Overall Smoking Trends
This page details the decrease in cigarette and other tobacco use rates among adults and youth, including current use, quitting, and average daily cigarette consumption.Trends in Cigarette Smoking Rates
Adults:
- Long term, smoking rates have fallen 73% among adults, from 42.6% in 1965 to 11.6% in 2022.
- Over the last five years, smoking rates have fallen 17% among adults, from 14.0% in 2017.
Youth:
- Long term, smoking rates have fallen 86% among youth, from 36.4% in 1997 to 3.8% in 2021.
- Over the last five years, smoking rates have fallen 57% among youth, from 8.8% in 2017
Trends in Number of People Who Smoke Cigarettes and Have Quit
In 2022, there were approximately twice as many adult smokers who had successfully quit as current adult smokers.
Trends in Average Number of Cigarettes Smoked Per Day
Between 1974 and 2022, among current smokers:
- The proportion of people smoking more than 24 cigarettes a day decreased 68% from 25% to 8%.
- The proportion of people smoking 15-24 cigarettes a day decreased 22% from 43% to 34%.
- The proportion of people smoking fewer than 15 cigarettes a day increased 85% from 32% to 58%.
Decreases in heavy smoking rates (more than 24 cigarettes a day) from 1974 to 2022 have not been equal across the demographic groups depicted in the table.
Trends in Electronic Cigarette Use
From 2014 to 2022, the number of adults:
- Who had ever used electronic cigarettes increased 56% from 12.6% to 19.6%.
- Who were current users of electronic cigarettes increased 62% from 3.7% to 6.0%.
- These changes were not consistent across the demographic groups depicted in the table.
From 2011 to 2022, current use of electronic cigarettes:
- Increased 667% among middle school students, from 0.6% to 4.6%.
- Increased 567% among high school students, from 1.5% to 10.0%. This was a 64% decrease from the peak rate of 27.5% in 2019.
In 2022, more than 825,000 children started using e-cigarettes, or more than 2,200 per day.
In 2022, most e-cigarette-using youth reported using a disposable type (54%), followed by pre-filled ore refillable pods or cartridges (25%) most often. Most reported using some other brand (which includes brands with less than 1% use), followed by Puff Bar (18.9%) and Vuse (14.0%).
Trends in Use of Other Tobacco Products
Any Tobacco Product
From 2002 to 2022, current use of any tobacco product (cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, smokeless tobacco, and vaping nicotine for 2020-2022):
- Decreased 33% among those ages 18-25, from 45.3% to 30.4%.
- Decreased 22% among those aged 26 or older, from 29.9% to 23.4%.
- Decreased 36% among males ages 18-25, from 52.1% to 33.4%.
- Decreased 23% among males aged 26 or older, from 37.3% to 28.8%.
- Decreased 29% among females ages 18-25, from 38.4% to 27.3%.
- Decreased 22% among females aged 26 or older, from 23.2% to 18.2%.
Smokeless Tobacco
From 2002 to 2022, current use of smokeless tobacco:
- Decreased 48% among those ages 18-25, from 4.8% to 2.5%.
- Decreased 25% among those aged 26 or older, from 3.2% to 2.4%.
- Decreased 56% among males ages 18-25, from 9.4% to 4.1%.
- Decreased 27% among males aged 26 or older, from 6.3% to 4.6%.
- Increased 200% among females ages 18-25, from 0.3% to 0.9%.
- Decreased 20% among females aged 26 or older, from 0.5% to 0.4%.
Cigars
From 2002 to 2022, current use of cigars:
- Decreased 51% among those ages 18-25, from 11.0% to 5.4%.
- Decreased 17% among those aged 26 or older, from 4.6% to 3.8%.
- Decreased 58% among males ages 18-25, from 16.8% to 7.1%.
- Decreased 29% among males aged 26 or older, from 8.5% to 6.0%.
- Decreased 31% among females ages 18-25 at 3.6%.
- Increased 60% among females aged 26 or older, from 1.0% to 1.6%.
Pipe Tobacco
From 2002 to 2022, current use of pipe tobacco:
- Remained stable among those aged 18-25 at 1.1%.
- Decreased 13% among those aged 26 or older, from 0.8% to 0.7%.
- Remained stable among males aged 18-25 at 1.7%.
- Decreased 8% among males aged 26 or older, from 1.3% to 1.2%.
- Increased 25% among females aged 18-25, from 0.4% to 0.5%.
- Decreased 50% among females aged 26 or older, from 0.2% to 0.1%.
Electronic Cigarette or Vaping Device Containing Nicotine
From 2020 to 2022, current use of electronic cigarettes or vaping device containing nicotine:
- Increased 105% among those aged 18-25, from 11.8% to 24.2%.
- Increased 154% among those aged 26 or older, from 2.4% to 6.1%.
- Increased 90% among males aged 18-25, from 13.4% to 25.4%.
- Increased 188% among males aged 26 or older, from 2.5% to 7.2%.
- Increased 124% among females aged 18-25, from 10.3% to 23.1%.
- Increased 132% among females aged 26 or older, from 2.2% to 5.1%.
Any Tobacco Product
From 2002 to 2023, current use of any tobacco product:
- Decreased 50% among middle school students, from 13.3% to 6.6%.
- Increased 55% among high school students, from 28.2% to 12.6%.
Cigarettes
From 2002 to 2023, current use of cigarettes:
- Decreased 89% among middle school students, from 9.8% to 1.1%.
- Decreased 92% among high school students, from 22.5% to 1.9%.
Cigars
From 2002 to 2023, current use of cigars:
- Decreased 82% among middle school students, from 6.0% to 1.1%.
- Decreased 84% among high school students, from 11.6% to 1.8%.
Hookah
From 2011 to 2022, current use of hookahs:
- Remained the same at less than 2% among middle school students.
- Decreased 73% among high school students, from 4.0% to 1.1%.
Smokeless Tobacco
From 2002 to 2022, current use of smokeless tobacco:
- Decreased 86% among middle school students, from 3.6% to 0.5%.
- Decreased 80% among high school students, from 5.9% to 1.2%.
Snus
From 2011 to 2022, current use of snus:
- Decreased 63% among middle school students, from 0.8% to 0.3%.
- Decreased 79% among high school students, from 2.8% to 0.6%.
Dissolvable Tobacco
From 2011 to 2022, current use of dissolvable tobacco:
- Remained the same at less than 1% among middle school students.
- Remained the same at less than 1% among high school students.
Pipes
From 2002 to 2022, current use of pipes:
- Decreased 82% among middle school students, from 3.5% to 0.4%.
- Decreased 85% among high school students, from 3.2% to 0.6%.
Bidis
From 2002 to 2022, current use of bidis:
- Decreased 92% among middle school students from 2.4% to 0.2%.
- Decreased 84% among high school students, from 3.2% to 0.5%.
Cloves/Kreteks
From 2002 to 2013, current use of cloves/kreteks:
- Decreased 80% among middle school students from 2.0% to 0.4%.
- Decreased 70% among high school students, from 2.7% to 0.8%.
Heated Tobacco Products
From 2019 to 2022, current use of heated tobacco products:
- Decreased 43% among middle school students, from 1.4% to 0.8%.
- Decreased 41% among high school students, from 1.7% to 1.0%.
Nicotine Pouches
From 2021 to 2022, current use of nicotine pouches:
- Remained at less than 1% among middle school students.
- Increased 27% among high school students, from 1.1% to 1.4%.
Page last updated: May 30, 2024
