Status: Improving
Most Recent Data:
11.0
percent
(2023) *
Desired Direction:
Decrease desired
* Age adjusted to the year 2000 standard population.
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Cigarette smoking causes cancer, heart disease, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and many other serious health problems. While cigarette smoking prevalence among U.S. adults has decreased overall, smoking is more common among some population groups. To reduce disparities in smoking, including disparities by race and ethnicity, continued monitoring of cigarette smoking by different population groups is critical — in addition to evidence-based approaches to prevent and control tobacco use.
In 2021, 11.7 percent of adults aged 18 years and over were current cigarette smokers. *
Data Source: National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), CDC/NCHS
Disparities in current cigarette smoking rates among adults by race and ethnicity: Highest/lowest rate * ‡
Disparities in current cigarette smoking rates among adults by race and ethnicity: All groups * ‡
In 2021, non-Hispanic Asian adults had the lowest group rate of current cigarette smoking (5.5 percent).
- The rate of current cigarette smoking among Hispanic or Latino adults (7.8 percent) was 42.7 percent higher than the lowest group rate.
- The rate of current cigarette smoking among non-Hispanic Black or African American adults (11.7 percent) was more than twice the lowest group rate.
- The rate of current cigarette smoking among non-Hispanic White adults (13.3 percent) was more than twice the lowest group rate.
- The rate of current cigarette smoking among non-Hispanic multiracial adults (15.7 percent) was more than 2.5 times the lowest group rate.
