Story at a glance
- Smoking remains popular in many Southern and Midwestern states.
- West Virginia has the highest rate of smoking in the country.
- Cigarette smoking among U.S. adults dropped from more than 33 percent in 1980 to about 12 percent in 2020, an all-time low.
While the number of Americans who smoke has fallen dramatically over the past several decades and continues to trend downward, smoking continues to take a huge toll on the lives of Americans.
Cigarette smoking among U.S. adults dropped from more than 33 percent in 1980 to about 12 percent in 2020, an all-time low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Cigarette smoking, however, results in more than 480,000 deaths each year, including 41,000 deaths from secondhand smoke, and researchers estimate smoking is responsible for nearly 30 percent of all cancer deaths each year. Most lung cancer deaths in the U.S. are due to smoking.
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Notably, a recent Gallup poll found just 11 percent of American adults surveyed said they had smoked a cigarette in the past week, a decrease from the 16 percent who said the same a year prior. Meanwhile, polling also shows more Americans now smoke marijuana than tobacco at 16 percent.
Despite the drop in popularity, smoking remains prevalent in many parts of the country, predominantly in the South and Midwest, according to the Global Smoking Report published by medication access company NiceRX.
Here are the states with the highest smoking rates:
West Virginia — 23.8 percent
Kentucky — 23.6 percent
Louisiana — 21.9 percent
Ohio — 20.8 percent
Mississippi — 20.4 percent
Alabama — 20.2 percent
Arkansas — 20.2 percent
Tennessee — 19.9 percent
Missouri — 19.6 percent
Indiana — 19.2 percent
States with the lowest smoking rates
Rhode Island — 13.3 percent
New Jersey — 13.1 percent
Maryland — 12.7 percent
New York — 12.7 percent
Washington — 12.6 percent
Hawaii — 12.3 percent
Connecticut — 12.1 percent
Massachusetts — 12 percent
California — 10 percent
Utah — 7.9 percent
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