MCLEAN, Va. – U.S. beer consumption may have dropped slightly from 28.3 gallons per drinking-aged adult in 2012, to 27.6 gallons in 2013, as consumers shifted a bit to wine and spirits, but beer drinking in some states remains high.

USA Today reports that, according to a recent study from Beer Marketer's Insights, North Dakota residents consumed 43.3 gallons of beer per drinking-age adult in 2013 — the most of any state — while Utah adults consume the least amount of beer (19.6 gallons per legal age adult). Following North Dakota, the top five states drink the most beer are:

• New Hampshire: consumption per legal age adult was 42.2 gallons.
• Montana: consumption per legal age adult was 40.5 gallons of beer in 2013, down from more than 43 gallons in 2009.
• South Dakota: 38.1 gallons per adult. 
• Vermont: Americans nationwide drank less beer in 2012 than they did in 2002, but Vermonters consumed 11.2% more alcohol from beer.

Overall beer consumption has declined in the U.S., notes the news source. Alcohol consumption from wine and spirits rose by 15.2% and 20.9%, respectively, between 2002 and 2012, while beer consumption dropped by 8.6%. Some states are tracking with the national trend, while others have shown increases. For instance beer consumption rose by more than 10% in both Vermont and Maine.

Among the states that ranked high in beer consumption, residents are also exercising regularly and eating healthy. The news source notes that residents of Maine, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Vermont, for example, are among the healthiest eaters, while residents of Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Vermont are among the most likely to exercise regularly.