The findings from the Wisconsin Policy Forum showed Wisconsin’s alcohol-related death rate was above the national rate. Those deaths hit their peak in 2021, at an age-adjusted rate of 16.7 per 100,000 residents, according to the report. That year, the national rate was almost identical. “We were right on par with the nation in this category,” said Mark Sommerhauser, researcher and communications director for the Wisconsin Policy Forum. The Policy Forum found deaths among Black residents were considerably higher than for other groups, especially when compared to national trends.