Two California cities rank among the nation’s worst for drunk driving.
That’s according to recent research from online loan marketplace LendingTree and a Florida law firm.
“Drunk driving … is a major public safety issue nationwide,” LendingTree contributor Michelle Lambright Black wrote in a July article. “However, depending on where you live, the risk of encountering a drunk driver may be higher or lower.”
LendingTree finds the worst cities in the U.S. for drunk driving based on DUI rates, insurance premiums and more.
Meanwhile, law firm Anidjar & Levine narrowed down the 10 most dangerous cities for drunk driving based on the proportion of fatal crashes caused by drunk driving.
Here are the California cities on the list:
Why is Fresno one of the worst cities for drunk driving?
Fresno ranks second in the nation for fatal crashes involving drunk drivers, according to research from the law firm Anidjar & Levine.
The study found that about 34.5% of fatal crashes in the Central Valley between 2019 and 2023 involved at least one driver with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher.
According to the law firm Anidjar & Levine, there are an average of 21 drunk driving-related deaths in Fresno each year.
Fresno reports that there will be 3.31 drunk driving incidents per 1,000 drivers in 2024, making it the fifth worst city for drunk driving in 2025, LendingTree reported.
Fresno moved up one spot from last year, when it ranked sixth on LendingTree’s list of the worst U.S. cities for drunk driving.
What makes Sacramento the city with the highest number of drunk driving deaths?
Sacramento ranks sixth in the nation, according to research from the law firm Anidjar & Levine.
Nearly 28% of fatal crashes in California’s capital between 2019 and 2023 involved at least one driver with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit, the study found.
The law firm said there are an average of 16 drunk driving-related deaths in Sacramento each year.
According to LendingTree research, there will be 3.55 drunk driving incidents per 1,000 drivers in Sacramento by 2024, making it the third worst city for drunk driving in 2025.
The city previously ranked second on LendingTree’s list.
What are the 10 most dangerous cities for drunk driving?
According to the law firm Anidjar & Levine, here are the 10 U.S. cities most prone to fatal drunk driving-related crashes:
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1. Colorado Springs, Colorado
To determine the rankings, the Florida personal injury law firm said it analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on drunk driving-related deaths in the 50 most populous cities from 2019 to 2023.
Why are drunk driving rates so high in California cities?
“Several California cities have particularly high rates of drunk driving among drivers,” LendingTree said in its 2025 study. “Six of the 10 largest cities in the United States with the highest drunk driving rates are in California.”
On LendingTree’s list of major U.S. cities with the highest drunk driving rates, San Jose ranks second, Long Beach ranks seventh, Bakersfield ranks eighth and Oakland ranks ninth.
LendingTree auto insurance expert and licensed insurance agent Rob Bhatt believes California’s climate and strict drunk driving laws are major factors.
“Warmer weather attracts people to gather together, often drinking,” Barth said in the study. “A lack of public transport may lead to many people driving when they should be using other modes of transport. Stricter enforcement of drink driving laws may also of course be a factor in high drink driving rates.”
Where do insurance costs increase the most after a DUI?
LendingTree also looked at DUI rates by age group and vehicle manufacturer, as well as the U.S. cities where auto insurance premiums rise the most after a DUI conviction.
LendingTree research found that seven of the 10 cities with the largest increase in insurance costs for drivers after a DUI are in California.
Los Angeles is the highest-ranked city on the list, ranking fourth.
“The high rate of DUI offenders demonstrates that impaired drivers cause particularly costly injuries and losses in California,” Bart said. “Insurance companies recoup their costs by charging higher fees to drivers who incur the greatest costs to them.”
However, LendingTree’s list of U.S. cities with the highest rates of fatal crashes caused by drunk driving does not include any California cities.
What are the 10 worst cities for drunk driving?
According to LendingTree, these are the 10 worst cities for drunk driving in 2025:
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4. Virginia Beach, VA
LendingTree said its researchers “analyzed tens of millions” of QuoteWizard quotes from LendingTree insurance quotes going back to 2024 and calculated the number of drunk drivers per 1,000 drivers in the 50 most populous U.S. cities.
The website uses insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services, which is obtained from insurance company filings.
LendingTree researchers also analyzed 2023 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System — the same data used in the Anidjar & Levine study.
