A report at Planet Money suggests that Americans are getting our wallets lifted at the bar these days. In 1982, 24% of our liquor budget went to bars and restaurants; today it’s 40%.
This isn’t because we’re eating or drinking out more, it’s because the price of spirits has gone down at the grocery store, but way up at establishments.
On average, $1 out of every $100 earned by Americans goes to liquor, and that hasn’t changed since 1982. But how much we pay where has shifted quite dramatically.
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Lisa Wade is a professor of sociology at Occidental College. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
