The cigarette smoking rate among US adults dropped to another all-time low last year, with 1 in 11 adults saying they were current smokers, according to government survey data released this week. Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke, and it's long been considered the leading cause of preventable death, per the AP. The preliminary findings from the CDC were based on survey responses from more than 24,200 adults. In the survey, CDC officials defined current cigarette smoking as smoking at least 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and now smoking every day or some days.
In the mid-1960s, 42% of US adults were smokers. The rate has been gradually dropping for decades, due to cigarette taxes, tobacco product price hikes, smoking bans, public education campaigns, and changes in the social acceptability of lighting up in public. In 2024, the percentage of current adult smokers fell below 10% for the first time; last year, it was 9%, according to the new survey. The use of electronic cigarettes has been inching up among adults but held about steady in 2025, at about 7%.
"The continued decline in smoking is a monumental public-health achievement that has saved millions of lives and billions in healthcare costs," said Yolonda Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a DC-based advocacy and research organization. Richardson said current smoking-prevention efforts have been set back by cuts President Trump's administration made that eliminated the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health and its "Tips from Former Smokers" advertising campaign.
Richardson cited estimates that the "Tips" campaign alone helped more than 1 million Americans quit smoking and saved more than $7.3 billion in healthcare costs. "This critical work must be restored and sustained to continue reducing smoking-related disease, death, and healthcare costs nationwide," Richardson said.
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