Adult Cigarette Smoking in the United States: Current Estimates

Fact sheet

May 2004

Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, accounting for approximately 1 of every 5 deaths (440,000 people) each year.^1,2

National Estimates

• An estimated, 22.5% of all adults (46 million people) smoke cigarettes in the United States.³
   
• Cigarette smoking estimates by age are as follows: 18–24 years (28.5%), 25–44 years (25.7%), 45–64 years (22.7%), and 65 years or older (9.3%).³
   
• Cigarette smoking is more common among men (25.2%) than women (20.0%).³
   
• Prevalence of cigarette smoking is highest among American Indians/Alaska Natives (40.8%), followed by whites (23.6%), African Americans (22.4%), Hispanics (16.7%), and Asians [excluding Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders] (13.3%).³
   
• Cigarette smoking estimates are highest for adults with a General Education Development (GED) diploma (42.3%) or 9-11 years of education (34.1%), and lowest for adults with an undergraduate college degree (12.1%) or a graduate college degree (7.2%).³
   
• Cigarette smoking is more common among adults who live below the poverty level (32.9%) than among those living at or above the poverty level (22.2%).³

State Estimates

• In 2002, the state estimates for cigarette smoking varied widely, ranging from 12.7% in Utah and 16.4% in California, to 32.6% in Kentucky and 29.4% in Alaska.⁴
   
• The highest state estimates for cigarette smoking among men were in Kentucky (34.8%) and Mississippi (33.2%); the lowest estimates were in Utah (14.2%) and California (19.7%).⁴
   
• The highest estimates for cigarette smoking among women were in Kentucky (30.5%) and West Virginia (27.2%); the lowest estimates were in Utah (11.3%) and California (13.3%).⁴

References

1. CDC. Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and economic costs—United States, 1995–1999. ( PDF - 220k) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2002;51(14):300–303. Accessed: May 2004.
    
2. CDC. National Center for Health Statistics; Health, United States, 2003 With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans.( PDF - 117k)  Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, 2003:141. Accessed: May 2004.
    
3. CDC. Cigarette smoking among adults—United States, 2002. ( PDF - 456k) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2004;53(20):428–431.  Accessed: May 2004.
    
4. CDC. State-specific prevalence of current cigarette smoking among adults—United States 2002. ( PDF - 323k) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2004;52(53):1277–1280. Accessed: May 2004.

Note: The next update of this fact sheet is scheduled for May 2005. More recent information may be available at the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco, CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm, or from CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/brfss.

For Further Information

Office on Smoking and Health
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Mailstop K-50
4770 Buford Hwy., NE
Atlanta, GA 30341-3717
770-488-5705
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco

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

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This page last reviewed August 10, 2004

United States Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Office on Smoking and Health