Data / Rankings / Adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate / Cities in North Carolina

Cities in North Carolina by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate, 2023

Kinston, NC had the highest adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate of 93 cities in 2023, at 21.4%. Morrisville, NC had the lowest, at 6.5%. The median was 13.5%. Source: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Highest21.4Kinston, NC
Lowest6.5Morrisville, NC
Median13.593 cities

Top 40 cities, 2023

Kinston, NC: 21.4 %Kinston, NC21.4Lumberton, NC: 20.8 %Lumberton, NC20.8Laurinburg, NC: 20.3 %Laurinburg, NC20.3Lexington, NC: 19.5 %Lexington, NC19.5Henderson, NC: 19.3 %Henderson, NC19.3Kings Mountain, NC: 19.3 %Kings Mountain, NC19.3Wilson, NC: 18.6 %Wilson, NC18.6Reidsville, NC: 18.5 %Reidsville, NC18.5Eden, NC: 18.4 %Eden, NC18.4Mount Airy, NC: 18 %Mount Airy, NC18Goldsboro, NC: 17.9 %Goldsboro, NC17.9Lenoir, NC: 17.8 %Lenoir, NC17.8Morganton, NC: 17.3 %Morganton, NC17.3Smithfield, NC: 17.3 %Smithfield, NC17.3Rocky Mount, NC: 17.1 %Rocky Mount, NC17.1Albemarle, NC: 17 %Albemarle, NC17Shelby, NC: 17 %Shelby, NC17Thomasville, NC: 17 %Thomasville, NC17Roanoke Rapids, NC: 16.9 %Roanoke Rapids, NC16.9Sanford, NC: 16.8 %Sanford, NC16.8Lincolnton, NC: 16.7 %Lincolnton, NC16.7Asheboro, NC: 16.2 %Asheboro, NC16.2Salisbury, NC: 16 %Salisbury, NC16Tarboro, NC: 15.8 %Tarboro, NC15.8Hope Mills, NC: 15.7 %Hope Mills, NC15.7Gastonia, NC: 15.6 %Gastonia, NC15.6Monroe, NC: 15.4 %Monroe, NC15.4Archdale, NC: 15.3 %Archdale, NC15.3Burlington, NC: 15.3 %Burlington, NC15.3Statesville, NC: 15.2 %Statesville, NC15.2Kannapolis, NC: 15.1 %Kannapolis, NC15.1Newton, NC: 15 %Newton, NC15Spring Lake, NC: 15 %Spring Lake, NC15Fayetteville, NC: 14.9 %Fayetteville, NC14.9Elizabeth City, NC: 14.8 %Elizabeth City, NC14.8Graham, NC: 14.8 %Graham, NC14.8Zebulon, NC: 14.6 %Zebulon, NC14.6Waynesville, NC: 14.5 %Waynesville, NC14.5Hickory, NC: 14.4 %Hickory, NC14.4Winston-Salem, NC: 14.4 %Winston-Salem, NC14.4Kinston, NC: 21.4 %Kinston, NC21.4Lumberton, NC: 20.8 %Lumberton, NC20.8Laurinburg, NC: 20.3 %Laurinburg, NC20.3Lexington, NC: 19.5 %Lexington, NC19.5Henderson, NC: 19.3 %Henderson, NC19.3Kings Mountain, NC: 19.3 %Kings Mountain, NC19.3Wilson, NC: 18.6 %Wilson, NC18.6Reidsville, NC: 18.5 %Reidsville, NC18.5Eden, NC: 18.4 %Eden, NC18.4Mount Airy, NC: 18 %Mount Airy, NC18Goldsboro, NC: 17.9 %Goldsboro, NC17.9Lenoir, NC: 17.8 %Lenoir, NC17.8Morganton, NC: 17.3 %Morganton, NC17.3Smithfield, NC: 17.3 %Smithfield, NC17.3Rocky Mount, NC: 17.1 %Rocky Mount, NC17.1Albemarle, NC: 17 %Albemarle, NC17Shelby, NC: 17 %Shelby, NC17Thomasville, NC: 17 %Thomasville, NC17Roanoke Rapids, NC: 16.9 %Roanoke Rapids, NC16.9Sanford, NC: 16.8 %Sanford, NC16.8Lincolnton, NC: 16.7 %Lincolnton, NC16.7Asheboro, NC: 16.2 %Asheboro, NC16.2Salisbury, NC: 16 %Salisbury, NC16Tarboro, NC: 15.8 %Tarboro, NC15.8Hope Mills, NC: 15.7 %Hope Mills, NC15.7Gastonia, NC: 15.6 %Gastonia, NC15.6Monroe, NC: 15.4 %Monroe, NC15.4Archdale, NC: 15.3 %Archdale, NC15.3Burlington, NC: 15.3 %Burlington, NC15.3Statesville, NC: 15.2 %Statesville, NC15.2Kannapolis, NC: 15.1 %Kannapolis, NC15.1Newton, NC: 15 %Newton, NC15Spring Lake, NC: 15 %Spring Lake, NC15Fayetteville, NC: 14.9 %Fayetteville, NC14.9Elizabeth City, NC: 14.8 %Elizabeth City, NC14.8Graham, NC: 14.8 %Graham, NC14.8Zebulon, NC: 14.6 %Zebulon, NC14.6Waynesville, NC: 14.5 %Waynesville, NC14.5Hickory, NC: 14.4 %Hickory, NC14.4Winston-Salem, NC: 14.4 %Winston-Salem, NC14.4
%. Source: CDC, PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Place Data (eav7-hnsx, sd8v-uq83, krqc-563j and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Kinston, NC21.4+1.2 pts
2Lumberton, NC20.8-1.1 pts
3Laurinburg, NC20.3+0.2 pts
4Lexington, NC19.5-0.1 pts
5Henderson, NC19.3+0.2 pts
5Kings Mountain, NC19.3+0.4 pts
7Wilson, NC18.6-0.9 pts
8Reidsville, NC18.5-2.9 pts
9Eden, NC18.4-0.6 pts
10Mount Airy, NC18+0.2 pts
11Goldsboro, NC17.9-0.1 pts
12Lenoir, NC17.8-1.5 pts
13Morganton, NC17.3-2 pts
13Smithfield, NC17.3+1 pts
15Rocky Mount, NC17.1-0.6 pts
16Albemarle, NC17-1.1 pts
16Shelby, NC17-1.1 pts
16Thomasville, NC17-2 pts
19Roanoke Rapids, NC16.9-1.4 pts
20Sanford, NC16.8-1 pts
21Lincolnton, NC16.7-0.5 pts
22Asheboro, NC16.2-1.7 pts
23Salisbury, NC16-0.5 pts
24Tarboro, NC15.8-1.7 pts
25Hope Mills, NC15.7-0.7 pts
26Gastonia, NC15.6-1.4 pts
27Monroe, NC15.4-1 pts
28Archdale, NC15.30 pts
28Burlington, NC15.3-1.5 pts
30Statesville, NC15.2-0.8 pts
31Kannapolis, NC15.1-1.7 pts
32Newton, NC15-0.6 pts
32Spring Lake, NC15-0.3 pts
34Fayetteville, NC14.9-0.5 pts
35Elizabeth City, NC14.8-1 pts
35Graham, NC14.8-1.8 pts
37Zebulon, NC14.6-0.8 pts
38Waynesville, NC14.5-1 pts
39Hickory, NC14.4-0.2 pts
39Winston-Salem, NC14.4-1.2 pts
41High Point, NC14.2-1 pts
42Havelock, NC14-0.2 pts
43New Bern, NC13.8-1.3 pts
44Mount Holly, NC13.6-1 pts
45Greensboro, NC13.5-1.1 pts
45Greenville, NC13.5-0.6 pts
45Knightdale, NC13.5-0.4 pts
45Morehead City, NC13.5-0.3 pts
49Clayton, NC13.3-0.7 pts
50Kernersville, NC13.1-1.2 pts
51Hendersonville, NC13-0.2 pts
52Belmont, NC12.8-0.7 pts
53Concord, NC12.5-1.2 pts
54Mebane, NC12.4-1.9 pts
55Aberdeen, NC12.2-1.6 pts
55Wilmington, NC12.2-1.3 pts
57Asheville, NC12.1-0.7 pts
57Winterville, NC12.1+0.2 pts
59Pineville, NC11.9-2.4 pts
60Indian Trail, NC11.8-0.6 pts
60Leland, NC11.8-0.4 pts
60Wendell, NC11.8+0.4 pts
63Jacksonville, NC11.6-1.4 pts
64Boone, NC11.5+0.3 pts
64Mint Hill, NC11.5-1.1 pts
66Charlotte, NC11.4-1.5 pts
66Mooresville, NC11.4-1.1 pts
68Stallings, NC11.3-0.5 pts
69Durham, NC11.2-0.9 pts
69Garner, NC11.2-0.3 pts
71Lewisville, NC10.9-1.8 pts
72Clemmons, NC10.5-1.1 pts
72Fuquay-Varina, NC10.5-0.7 pts
72Harrisburg, NC10.5+0.6 pts
72Raleigh, NC10.5-0.9 pts
76Waxhaw, NC10-1.8 pts
77Southern Pines, NC9.5-1.4 pts
77Summerfield, NC9.5-1.4 pts
77Wake Forest, NC9.5-0.6 pts
80Huntersville, NC9.1-1.5 pts
81Chapel Hill, NC9+0.6 pts
81Rolesville, NC9-1.6 pts
83Matthews, NC8.9-1.2 pts
84Cornelius, NC8.7-1.8 pts
85Holly Springs, NC8.6-1 pts
86Carrboro, NC8.5-0.9 pts
86Weddington, NC8.5-0.1 pts
88Apex, NC8.2-1.4 pts
89Pinehurst, NC8.1+0.1 pts
90Elon, NC7.9-0.8 pts
91Cary, NC7.7-0.6 pts
92Davidson, NC7.3-0.6 pts
93Morrisville, NC6.5-0.6 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Percentage of adults who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and now smoke every day or on some days. Model-based estimate for adults aged 18 and over from CDC PLACES. Crude prevalence, not age-adjusted.

US counties and cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). CDC PLACES combines Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) answers with local population data through multilevel regression and poststratification, so a county or city value is a model estimate, not a survey count. The year is the BRFSS survey year, not the release year. CDC says the method does not support tracking change in a place over time, and each annual release can change the model, so values for different years are not strictly comparable. A state is missing in a year when its BRFSS data did not meet standards (Kentucky and Pennsylvania in 2023, Florida in 2021). Connecticut counties appear as its nine planning regions from 2022; its eight former counties are not served. City values for 2021 come from the 2023 release, built on 2010 Census place boundaries; later years use 2020 boundaries. State and national values come from direct BRFSS estimates under adult_smoking_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Place Data (eav7-hnsx, sd8v-uq83, krqc-563j and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence. https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Place Data (eav7-hnsx, sd8v-uq83, krqc-563j and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence (Cities in North Carolina by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.cdc.gov/places/

MLA 9

PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Place Data (eav7-hnsx, sd8v-uq83, krqc-563j and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence, Cities in North Carolina by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate, 2023. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 12 Dec. 2025, https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-smoking-rate-county-estimate/north-carolina-cities. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2025. PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Place Data (eav7-hnsx, sd8v-uq83, krqc-563j and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence. Cities in North Carolina by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-smoking-rate-county-estimate/north-carolina-cities.

Harvard

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2025) PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Place Data (eav7-hnsx, sd8v-uq83, krqc-563j and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence, Cities in North Carolina by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/places/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-smoking-rate-county-estimate/north-carolina-cities (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{centers_cities_in_north_carolina_2023,
  author = {{Centers for Disease Control and Prevention}},
  title = {{PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Place Data (eav7-hnsx, sd8v-uq83, krqc-563j and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence: Cities in North Carolina by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate, 2023}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.cdc.gov/places/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-smoking-rate-county-estimate/north-carolina-cities. Publisher attribution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Place Data (eav7-hnsx, sd8v-uq83, krqc-563j and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence. https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
TI  - PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Place Data (eav7-hnsx, sd8v-uq83, krqc-563j and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence: Cities in North Carolina by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate, 2023
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/12
PB  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.cdc.gov/places/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-smoking-rate-county-estimate/north-carolina-cities
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-smoking-rate-county-estimate/north-carolina-cities.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Place Data (eav7-hnsx, sd8v-uq83, krqc-563j and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence. https://www.cdc.gov/places/. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in North Carolina by adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"adult_smoking_rate_modelled","level":"municipality","within":"North Carolina","limit":10}
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Questions

Which city has the highest adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate?

Kinston, NC, with 21.4% in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which city has the lowest adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate?

Morrisville, NC, with 6.5% in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Place Data (eav7-hnsx, sd8v-uq83, krqc-563j and later releases), adult cigarette smoking rate, crude prevalence. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Adult cigarette smoking rate, local model estimate: other rankings

Cities in North Carolina: more rankings