15 largest metropolitan statistical areas, San Francisco (12.9%) and Detroit (9.5%) had significantly higher rates than the national average and the metropolitan statistical areas of Houston (6.2%), Dallas (6.5%) and Washington D.C (6.5%) had lower rates of past month illicit drug use than the national average.
• The rate of current binge drinking was 22.7% for the nation and ranged from 18.6% in Los Angeles to 25.6% in Houston and 25.7% in Chicago metropolitan statistical areas. Binge drinking is defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other) on at least one day in the past 30 days.
• The rate of current smoking cigarettes was 25.3% for the nation and ranged from 17.9% in Los Angeles and San Francisco to 27.4% in the Detroit metropolitan statistical areas.

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