Alcohol Outlets and Violence in Philadelphia

This issue of the Urban Health Collaborative Data Brief describes the relationships among neighborhood characteristics, alcohol outlets, violent crime, and proximity to schools in Philadelphia. These data can be used to anticipate potential public health effects that might occur with expansion of alcohol sales in Philadelphia. The analysis focuses on stores that sell alcohol for consumption elsewhere (off-premise sales) because the public health impact of these outlets is greater than that of bars and restaurants (on premise sales).

Key Findings

• There are more off-premise alcohol outlets per square mile in neighborhoods with higher poverty and in neighborhoods with higher percentages of Hispanic or African American residents.
• Violence is more common in areas with more stores selling alcohol.
• Regardless of neighborhood poverty level, neighborhoods with more alcohol outlets have more violent incidents.
• Alcohol outlets are slightly closer to schools in neighborhoods with the highest level of poverty