Fact Sheet

Tobacco Brand Preferences

(updated April 2007)

Cigarette

Ninety-nine percent of all cigarettes sold in the United States are filtered.¹
Cigarette brands that yield approximately 1–6 mg of tar by machine testing conducted by the Federal Trade Commission are generally called "ultra-light." Those with approximately 6–15 mg of tar are called "light," and brands yielding more than 15 mg of tar are called "regular" or "full flavor."² Of all cigarettes sold in the United States, 84% are either light or ultra-light (i.e., low tar) brands.¹
Sales data from 2006 indicate that Marlboro is the most popular brand in the United States, with sales greater than the five leading competitors combined. The market share for Marlboro is 40.5%, followed by Newport (8.9%), Camel (6.6%), Doral (4.4%), Basic (3.8%), Winston (3.5%), and Kool (3.2%).³
National survey data for 2005 revealed that Marlboro is preferred by 48% of cigarette smokers aged 12–17 years, 51% of smokers aged 18–25 years, and 40% of smokers aged 26 years or older.⁴
Twenty-seven percent of all cigarettes sold in the United States are mentholated brands.¹
Use of mentholated brands varies widely by race and ethnicity. Among smokers aged 12 years or older, 67% of African Americans reported using the mentholated brands of Newport, Salem, or Kool, compared to less than 16% of white or Hispanic smokers.⁴ Fifty-five percent of African American middle school students who smoke and 64% of African American high school students who smoke reported using mentholated brands.⁵

Other Tobacco Products

The two leading brands preferred by cigar smokers aged 12 years or older are Black & Mild (23%) and Swisher Sweets (14%).⁴ Black & Mild is the most preferred brand for African–American (55%), Hispanic (24%) and white cigar smokers (16%).⁴
The two leading brands preferred by smokeless tobacco users aged 12 years or older are Skoal (28%) and Copenhagen (22%).⁴

References

Federal Trade Commission. Cigarette Report for 2004 and 2005. (PDF–446KB) Washington, DC: Federal Trade Commission; 2007[cited 2007 Apr 26]. Available from: http://www.ftc.gov/reports/tobacco/2007cigarette2004-2005.pdf.
National Cancer Institute. Risks Associated with Smoking Cigarettes with Low Machine-Measured Yields of Tar and Nicotine. Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph 13. Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute; 2001 [cited 2006 Dec 13]. NIH Pub. No. 02-5974. Available from: http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/tcrb/monographs/13/index.html.
Maxwell JC. The Maxwell Report: Year End & Fourth Quarter 2006 Sales Estimates for the Cigarette Industry. Richmond, VA: John C. Maxwell, Jr.; February 2007 [cited 2006 Dec 13].
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health: 2005 Detailed Tables, Tobacco Brands. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies; 2006 [cited 2006 Dec 13]. Available from: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda.htm#NHSDAinfo.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2004 National Youth Tobacco Survey: Dataset, Codebook and Format Library. [cited 2006 Dec 13]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/surveys/nyts/index.htm#NYTS2004

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 updated 04/26/2007

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