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|National Center For Chronic Disease Prevention and Health 
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|Tobacco Information and Prevention Source (TIPS)                                                                       
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                  Links |  |  | Adult Cigarette 
      Smoking in the United States: Current Estimates
      Fact sheet
      November 2006
      Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the 
      United States,1 accounting for approximately 1 of every 5 
      deaths (438,000 people) each year.2,3
      National Estimates
      An estimated, 20.9 percent of all adults (45.1 million people) smoke 
        cigarettes in the United States.4Cigarette smoking estimates by age are as follows: 18�24 years (24.4 
        percent), 25�44 years (24.1 percent), 45�64 years (21.9 percent), and 65 
        years or older (8.6 percent).4Cigarette smoking is more common among men (23.9 percent) than women 
        (18.1 percent).4Prevalence of cigarette smoking is highest among American 
        Indians/Alaska Natives (32.0 percent), followed by whites (21.9 
        percent), African Americans (21.5 percent), Hispanics (16.2 percent), 
        and Asians [excluding Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders](13.3 
        percent).4Cigarette smoking estimates are highest for adults with a General 
        Education Development (GED) diploma (43.2 percent) or 9�11 years of 
        education (32.6 percent), and lowest for adults with an undergraduate 
        college degree (10.7 percent) or a graduate college degree (7.1 
        percent).4Cigarette smoking is more common among adults who live below the 
        poverty level (29.9 percent) than among those living at or above the 
        poverty level (20.6 percent).4State Estimates
      In 2005, the state estimates for cigarette smoking varied widely, 
        ranging from 11.5 percent in Utah and 15.2 percent in California, to 
        28.7 percent in Kentucky and 27.3 percent in 
        Indiana.5The highest state estimates for cigarette smoking among men were in 
        Kentucky (30.6 percent), Indiana (29.7 percent), and Alabama (29.5 
        percent); the lowest estimates were in Utah (13.7 percent), 
        Massachusetts (18.1 percent), and Kansas (18.9 
        percent).5The highest estimates for cigarette smoking among women were in 
        Kentucky (26.9 percent), West Virginia (26.0 percent), and Indiana (25.1 
        percent); the lowest estimates were in Utah (9.3 percent) and California 
        (11.3 percent).5References
      CDC. Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential 
        life lost, and economic costs�United States, 1995�1999. (PDF Image PDF - 220k) 
        Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2002;51(14):300�303. 
        Accessed: May 2004.CDC. Annual Smoking�Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential 
        Life Lost, and Productivity Losses � United States, 1997�2001. (PDF Image PDF - 256k) 
        Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2005;54(25):625�628.CDC. National 
        Center for Health Statistics; Health, United States, 2004 With Chartbook 
        on Trends in the Health of Americans. (PDF Image PDF - 116k) Hyattsville, MD: 
        U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, 2004. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus04.pdf. (PDF Image PDF - 
        9.5MB)CDC. Tobacco use among adults�United States, 2005. (PDF Image PDF - 253k) 
        Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report2006;55(42):1145�1148.CDC. State-specific 
        prevalence of current cigarette smoking among adults and secondhand 
        smoke rules and policies in homes and workplaces - United States, 
        2005.  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report2006;55(42):1148-1151. Accessed November 2006.Note: More recent information may be available at the 
      CDC�s Office on Smoking and Health Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/, CDC�s 
      National Center for Health Statistics Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm, 
      or from CDC�s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/brfss.
      For Further Information
      Centers for Disease Control and PreventionNational Center for 
      Chronic Disease Prevention and Health PromotionOffice on Smoking and 
      Health
      E�mail: [email protected]Phone: 
      1�800�CDC�INFO
      Media Inquiries: Contact the Office on Smoking and Health press line at 
      770-488-5493.One or more documents on this Web page is available 
            in Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need Acrobat 
            Reader (a free application) to view and print these 
            documents. |  | One or more documents on this Web page is available 
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|Contents                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
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      This page last reviewed November 
      06, 2006
      United States 
      Department of Health and Human ServicesCenters for Disease Control and 
      PreventionNational Center 
      for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health PromotionOffice on Smoking and 
      Health | 
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