The density of retail alcohol outlets is often regulated
to reduce excessive alcohol consumption and related
harms. Alcoholic beverage outlet density refers to the
number of physical locations in which alcoholic beverages
are available for purchase either per area or per
population. An outlet is a setting in which alcohol may
be sold legally for either on-premises or off-premises
consumption. On-premises settings may include restaurants,
bars, and ballparks; off-premises settings may
include grocery and convenience stores as well as liquor
stores. In 2005, the most recent year for which data are
available, there were more than 600,000 licensed retail
alcohol outlets in the U.S., or 2.7 outlets per 1000
population aged 18 years.5 The number of outlets per
capita in states with state-owned retail outlets varied
from a low of 0.48 per 1000 residents in Mississippi to a
high of 7.25 per 1000 in Iowa.5