Fact Sheet

Adult Cigarette Smoking in the United States: Current Estimates

(updated November 2007)

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, 20.8% of all adults (45.3 million people) smoke cigarettes in the United States.⁴
Cigarette smoking estimates by age are as follows: 18–24 years (23.9%), 25–44 years (23.5%), 45–64 years (21.8%), and 65 years or older (10.2%).⁴
Cigarette smoking is more common among men (23.9%) than women (18.0%).⁴
Prevalence of cigarette smoking is highest among American Indians/Alaska Natives (32.4%), followed by African Americans (23.0%), whites (21.9%), , Hispanics (15.2%), and Asians [excluding Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders] (10.4%).⁴
Cigarette smoking estimates are highest for adults with a General Education Development (GED) diploma (46.0%) or 9–11 years of education (35.4%), and lowest for adults with an undergraduate college degree (9.6%) or a graduate college degree (6.6%).⁴
Cigarette smoking is more common among adults who live below the poverty level (30.6%) than among those living at or above the poverty level (20.4%).⁴

State Estimates

Kentucky (28.6%), West Virginia (25.7%), Oklahoma (25.1%), and Mississippi (25.1%) had the highest prevalence of current smokers. Smoking prevalence was lowest in Utah (9.8%), California (14.9%), and Idaho (16.8%).⁵
The highest state estimates for cigarette smoking among men were in Kentucky (29.1%), Mississippi (27.9%), and Oklahoma (27.9%); the lowest estimates were in Utah (10.4%), California, (18.5%), Massachusetts (18.5%), and Montana (18.5%).⁵
The highest estimates for cigarette smoking among women were in Kentucky (28.1%), West Virginia (26.0%), and Alaska (22.9%); the lowest estimates were in Utah (9.2%) and California (11.4%).⁵

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Annual Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Economic Costs—United States, 1995–1999. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [serial online]. 2002;51(14):300–303 [cited 2004 May 23]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5114a2.htm.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Annual Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Productivity Losses—United States, 1997–2001. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [serial online]. 2005;54(25):625–628 [cited 2005 Sep 27]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5425a1.htm.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics; Health, United States, 2004 With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans. (PDF–116KB) Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, 2004 [cited 2006 Oct 30]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus04.pdf.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cigarette Smoking Among Adults—United States, 2006. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [serial online]. 2007;56(44):1157–1161 [cited 2007 Nov 8]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5644a2.htm.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State-Specific Prevalence of Cigarette Smoking Among Adults and Quitting Among Persons Aged 18–35 Years—United States, 2006. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [serial online]. 2006;56(38): 993-996 [cited 2007 Nov 8]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5638a2.htm.

For Further Information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
Phone: 1-800-CDC-INFO

Media Inquiries: Contact CDC's Office on Smoking and Health press line at 770-488-5493.

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Page last reviewed 11/09/2007
Page last modified 11/09/2007

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