Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults in the United States

What to know

  • Smoking causes many diseases including cancer and cardiovascular and lung diseases. Smokeless tobacco use is a risk factor for cancers of the mouth, esophagus, and pancreas.
  • CDC analyzed 2019–2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data to provide updated estimates of tobacco product use prevalence. CDC also assessed changes in prevalence during this time period. NHIS is a nationally representative, annual, household survey of the noninstitutionalized, civilian, U.S. population.
  • Tobacco product use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. In 2022, 49.2 million (19.8%)—or nearly 1 in 5—U.S. adults reported current tobacco product use.

Read the report

Tobacco Product Use Among Adults — United States, 2022: 2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Highlights‎

Read the full report about tobacco product use among various adult populations, the types of products used, and other key adult use data.
TOBACCO PRODUCT USE AMONG ADULTS— United States, 2022

Report summary

Cigarette smoking among adults has declined over the past decades. Most adults who use tobacco products use combustible tobacco products.12 Cigarettes remain the most commonly used type of tobacco product. E-cigarettes are the second most commonly used type of tobacco product. E-cigarette use among adults increased between 2019 and 2022. Some population groups use certain tobacco product types more than others. For example, across age groups, adults aged 18–24 years had the highest prevalence of e-cigarette use. However, adults aged 45–64 years had the highest prevalence of cigarette smoking. Cigarette smoking prevalence is also high among the following groups:

  • Non-Hispanic (NH) American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults.
  • People with disabilities.
  • People with severe generalized anxiety disorder.
  • People with severe depression.

Additionally, menthol-flavored cigarette smoking is more common among certain groups, including Non-Hispanic Black adults.3

Different populations may use different tobacco product types. This indicates opportunities for increased interventions to prevent initiation, decrease use, and reduce disparities.4 For example:

  • Youth and young adult use of tobacco products contributes to future use. This is because nicotine exposure can harm the developing brain and increase the risk for dependence.14
  • Use of menthol tobacco products contributes to increased initiation. It also increases disparities in tobacco product use among different populations.5

Continued surveillance of populations using different tobacco product types will further aid in identifying groups that may benefit from additional prevention and cessation strategies. These approaches can prevent initiation and reduce tobacco product use among groups with a high prevalence of use.

Public health professionals and researchers have proven longstanding public health strategies can reduce tobacco use. These strategies include:

  • Media campaigns, and
  • Expanded access and availability of treatment and counseling for tobacco dependence.6

These measures can be coordinated with tobacco prevention and control policies (e.g., price increases, smoke-free policies). Together, they are essential for reducing the toll caused by tobacco product use including disease and death in the United States.

Read more about adult tobacco use:

Smoking and Tobacco Use | Smoking and Tobacco Use | CDC

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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; Office on Smoking and Health
  1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The health consequences of smoking—50 years of progress: a report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2014. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44695.
  2. US Department of Health and Human Services. E-cigarette use among youth and young adults: a report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2016. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/e-cigarettes/pdfs/2016_sgr_entire_report_508.pdf.
  3. Cornelius ME, Loretan CG, Jamal A, et al. Tobacco Product Use Among Adults – United States, 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:475–483. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7218a1.
  4. Kong AY, King BA. Boosting the Tobacco Control Vaccine: recognizing the role of the retail environment in addressing tobacco use and disparities. Tob Control. 2021 Dec;30(e2):e162-e168. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-055722.
  5. CDC. Menthol Smoking and Related Health Disparities. Accessed May 24, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/menthol-tobacco/health-disparities.html.
  6. CDC. Best practices user guides: health equity in tobacco prevention and control. Atlanta: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2015. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/stateandcommunity/guides/pdfs/bp-health-equity.pdf