Eeew, Wisconsin!

By Melissa August, Val Castronovo, Matthew Cooper, Daren Fonda, Ellin Martens, Benjamin Nugent, Julie Rawe, Eric Roston and Josh Tyrangiel

The Centers for Disease Control last week named Wisconsin the No. 1 state for adult binge drinking (23.3% of cheeseheads recently knocked back five or more in one sitting). But before the collective judgment of a nation falls on liquored-up Wisconsinites, remember, every state is good at something bad.

ALASKA Tops in both occupational fatalities and calendar days without sun, 281 per year

MONTANA Leader in low pay, average salary $22,644

CALIFORNIA Second to none in business failures, 20,089 in 1997

NEVADA Highest divorce rate, more than twice the national average

ARIZONA Tops in car thefts, 865.1 per 100,000

NORTH DAKOTA 1st in drivers who don't use safety belts, 60%

NEW MEXICO 1st in population below the poverty line, 22.4%

TEXAS 1st in population without medical insurance, 24.5%

NEW YORK No. 1 in structurally deficient bridges, 51.7%

WEST VIRGINIA Greatest percentage of overweight adults, 37.8%

TENNESSEE 1st in imported toxins, 264,332,298 lbs. worth in 1997

KENTUCKY Tops in smokers, 30.8% of the population