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Burden of Cigarette Use in the U.S.						Español (Spanish)							Print
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										Current Cigarette Smoking Among U.S. Adults Aged 18 Years and OlderBy Sex | By Age Group | By Race/Ethnicity | By U.S. Census Region | By Education | By Marital Status | By Annual Household Income | By Sexual Orientation | By Health Insurance Coverage | By Disability | By Generalized Anxiety DisorderCigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States.
Cigarette smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans each year.1 Cigarette smoking cost the United States more than $600 billion in 2018, including more than $240 billion in healthcare spending and nearly $372 billion in lost productivity.1,2,3,4
In 2021, an estimated 11.5% (28.3 million) of U.S. adults currently smoked cigarettes. Current cigarette smoking was defined as smoking ≥100 cigarettes during a lifetime and now smoking cigarettes either every day or some days.5On This Page
			Current Cigarette Smoking Among U.S. Adults Aged 18 Years and OlderReferences
		
Learn how smoking and secondhand smoke affect specific groups, including smoking-related statistics.Read more**Percentage of persons aged ≥18 years who reported cigarette use “every day” or****“****some days” at time of survey and reported smoking at least 100 cigarettes during their lifetime.**5

The cigarette smoking rates of adults within the United States, organized by sex.
**By Sex**
**Percentage**Male
13.1%Female
10.1%

The cigarette smoking rates of adults within the United States, organized by age.
**By Age Group (yrs)**
**Percentage**18–24
5.3%25–44
12.6%45–64
14.9%≥65
8.3%

The cigarette smoking rates of adults within the United States, organized by race/ethnicity.
By Race/Ethnicity
**Percentage**White, non-Hispanic
12.9%Black, non-Hispanic
11.7%Asian, non-Hispanic
5.4%Hispanic
7.7%Other, non-Hispanic
14.9%NOTE: 2021 tobacco product estimates for American Indian/Alaska Native adults were not statistically reliable.

The cigarette smoking rates of adults within the United States, organized by U.S. Census region.
**By U.S. Census Region**
**Percentage**Northeast
10.4%Midwest
14.0%South
12.4%West
8.9%

The cigarette smoking rates of adults within the United States, organized by level of education.
By Education **(adults aged ≥25 yrs)**
Percentage0–12 yrs (no diploma)
20.1%GED
30.7%High school diploma
17.1%Some college, no degree
16.1%Associate degree (academic or technical/vocational)
13.7%Undergraduate degree (bachelor’s)
5.3%Graduate degree (Master’s, doctoral or professional)
3.2%

The cigarette smoking rates of adults within the United States, organized by marital status.
**By Marital Status**
**Percentage**Married/Living with partner
10.4%Divorced/Separated/Widowed
16.8%Single/Never married/Not living with partner
10.9%

The cigarette smoking rates of adults within the United States, organized by annual household income.
**By Annual Household Income**
**Percentage**Low Income
18.3%Middle Income
12.3%High Income
6.7%

The cigarette smoking rates of adults within the United States, organized by sexual orientation.
**By Sexual Orientation**
**Percentage**Heterosexual/Straight
11.4%Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual
15.3%

The cigarette smoking rates of adults within the United States, organized by health insurance coverage.
**By Health Insurance Coverage**
**Percentage**Private insurance
8.6%Medicaid
21.5%Medicare only (aged ≥65 yrs)
8.4%Other public insurance
13.9%Uninsured
20.0%

The cigarette smoking rates of adults within the United States, organized by disability/limitation.
**Has a Disability**
**Percentage**Yes
18.5%No
10.9%

The cigarette smoking rates of adults within the United States, organized by serious psychological distress.
**Regularly Having Feelings of Severe Psychological Distress††††**
**Percentage**Yes
28.1%No
10.9%
The cigarette smoking rates of adults within the United States, organized by serious psychological distress.
**Were ever told by a healthcare provider that they had depression§§§§§**
**Percentage**Yes
19.4%No
9.9%
††††Serious psychological distress was assessed using the recoded question “Experienced serious psychological distress – K6 scale”, which was recoded from the answers to the 6-item Kessler scale: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22351472/ReferencesU.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014 [accessed 2019 Feb 1].
Xu X, Shrestha SS, Trivers KF, Neff L, Armour BS, King BA. U.S. Healthcare Spending Attributable to Cigarette Smoking in 2014. Preventive Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106529. [accessed 2021 May 17].
Cornelius ME, Loretan CG, Jamal A, et al. Tobacco Product Use Among Adults — United States, 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:475–483.
Max W, Sung HY, Shi Y. Deaths from secondhand smoke exposure in the United States: economic implications. American Journal of Public Health 2012;102(11): 2173–80.
Cornelius ME, Loretan CG, Wang TW, Jamal A, Homa DM. Tobacco Product Use Among Adults — United States, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022; 71:397–405.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Tobacco Use Among U.S. Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups—African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Hispanics: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 1998 [accessed 2019 Feb 1].
Martell BN, Garrett BE, Caraballo RS. Disparities in Adult Cigarette Smoking—United States, 2002–2005 and 2010–2013. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2016; 65:753–758. DOI: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6530a1.htm [accessed 2019 Feb 1].
Gentzke AS, Wang TW, Cornelius M, Park-Lee E, Ren C, Sawdey MD, Cullen KA, Loretan C, Jamal A, Homa DM. Tobacco Product Use and Associated Factors Among Middle and High School Students – National Youth Tobacco Survey, United States, 2021. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2022; 71(No. SS-5):1–29.
Kaplan RC, Bandiwala SI, Barnhart JM, Castañeda SF, Gellman MD, Lee DJ, Pérez-Stable EJ, Talavera GA, Youngblood ME, Giachello AL. Smoking Among U.S. Hispanic/Latino Adults: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2014;46(5):496–506 [accessed 2019 Feb 1].
King BA, Dube SR, Tynan MA. Current Tobacco Use Among Adults in the United States: Findings From the National Adult Tobacco Survey. American Journal of Public Health 2012;102(11):e93–e100 [accessed  2019 Feb 1].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults—United States, 2005–2013. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2014;69(47):1108–12 [accessed 2019 Feb 1].
Institute of Medicine. Combating Tobacco in Military and Veteran Populations. Washington: The National Academies Press, 2009 [accessed 2019 Feb 1].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Quick Stats: Current Smoking Among Men Aged 25–64 Years, by Age Group and Veteran Status—National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), United States, 2007–201  [PDF – 863KB]. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2012;61(45):929 [accessed 2019 Feb 1].
Odani S, Agaku IT, Graffunder CM, Tynan MA, Armour BS. Tobacco Product Use Among Military Veterans — United States, 2010–2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:7–12. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6701a2 [accessed 2018 Dec 19].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trends in Smoking Before, During, and After Pregnancy—Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, United States, 40 Sites, 2000–2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2013;62(SS06)1–19 [accessed 2019 Feb 1].
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. AIDS.gov: HIV and Smoking [last updated 2018 Nov 8; accessed 2019 Feb 1].
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Guide for HIV/AIDS Clinical Care, 2014 [accessed 2019 Feb 1].
Mdodo R, Frazier EL, Dube SR, Mattson CL, Sutton MY, Brooks JT, Skarbinski J. Cigarette Smoking Prevalence Among Adults With HIV Compared With the General Adult Population in the United States: Cross-Sectional Surveys. Annals of Internal Medicine 2015;162:335–44 [accessed 2019 Feb 1].
Frazier, EL, Sutton, MY, Brooks, JT, Shouse, RL, Weiser, J. Trends in cigarette smoking among adults with HIV compared with the general adult population, United States – 2009–2014. Preventative Medicine. 2018;111:231-234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.03.007[accessed 2019 February 25].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tobacco Use Among Adults with Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health. [updated 2019 Jan 7; last accessed 2019 Feb 7].
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2018 and 2019. Published: September 11, 2020. 2019 NSDUH Detailed Tables [accessed 2020, Nov 10].
Lipari R, Van Horn S. Smoking and Mental Illness Among Adults in the United States. The CBHSQ Report: March 30, 2017. Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [accessed 2019 Feb 7].
National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. Cancer Trends Progress Report, Adult Tobacco Use. July 2021. https://progressreport.cancer.gov/prevention/adult_smokingTop of Page
							
					
							Last Reviewed:  May 4, 2023						Source: 	Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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