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State Menthol Fact Sheets
We are actively updating this information. If you downloaded data from these pages in the past, please revisit these pages and download again when the fact sheets are back up.
State Menthol Fact Sheets are available for all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the map below. The data presented in the fact sheets include state-specific estimates of the number of adults who currently smoke, usually use menthol cigarettes, and are seriously considering quitting smoking; the economic cost of cigarette smoking in the state; the projected number of people in the state that would quit smoking if menthol cigarettes were no longer available; state Medicaid coverage; state smoking quitline utilization; and the amount of funds CDC provides the state for the quitline.
For questions about the State Menthol Fact Sheets, contact OSH.
For more information about commercial tobacco use and tobacco prevention and control activities in each state, see NTCP State Fact Sheets.
Menthol Facts - stateName
Menthol cigarettes are a significant risk to public health and to advancing health equity.
Menthol in cigarettes makes it more likely that youth and young adults will try smoking. It increases the chances that young people who start smoking will continue to smoke on a regular basis. Menthol can also make it harder to quit smoking.
The tobacco industry aggressively markets menthol cigarettes to certain population groups. These efforts contribute to targeted groups being more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes. For example, non-Hispanic Black or African American people who smoke cigarettes are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes than people of other races or ethnicities who smoke cigarettes.
In the United States, fewer people smoke cigarettes now than in recent decades. But the proportion of people who smoke and use menthol cigarettes has increased, particularly among population groups with disproportionately higher rates of commercial tobacco use, secondhand smoke exposure, and related health problems.
How Does stateName Compare to the Nation?
| Estimates Based on 2018-2019 Data | stateName2 | United States |
| Adults who currently smoke | AdultsWhoSmoke AdultsWhoSmokePercent |
AdultsWhoSmokeUS AdultsWhoSmokePercentUS |
| Non-Hispanic Black adults who currently smoke | NonHispanicBlackWhoSmoke NonHispanicBlackWhoSmokePercent |
NonHispanicBlackWhoSmokeUS NonHispanicBlackWhoSmokePercentUS |
| Hispanic adults who currently smoke | HispanicAdultsWhoSmoke HispanicAdultsWhoSmokePercent |
HispanicAdultsWhoSmokeUS HispanicAdultsWhoSmokePercentUS |
| Adults who currently smoke and usually use menthol cigarettes | AdultsMenthol AdultsMentholPercent |
AdultsMentholUS AdultsMentholPercentUS |
| Non-Hispanic Black adults who currently smoke and usually use menthol cigarettes | NonHispanicBlackMenthol NonHispanicBlackMentholPercent |
NonHispanicBlackMentholUS NonHispanicBlackMentholPercentUS |
| Hispanic adults who currently smoke and usually use menthol cigarettes | HispanicMenthol HispanicMentholPercent |
HispanicMentholUS HispanicMentholPercentUS |
| Adults who currently smoke and are seriously considering quitting within the next 6 months | AdultsSmokeQuittingUS AdultsSmokeQuittingPercent |
AdultsSmokeQuittingUS AdultsSmokeQuittingPercentUS |
*Asterisks indicate the data are less precise, but still may be informative.
| Estimates Based on 2018-2019 Data | stateName2 | United States |
| Adults who currently smoke | AdultsWhoSmoke AdultsWhoSmokePercent |
AdultsWhoSmokeUS AdultsWhoSmokePercentUS |
| Adults who currently smoke and are seriously considering quitting within the next 6 months | AdultsSmokeQuittingUS AdultsSmokeQuittingPercent |
AdultsSmokeQuittingUS AdultsSmokeQuittingPercentUS |
*Asterisks indicate the data are less precise, but still may be informative.
If menthol cigarettes were no longer available, an estimated MentholNotAvailAdults additional adults in stateName2 who smoke would quit smoking.
If menthol cigarettes were no longer available, an estimated MentholNotAvailNonHispanicBlack additional non-Hispanic Black adults in stateName2 who smoke would quit smoking.
If menthol cigarettes were no longer available, an estimated MentholNotAvailHispanic additional Hispanic adults in stateName2 who smoke would quit smoking.
As of February 2024, LocalitiesProhibitSale prohibit the sale of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products.
Menthol can make it harder to quit smoking. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) or text QUITNOW to 333888 to get help quitting smoking today.
Menthol can make it harder to quit smoking. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) or text QUITNOW to 333888 to get help quitting smoking today.
As of February 2024, LocalitiesProhibitSale the sale of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products.
If menthol cigarettes were no longer available, an estimated MentholNotAvailAdults additional adults in stateName2 who smoke would quit smoking.
If menthol cigarettes were no longer available, an estimated MentholNotAvailHispanic additional Hispanic adults in stateName2 who smoke would quit smoking.
As of February 2024, LocalitiesProhibitSale the sale of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products.
Menthol can make it harder to quit smoking. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) or text QUITNOW to 333888 to get help quitting smoking today.
If menthol cigarettes were no longer available, an estimated MentholNotAvailAdults additional adults in stateName2 who smoke would quit smoking.
If menthol cigarettes were no longer available, an estimated MentholNotAvailNonHispanicBlack additional non-Hispanic Black adults in stateName2 who smoke would quit smoking.
As of February 2024, LocalitiesProhibitSale the sale of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products.
Menthol can make it harder to quit smoking. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) or text QUITNOW to 333888 to get help quitting smoking today.
If menthol cigarettes were no longer available, an estimated MentholNotAvailAdults additional adults in stateName2 who smoke would quit smoking.
As of February 2024, LocalitiesProhibitSale the sale of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products.
Menthol can make it harder to quit smoking. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) or text QUITNOW to 333888 to get help quitting smoking today.
Menthol can make it harder to quit smoking. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) or text QUITNOW to 333888 to get help quitting smoking today.
Comprehensive Medicaid coverage of cessation treatment includes coverage of individual and group counseling and all seven FDA-approved medications for all Medicaid enrollees.
As of December 2023, stateName2 ComprehensiveCoverage comprehensive Medicaid coverage of cessation treatments.
From July 2020 through December 2020, CounselingPeople people in stateName2 got counseling, medications, or both through the quitline.
As of December 2023, NumberOfQuitMedications types of quit smoking medications are available through Medicaid in stateName2.
In addition to any stateName2 funds used for tobacco cessation treatment, CDC gave stateName2 CDCAmountForQuitline for the quitline in CDCFundingYear.
As of December 2023, NumberOfQuitMedications types of quit smoking medications are available through Medicaid in stateName2.
In addition to any stateName2 funds used for tobacco cessation treatment, CDC gave stateName2 CDCAmountForQuitline for the quitline in CDCFundingYear.
The Economic Cost of Cigarette Smoking
- More than $240 billion in health care spending.
- Nearly $185 billion in lost productivity from smoking-related illnesses and health conditions.
- Nearly $180 billion in lost productivity from smoking-related premature death.
- $7 billion in lost productivity from premature death from exposure to secondhand smoke.
In 2018, cigarette smoking cost stateName2 $EconomicCigSmokCost million in lost productivity from smoking-related illnesses and health conditions.
Who Uses Menthol Cigarettes?
Tobacco companies add menthol to commercial tobacco products to make them seem less harsh and more appealing to young people and to people who have never used tobacco products.
Menthol also enhances the effects of nicotine, which is the addictive drug in cigarettes and other tobacco products. Menthol can make tobacco products even more addictive. In recent years, tobacco companies have increased the amount of nicotine in some menthol cigarettes.
Data can be collected in a way that allows for identification of disparities in tobacco product use and for tracking progress in reducing disparities. More studies are needed to better understand the patterns of menthol cigarette use among people of different population groups experiencing disparities in tobacco use, and among people who may belong to more than one group. However, data show that:
More than 4 in 10 US middle and high school students who smoked cigarettes reported using menthol cigarettes in 2023.
More than 5 in 10 US young adults aged 18 to 25 who smoked cigarettes reported using menthol cigarettes in 2019.
About 4 in 10 US adults over age 25 who smoked cigarettes reported using menthol cigarettes in 2019.
- Non-Hispanic Black or African American people who smoke cigarettes are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes than people of other races or ethnicities who smoke cigarettes.
- A greater proportion of Hispanic adults who smoke use menthol cigarettes compared to non-Hispanic White adults.
- A greater proportion of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asian adults who smoke use menthol cigarettes compared to White adults. Filipino, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander adults who smoke are more likely to use menthol cigarettes than other groups of Asian adults.
- Women who smoke are more likely to use menthol cigarettes than men who smoke.
- People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) who smoke are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes than people who smoke and do not identify as LGBT.
- People with lower incomes are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes than people with higher incomes.
- People who smoke and have mental health conditions are more likely to use menthol cigarettes than those who do not have mental health conditions.
References and more information about the methodology used for this fact sheet are available.
