PC 04-25-23 Item #3 Commissioner Lindskog_Written CommunicationsCommunity Impact of Selling Liquor
Statistics on Density of Liquor Stores and Crime
Study 1 - UC Riverside
UC Riverside researchers analyzed federal crime data for offenders aged 13-17 and 18-24 and census population and
economic data to determine crime rates and the density of beer, wine and liquor stores in 91 of the largest American cities
in 36 states.
●Researchers found a correlation between the density of alcohol outlets and violent crime rates among teens and
young adults aged 13 to 24
●The data was normalized to take into account other factors known to contribute to youth homicide rates, such as
poverty, drugs, availability of guns, and gangs.
The researchers found that higher densities of liquor stores contributed significantly to higher
youth homicide rates.
Source: https://www.socialworktoday.com/news/dn_092111.shtml
Study 2 - Minneapolis, MN
This two-year study conducted in 2009 examined the link between alcohol establishment density and multiple types of
violent crime in all 83 neighborhoods in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Researchers controlled for neighborhood demographics.
A 20% increase in density of establishments selling off-premise alcohol resulted in a statistically
significant increase in robbery and assault.
●3.2% increase in robberies
●2.9% increase in assaults
The results of this study contribute to the growing literature on the relationship between alcohol establishment density and
crime. The Task Force on Community Preventive Services (http://www.thecommunityguide.org/alcohol/outletdensity.html )
has recommended “…the use of regulatory authority (e.g., through licensing and zoning) to limit alcohol outlet density on the
basis of sufficient evidence of a positive association between outlet density and excessive alcohol consumption and related
harms.”
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3412911/
Study 3 - Baltimore, MD
Researchers examined data from 264 off-premise establishments licensed to sell alcohol in June 2016.
A 10% increase in access to off-premise alcohol outlets in Baltimore City was significantly associated
with a 4.4% increase in exposure to violent crime, even after controlling for neighborhood contextual
factors.
This conclusion is consistent with the previous analysis of alcohol outlet availability in Baltimore City from 2005–2010 as
well as the literature from other large (>200,00 residents) cities in the US (Branas et al., 2009, R. Britt et al., 2005, Zhu et al.,
2006, Yu et al., 2008, Parker et al., 2011, Toomey et al., 2012, Snowden and Freiburger, 2015).
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6214776/