(WHTM) - Several Central Pennsylvania counties are home to the highest percentage of underage drinking offenses.
Underage drinking offenses are issued to those under the age of 21 caught consuming, transporting, possessing, purchasing, or attempting to purchase alcohol.
Centre County, the home of Penn State University, led with 11% according to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. Allegheny County, home to the University of Pittsburgh, followed at 8%.
Chester County followed with 7% and four counties had 4% of the offenses: Montgomery, Delaware, Philadelphia, and Washington.
Cumberland, Dauphin, and York counties each had 3% to round out the top 10.
You can see a county-by-county breakdown below:
| County | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | Total | Percentage of Overall |
| Adams | 123 | 84 | 79 | 65 | 91 | 442 | 1.31% |
| Allegheny | 707 | 430 | 466 | 530 | 558 | 2,691 | 7.98% |
| Armstrong | 28 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 24 | 116 | 0.34% |
| Beaver | 81 | 49 | 68 | 60 | 82 | 340 | 1.01% |
| Bedford | 16 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 29 | 76 | 0.23% |
| Berks | 248 | 153 | 125 | 154 | 138 | 818 | 2.43% |
| Blair | 161 | 132 | 73 | 94 | 130 | 590 | 1.75% |
| Bradford | 18 | 22 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 88 | 0.26% |
| Bucks | 285 | 178 | 140 | 119 | 181 | 903 | 2.68% |
| Butler | 278 | 142 | 157 | 176 | 229 | 982 | 2.91% |
| Cambria | 97 | 50 | 61 | 43 | 52 | 303 | 0.90% |
| Cameron | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.01% |
| Carbon | 15 | 29 | 22 | 7 | 18 | 91 | 0.27% |
| Centre | 1,113 | 446 | 665 | 613 | 807 | 3,644 | 10.81% |
| Chester | 570 | 295 | 489 | 552 | 567 | 2,473 | 7.34% |
| Clarion | 66 | 37 | 30 | 42 | 64 | 239 | 0.71% |
| Clearfield | 46 | 25 | 32 | 12 | 12 | 127 | 0.38% |
| Clinton | 46 | 23 | 22 | 42 | 25 | 158 | 0.47% |
| Columbia | 335 | 147 | 103 | 118 | 124 | 827 | 2.45% |
| Crawford | 41 | 62 | 58 | 72 | 63 | 296 | 0.88% |
| Cumberland | 259 | 213 | 205 | 260 | 218 | 1,155 | 3.43% |
| Dauphin | 251 | 129 | 129 | 268 | 318 | 1,095 | 3.25% |
| Delaware | 622 | 219 | 210 | 199 | 174 | 1,424 | 4.22% |
| Elk | 24 | 23 | 23 | 12 | 26 | 108 | 0.32% |
| Erie | 177 | 148 | 140 | 133 | 148 | 746 | 2.21% |
| Fayette | 37 | 39 | 16 | 46 | 51 | 189 | 0.56% |
| Forest | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.01% |
| Franklin | 60 | 56 | 38 | 44 | 68 | 266 | 0.79% |
| Fulton | 8 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 28 | 0.08% |
| Greene | 18 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 16 | 50 | 0.15% |
| Huntingdon | 31 | 28 | 16 | 19 | 9 | 103 | 0.31% |
| Indiana | 249 | 112 | 129 | 152 | 140 | 782 | 2.32% |
| Jefferson | 23 | 12 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 86 | 0.26% |
| Juniata | 9 | 10 | 16 | 23 | 14 | 72 | 0.21% |
| Lackawanna | 296 | 107 | 149 | 162 | 184 | 898 | 2.66% |
| Lancaster | 254 | 151 | 141 | 188 | 208 | 942 | 2.79% |
| Lawrence | 33 | 36 | 32 | 10 | 15 | 126 | 0.37% |
| Lebanon | 57 | 37 | 29 | 35 | 29 | 187 | 0.55% |
| Lehigh | 98 | 40 | 44 | 67 | 91 | 340 | 1.01% |
| Luzerne | 112 | 99 | 77 | 112 | 110 | 510 | 1.51% |
| Lycoming | 88 | 52 | 67 | 40 | 72 | 319 | 0.95% |
| McKean | 53 | 50 | 32 | 43 | 39 | 217 | 0.64% |
| Mercer | 70 | 42 | 49 | 34 | 40 | 235 | 0.70% |
| Mifflin | 23 | 21 | 24 | 30 | 47 | 145 | 0.43% |
| Monroe | 68 | 37 | 44 | 40 | 31 | 220 | 0.65% |
| Montgomery | 402 | 295 | 235 | 244 | 245 | 1,421 | 4.21% |
| Montour | 13 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 38 | 0.11% |
| Northampton | 178 | 118 | 117 | 89 | 117 | 619 | 1.84% |
| Northumberland | 62 | 63 | 42 | 32 | 44 | 243 | 0.72% |
| Perry | 20 | 17 | 14 | 21 | 3 | 75 | 0.22% |
| Philadelphia | 433 | 168 | 300 | 288 | 275 | 1,464 | 4.34% |
| Pike | 11 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 46 | 0.14% |
| Potter | 10 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 5 | 73 | 0.22% |
| Schuylkill | 73 | 35 | 17 | 36 | 27 | 188 | 0.56% |
| Snyder | 37 | 38 | 15 | 13 | 36 | 139 | 0.41% |
| Somerset | 50 | 44 | 12 | 56 | 64 | 226 | 0.67% |
| Sullivan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.01% |
| Susquehanna | 19 | 37 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 87 | 0.26% |
| Tioga | 28 | 18 | 23 | 17 | 14 | 100 | 0.30% |
| Union | 87 | 59 | 68 | 36 | 50 | 300 | 0.89% |
| Venango | 17 | 27 | 14 | 19 | 15 | 92 | 0.27% |
| Warren | 23 | 11 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 79 | 0.23% |
| Washington | 677 | 93 | 182 | 197 | 259 | 1,408 | 4.18% |
| Wayne | 17 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 17 | 55 | 0.16% |
| Westmoreland | 142 | 113 | 126 | 100 | 100 | 581 | 1.72% |
| Wyoming | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 16 | 41 | 0.12% |
| York | 246 | 225 | 142 | 170 | 201 | 984 | 2.92% |
| Grand Total | 9,749 | 5,411 | 5,668 | 6,072 | 6,814 | 33,714 | 100.00% |
Officials say underage drinking offenses have dropped significantly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019 there were more than 9,700 underage drinking offenses in Pennsylvania, but that number dropped to about 5,400 in 2020.
In 2021 that number rose by about 200 and in 2022 it surpassed 6,000.
In 2023 there were more than 6,800 underage drinking offenses in Pennsylvania.
Nearly $2.2 million in fines has been assessed between 2019 and 2023 for underage drinking convictions. Fines for the first offense can be up to $500 and the second or third offense brings a fine of up to $1,000.
The numbers provided by the courts do not include driving under the influence offenses.