Cigarette smoking is still the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. It kills more than 480,000 Americans a year, and in 2018 it cost the country more than $600 billion: more than $240 billion in health care spending and nearly $372 billion in lost productivity.
In 2022 an estimated 11.6 percent of U.S. adults — 28.8 million people — smoked cigarettes. Current smoking means having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in one's life and now smoking every day or on some days.
Who smokes
Percentage of adults aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes:
| Group | % | Group | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 13.1 | Women | 10.1 |
| Aged 18–24 | 5.3 | Aged 25–44 | 12.6 |
| Aged 45–64 | 14.9 | Aged 65 and over | 8.3 |
| White, non-Hispanic | 12.9 | Black, non-Hispanic | 11.7 |
| Asian, non-Hispanic | 5.4 | Hispanic | 7.7 |
| Other, non-Hispanic | 14.9 | ||
| Northeast | 10.4 | Midwest | 14.0 |
| South | 12.4 | West | 8.9 |
Estimates for American Indian and Alaska Native adults were not statistically reliable.
By education (adults aged 25 and over): no diploma (0–12 years) 20.1; GED 30.7; high school diploma 17.1; some college, no degree 16.1; associate degree 13.7; bachelor's degree 5.3; graduate degree 3.2.
By circumstances:
| Group | % | Group | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Married or living with a partner | 10.4 | Divorced, separated or widowed | 16.8 |
| Single, never married | 10.9 | ||
| Low income | 18.3 | Middle income | 12.3 |
| High income | 6.7 | ||
| Heterosexual | 11.4 | Lesbian, gay or bisexual | 15.3 |
| Private insurance | 8.6 | Medicaid | 21.5 |
| Medicare only (65 and over) | 8.4 | Other public insurance | 13.9 |
| Uninsured | 20.0 | ||
| With a disability | 18.5 | Without | 10.9 |
| Regular severe psychological distress | 28.1 | Without | 10.9 |
| Ever told by a provider they had depression | 19.4 | Never told | 9.9 |
Severe psychological distress was measured with the six-item Kessler (K6) scale.
The CDC page's note on American Indian and Alaska Native adults refers to "2021 tobacco product estimates", while its headline figures are for 2022.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Burden of Cigarette Use in the U.S.," Tips From Former Smokers. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/resources/data/cigarette-smoking-in-united-states.html
- Cornelius ME, Malarcher A, Jamal A, et al., "Adult Smoking Cessation — United States, 2022," MMWR 2024;73:633–641. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7329a1
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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