Cigarette smoking rates in US hit historic low among adults

Smoking rates among adults dropped to a substantial low, with only a small percentage of adults admitting they are active smokers.

admin June 2, 2026 2 minutes read

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FILE-A patron lights up a cigarette at a restaurant. (Photo by Jeff T. Green/Getty Images)

Cigarette smoking rates among adults in the United States fell to an all-time low in 2025 with only 1 in 11 Americans identifying as active smokers, the Associated Press reported, citing government data.

Smoking cigarettes can be a leading risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure causes over 480,000 deaths annually in the nation.

CDC survey on cigarette smoking

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s were based on survey responses from over 24,200 adults. In the survey, CDC officials defined current cigarette smoking as smoking roughly 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and now smoking every day or some days.

Approximately 42% of Americans were smokers in the mid-1960s. But the smoking rate has been slowly falling for years because of cigarette taxes, tobacco product price surges, smoking bans, public education campaigns, and changes in smoking in public.

RELATED: Cigarette smoking has declined sharply in US: Here are the numbers, according to research

The survey noted that the number of adult smokers dropped under 10% for the first time. In 2025, it was 9%.

Moreover, the use of electronic cigarettes has climbed slightly among Americans but has held steady last year at 7%.