Millions Still Smoke Cigarettes

Many millions of Americans still smoke cigarettes, despite decades of warnings, hundreds of thousands of deaths each year, and millions in health care expenses. According to the CDC, this is the percentage of Americans aged 18 or older who smoke cigarettes...

Total adults: 12.5%

Men: 14.1%

Women: 11.0%

Aged 18 to 24: 7.4%

Aged 25 to 44: 14.1%

Aged 45 to 64: 14.9%

Aged 65-plus: 9.0%

Northeast: 10.4%

Midwest: 15.2%

South: 14.1%

West: 9.0%

Metropolitan counties: 11.4%

Nonmetropolitan counties: 19.0%

High school only: 17.6%

Some college: 14.4%

Associate's degree: 12.7%

Bachelor's degree: 5.6%

Graduate degree: 3.5%

Household income <$35,000: 20.2%

Income $35,000 to $74,999: 14.1%

Income $75,000 to $99,999: 10.5%

Income $100,000 or more: 6.2%

These figures do not include those who smoke other types of tobacco such as e-cigarettes (3.7 percent of adults), cigars (3.5 percent), smokeless tobacco (2.3 percent), pipes (1.1 percent), or two or more tobacco products (3.3 percent). 

Note: Cigarette smokers are defined as those who have smoked 100 or more cigarettes in their lifetime and who currently smoke cigarettes every day or some days.

Source: CDC, Tobacco Product Use among Adults—United States, 2020

Most Men 65-Plus Are Current or Former Smokers

Smoking was once the norm for men in the United States. Only 41 percent of men aged 65 or older say they never smoked cigarettes, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The 59 percent majority are current or former smokers.

Cigarette smoking status of men aged 65-plus
Current smoker: 10%
Former smoker: 49%
Never smoker: 41%

Cigarette smoking status of women aged 65-plus
Current smoker: 7%
Former smoker: 31%
Never smoker: 62%

Not surprisingly, health problems are more common among smokers than nonsmokers. A substantial 28 percent of current smokers aged 65 or older report having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), for example. The figure is a smaller 19 percent among former smokers, and 7 percent for never smokers.

The prevalence of health problems among former smokers depends on how long they smoked. Among former smokers who smoked for 10 or fewer years, only 9 percent have COPD. Among those who smoked for 10 to 25 years, 12 percent have the disease. The share rises to 20 percent among those who smoked for 25 to 40 years and peaks at 33 percent among those who smoked for 40 or more years. Most former smokers had smoked for 25 or more years, NCHS reports, and one in four had smoked for 40 or more years.

"Smoking cessation has been shown to be beneficial at any age," the NCHS concludes. "However, even after quitting smoking, the length of time a person smoked is reflected in current health measures among people aged 65 and over."

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Health of Former Cigarette Smokers Aged 65 and Over: United States, 2018 (PDF)

35% of Middle and High School Students Have Vaped

Vaping now far outpaces smoking cigarettes as a teenage vice. Only 16 percent of middle and high school students have ever smoked cigarettes, according to the CDC, while more than twice as many—35 percent—have used e-cigarettes (vaping). In the past 30 days, only 4 percent smoked a cigarette while 20 percent vaped.

A large percentage of teens have vaped in the past 30 days in every demographic segment. Here are the stats among high school students by sex, race, and Hispanic origin...

Percentage of high school students who used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days, 2019
Total: 27.5%
Females: 27.4%
Males: 27.6%
Blacks: 17.7%
Hispanics: 23.2%
Non-Hispanic Whites: 32.4%

For many, vaping begins in middle school, where 10.5 percent used an e-cigarette in the past 30 days. Only 2 percent of middle school students smoked a cigarette in the past 30 days.

Those who have ever used e-cigarettes report a variety of reasons for using them. The single biggest reason, reported by the 55 percent majority of users, is curiosity. Other reasons include a family member or friend using them (31 percent), the flavors (22 percent), doing tricks with them (21 percent), and believing they are less harmful than other forms of tobacco (16 percent).

Source: CDC, Tobacco Product Use and Associated Factors among Middle and High School Students—United States, 2019

Most Smokers Want (and Have Tried) to Quit

Don't get mad at smokers when you're dodging second-hand smoke on city streets, in doorways, alleys, and parking lots. Feel sorry for them instead. Most smokers do not want to smoke. Most have tried to quit—not just once upon a time but within the past year.

According to a government survey, 65 percent of adult smokers have attempted to quit in the past year. This surprisingly large figure is not big enough, says the CDC, which wants to see the attempted quit rate rise to 80 percent by 2020. Why is a larger number so important? Because the more smokers who attempt to quit, the more who will succeed. Apparently, quitting takes a lot of practice. Smokers who manage to quit have tried to do so an average of 30 times, the CDC reports.

Percentage of smokers who have attempted to quit in the past year by age, 2017
Total 18-plus: 65.4%
Aged 18 to 24: 76.4%
Aged 25 to 44: 68.6%
Aged 45 to 64: 60.8%
Aged 65-plus: 55.8%

In every state, most smokers have tried to quit in the past 12 months. The percentage ranges from a low of 58.6 percent in Wisconsin to a high of 71.6 percent in Connecticut.

Source: CDC, State-Specific Prevalence of Quit Attempts among Adult Cigarette Smokers—United States, 2011–2017

One in Five Young Adults Vapes

Among Americans aged 18 or older, only 9 percent say they occasionally or regularly vape (use e-cigarettes). But the vaping rate is much higher among young adults, with 20 percent vaping and a smaller 16 percent smoking cigarettes...

Percent who occasionally/regularly vape (or smoke cigarettes)
Aged 18 to 29: 20% (16%)
Aged 30 to 49:   9% (23%)
Aged 50 to 64:   7% (26%)
Aged 65-plus:    0% (10%)

Source: Gallup, Young People Adopt Vaping as their Smoking Rate Plummets

7% Smoke During Pregnancy

Among all women who gave birth in 2016, 7.2 percent smoked during pregnancy, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. By state, smoking during pregnancy varies greatly. These are the extremes...

25.1% in West Virginia
  1.6% in California

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Cigarette Smoking During Pregnancy: United States, 2016

Few Smokers Are Able to Quit

Among current cigarette smokers, more than two out of three—68 percent—would like to quit. The 55 percent majority tried to quit in the past year. But few were successful, reports the CDC. Only 7 percent managed to quit.

There is little variation in these findings by demographic characteristic. The majority of smokers in every demographic segment wanted to quit—including men, women, young, old, Asian, Black, Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, high school drops outs, and college graduates. The majority in nearly every demographic segment had tried to quit in the past year. The success rate was in the single digits for most.

Source: CDC, Quitting Smoking among Adults—United States, 2000–2015

Use of E-Cigarettes among Teens

Tobacco use among high school students has held steady over the past few years despite a decline in cigarettes smoking. According to a 2015 survey of high school students, only 9.3 percent had smoked a cigarette in the past 30 days, down substantially from 15.8 percent in 2011. But the percentage of high school student who had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days climbed from 1.5 percent to 16.0 percent during those years. Here is the percentage of high school students who had used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days by demographic characteristic, according to the 2015 survey...

High school students who used e-cigarettes in past 30 days
Total: 16.0%
Males: 19.0%
Females: 12.8%
Blacks: 8.9%
Hispanics: 16.4%
Non-Hispanic Whites: 17.2%

Source: CDC, Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students—United States, 2011–2015

Most Smokers Are Trying to Quit

Most smokers have tried to quit smoking in the past year, according to the CDC. Among current and former smokers in 2013, fully 66 percent had attempted to quit, which is defined as going one or more days without smoking in the past 12 months because they were trying to quit. By age, younger adults are most likely to have attempted to quit...

Percent of current/former smokers who attempted to quit smoking in past year
Aged 18 to 24: 73.2%
Aged 24 to 44: 68.7%
Aged 45 to 64: 60.9%
Aged 65-plus: 56.4%

Source: CDC, Trends in Quit Attempts among Adult Cigarette Smokers—United States, 2001-2013

Children and Secondhand Smoke

Exposure to secondhand smoke fell steeply between 1999 and 2012, according to a CDC study of nicotine metabolite levels in blood. The percentage of nonsmokers aged 3 or older with detectable levels of nicotine in their blood fell from 52.5 percent in 1999-2000 to just 25.3 percent in 2011-2012.

Behind the decline is the elimination of smoking from most bars, restaurants, work sites, and public places. "The Surgeon General has concluded that eliminating smoking in indoor spaces fully protects nonsmokers from SHS [secondhand smoke] exposure," notes the CDC in its report. But many children are exposed to secondhand smoke at home, which explains why they have the highest levels of nicotine in their blood...

Percentage of nonsmokers with detectable levels of nicotine in their blood 
Aged 3 to 11: 41%
Aged 12 to 19: 34%
Aged 20 or older: 21%

Source: CDC, Disparities in Nonsmokers' Exposure to Secondhand Smoke—United States, 1999-2012

Who's Not Healthy?

Your health in six dimensions: drinking, smoking, aerobic activity, muscle strengthening activity, weight, and sleep. This is what the government measures and analyzes to determine how many adults practice healthy behavior in each dimension. Here is the percentage of Americans aged 18 or older who failed to meet each of the healthy behavior guidelines...

1. Drinks too much: 23% Defined as five or more drinks in one day in the past year.
2. Smokes: 20% Defined as current cigarette smokers.
3. No aerobic activity: 34% Defined as never engaging in leisure-time aerobic activity.
4. No muscle-strengthening activity: 74% Defined as never engaging in leisure-time muscle-strengthening activity.
5. Obese: 28% Defined as a body mass index of 30 or more.
6. Sleep deprived: 30% Defined as less than 7 hours of sleep (8 hours for 18-to-21-year-olds) per 24 hours, on average.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, Health Behaviors of Adults: United States, 2008-2010

Marijuana and Cigarettes

Today's high school students are as likely to smoke marijuana as they are to smoke cigarettes. Among 12th graders, 25 percent have smoked a cigarette in the past month and 28 percent have used marijuana.

Source: CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance

Smoking as Weight Control

Among teenagers who are frequent smokers, percent who say they smoke to control their weight...

Boys: 30%
Girls: 46%

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, The Demand for Cigarettes as Derived from the Demand for Weight Control, NBER Working Paper 18805 ($5)

Households with Smokers

It is a well-known public health fact that 21 percent of Americans aged 18 or older smoke cigarettes. But here's a different way to look at the prevalence of smoking: what percentage of households include smokers?

According to the 2011 American Housing Survey, only 12 percent of the nation's households include smokers. But, not surprisingly, the percentage varies greatly by household characteristic. Sixteen percent of renter-occupied households include smokers compared with 10 percent of owner-occupied households. Among renter-occupied mobile homes, 29 percent have smokers--the highest percentage found in the survey.

By region, households with smokers are most common in the Midwest (15 percent) and least common in the West (7 percent). In the suburbs of metropolitan areas, 10 percent of households have smokers. The figure is a higher 13 percent in central cities and an even higher 15 percent in nonmetropolitan areas. Among households in poverty, 20 percent have smokers.

Source: Census Bureau, 2011 American Housing Survey