Tobacco & Vaping 101: 50 State Analysis

State lawmakers are often bombarded with misinformation on the products used by adults. This annual set of analyses provides up-to-date data on adults who use cigarettes and e-cigarette products in each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. The 2023 edition also includes data on youth use, impacts of e-cigarettes, and analyses of the amount of revenue received through tobacco taxes and funds from tobacco settlement payments.

Adult Cigarette Use
Each analysis features an examination of current adult smoking rates in each respective state including age and income demographics, as well as a breakdown of racial characteristics as a percentage of each state’s smoking population.

Effects of Cigarette Taxes
Each analysis examines the effects of increased cigarette taxes on the state or U.S. adult smoking population. Many states, if not all, found that increased taxes are more likely to reduce smoking rates among wealthier and more educated adults. This is compared to low-income and low-educated adults.

Adult Vaping Rates
Each analysis details adult e-cigarette use for the three years of which data is available for (2016, 2017 and 2021) and examines age of adult e-cigarette users, income, and race.

Youth Cigarette and Vapor Product Use
Due to delays at the CDC, individual state youth-specific use is not available, but each analysis includes a breakdown of the most recent National Youth Tobacco Survey results from 2022.

Young Adult Smoking Rates
As e-cigarettes are a newer product, there has been concern that youth e-cigarette use will lead to subsequent combustible cigarette use. Each analysis examines current smoking rates among adults aged 18 to 24 in each state.

Tobacco Monies
Each year, states receive billions of dollars borne from the lungs of adults who smoke, including excise tax revenue and tobacco settlement payments. Each analysis examines 21 years of tobacco money funding and the percentage of state funds allocated towards tobacco control programs including cessation, education, and prevention.

*At time of publication, the analysis for Florida is unavailable. Please check back at a later date for future publication.