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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health
Tel: 1-800-CDC-INFO
(1-800-232-4636)
TTY: 1-888-232-6348
E-mail: tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov
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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.
Page last reviewed 11/09/2007
Page last modified 11/09/2007