Survey: Missouri’s Last In Fight Against Lung Cancer
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ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Missouri is at the very bottom of the list of a new survey on combating the high cost of lung cancer.
The financial website Wallet Hub.com ranked the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia on a number of items such as air quality, the price of a cigarette pack, and death rates from lung cancer.
Illinois came in 14th best in the nation. Missouri is 51st, according to Wallet Hub’s Jill Gonzalez, “In terms of cigarettes, as well as the tax on cigarettes, that’s where Missouri really ranks the lowest. The price paid for cigarettes purchased is just $4.24 per pack, on average. Places like Alaska, they are nearly twice as much, at $8 per pack.”
At 17 cents a pack, Missouri has the lowest cigarette tax in the nation – 26 times lower than New York. The Illinois cigarette tax is $1.98 a pack, 16th highest nationwide.
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