Data / Rankings / Adult cigarette smoking rate / US states

US states by adult smoking rate

West Virginia had the highest adult smoking rate of 50 states in 2019, at 23.8%. Utah had the lowest, at 7.9%. The median was 16%. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Highest23.8West Virginia
Lowest7.9Utah
Median1650 states

All states, 2019

CSVChart (SVG)

West VirginiaWest Virginia: 23.8 %23.8KentuckyKentucky: 23.6 %23.6LouisianaLouisiana: 21.9 %21.9OhioOhio: 20.8 %20.8MississippiMississippi: 20.4 %20.4AlabamaAlabama: 20.2 %20.2ArkansasArkansas: 20.2 %20.2TennesseeTennessee: 19.9 %19.9MissouriMissouri: 19.6 %19.6IndianaIndiana: 19.2 %19.2OklahomaOklahoma: 18.9 %18.9MichiganMichigan: 18.7 %18.7North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 18.5 %18.5WyomingWyoming: 18.4 %18.4South DakotaSouth Dakota: 18.3 %18.3MaineMaine: 17.6 %17.6South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 17.6 %17.6AlaskaAlaska: 17.4 %17.4PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 17.3 %17.3North DakotaNorth Dakota: 17 %17MontanaMontana: 16.6 %16.6IowaIowa: 16.4 %16.4GeorgiaGeorgia: 16.3 %16.3KansasKansas: 16.2 %16.2New MexicoNew Mexico: 16 %16DelawareDelaware: 15.9 %15.9New HampshireNew Hampshire: 15.9 %15.9NevadaNevada: 15.7 %15.7WisconsinWisconsin: 15.4 %15.4IdahoIdaho: 15.3 %15.3VermontVermont: 15.1 %15.1ArizonaArizona: 14.9 %14.9FloridaFlorida: 14.8 %14.8NebraskaNebraska: 14.7 %14.7TexasTexas: 14.7 %14.7MinnesotaMinnesota: 14.6 %14.6IllinoisIllinois: 14.5 %14.5OregonOregon: 14.5 %14.5VirginiaVirginia: 14 %14ColoradoColorado: 13.5 %13.5Rhode IslandRhode Island: 13.3 %13.3District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 12.7 %12.7MarylandMaryland: 12.7 %12.7New YorkNew York: 12.6 %12.6WashingtonWashington: 12.6 %12.6HawaiiHawaii: 12.3 %12.3ConnecticutConnecticut: 12.1 %12.1MassachusettsMassachusetts: 12 %12CaliforniaCalifornia: 10 %10UtahUtah: 7.9 %7.9
%. Source: CDC. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankStates2019 (%)Change on 2018
1West Virginia23.8-1.4 pts
2Kentucky23.6+0.2 pts
3Louisiana21.9+1.4 pts
4Ohio20.8+0.3 pts
5Mississippi20.4-0.1 pts
6Alabama20.2+1 pts
6Arkansas20.2-2.5 pts
8Tennessee19.9-0.8 pts
9Missouri19.6+0.2 pts
10Indiana19.2-1.9 pts
11Oklahoma18.9-0.8 pts
12Michigan18.7-0.2 pts
13North Carolina18.5+1.1 pts
14Wyoming18.4-0.4 pts
15South Dakota18.3-0.7 pts
16Maine17.6-0.2 pts
16South Carolina17.6-0.4 pts
18Alaska17.4-1.7 pts
19Pennsylvania17.3+0.3 pts
20North Dakota17-2.1 pts
21Montana16.6-1.4 pts
22Iowa16.4-0.2 pts
23Georgia16.3+0.2 pts
24Kansas16.2-1 pts
25New Mexico16+0.8 pts
26Delaware15.9-0.6 pts
26New Hampshire15.9+0.3 pts
28Nevada15.70 pts
29Wisconsin15.4-1 pts
30Idaho15.3+0.6 pts
31Vermont15.1+1.4 pts
32Arizona14.9+0.9 pts
33Florida14.8+0.3 pts
34Nebraska14.7-1.3 pts
34Texas14.7+0.3 pts
36Minnesota14.6-0.5 pts
37Illinois14.5-1 pts
37Oregon14.5-1.1 pts
39Virginia14-1 pts
40Colorado13.5-1 pts
41Rhode Island13.3-1.3 pts
42District of Columbia12.7-1.1 pts
42Maryland12.7+0.1 pts
44New York12.6-0.2 pts
44Washington12.6+0.6 pts
46Hawaii12.3-1.1 pts
47Connecticut12.1-0.1 pts
48Massachusetts12-1.4 pts
49California10-1.2 pts
50Utah7.9-1.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Percentage of adults aged 18 and over who currently smoke cigarettes: they have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and now smoke every day or on some days. Crude prevalence, not age-adjusted.

United States: CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), states and DC only. BRFSS publishes the median of the states rather than a national prevalence, so no national value is served. E-cigarettes and other tobacco products are not counted. The series starts in 2011, when BRFSS changed its methods.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. 1 states with data in other periods have no value for 2019 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), adults who are current smokers, crude prevalence, overall. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid%3D%27_RFSMOK3%27+AND+responseid%3D%27RESP046%27+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Questions

Which state has the highest adult smoking rate?

West Virginia, with 23.8% in 2019, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which state has the lowest adult smoking rate?

Utah, with 7.9% in 2019.

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, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), adults who are current smokers, crude prevalence, overall. Retrieved 2026-10-09. 1 states have no value for 2019 and are not ranked.

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