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 2021, at 22%. Utah had the lowest, at 7.2%. The median was 14.4%. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Highest22West Virginia
Lowest7.2Utah
Median14.450 states

All states, 2021

CSVChart (SVG)

West VirginiaWest Virginia: 22 %22ArkansasArkansas: 21.1 %21.1TennesseeTennessee: 19.7 %19.7KentuckyKentucky: 19.6 %19.6MississippiMississippi: 19.6 %19.6LouisianaLouisiana: 19.5 %19.5OhioOhio: 18 %18IndianaIndiana: 17.3 %17.3MissouriMissouri: 17.3 %17.3AlabamaAlabama: 17.2 %17.2AlaskaAlaska: 17.1 %17.1MichiganMichigan: 17 %17OklahomaOklahoma: 16.9 %16.9WyomingWyoming: 16.4 %16.4KansasKansas: 15.6 %15.6MaineMaine: 15.6 %15.6NevadaNevada: 15.5 %15.5South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 15.5 %15.5South DakotaSouth Dakota: 15.3 %15.3GeorgiaGeorgia: 15 %15North DakotaNorth Dakota: 15 %15VermontVermont: 14.8 %14.8IowaIowa: 14.6 %14.6MontanaMontana: 14.4 %14.4North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 14.4 %14.4PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 14.4 %14.4DelawareDelaware: 13.4 %13.4MinnesotaMinnesota: 13.4 %13.4NebraskaNebraska: 13.4 %13.4New MexicoNew Mexico: 13.4 %13.4IdahoIdaho: 13.3 %13.3WisconsinWisconsin: 13.3 %13.3ArizonaArizona: 13.1 %13.1TexasTexas: 13.1 %13.1OregonOregon: 12.4 %12.4Rhode IslandRhode Island: 12.4 %12.4VirginiaVirginia: 12.4 %12.4New HampshireNew Hampshire: 12.3 %12.3ColoradoColorado: 12 %12IllinoisIllinois: 12 %12New YorkNew York: 12 %12ConnecticutConnecticut: 11.1 %11.1WashingtonWashington: 10.8 %10.8New JerseyNew Jersey: 10.7 %10.7MassachusettsMassachusetts: 10.6 %10.6HawaiiHawaii: 10.1 %10.1MarylandMaryland: 10.1 %10.1District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 9.5 %9.5CaliforniaCalifornia: 8.8 %8.8UtahUtah: 7.2 %7.2
%. Source: CDC. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankStates2021 (%)Change on 2020
1West Virginia22-0.6 pts
2Arkansas21.1+0.6 pts
3Tennessee19.7+0.2 pts
4Kentucky19.6-1.8 pts
4Mississippi19.6-0.5 pts
6Louisiana19.5+1.2 pts
7Ohio18-1.3 pts
8Indiana17.3-2.1 pts
8Missouri17.3-0.5 pts
10Alabama17.2-1.3 pts
11Alaska17.1-0.9 pts
12Michigan17-1.4 pts
13Oklahoma16.9-2.2 pts
14Wyoming16.4-2.1 pts
15Kansas15.6-1 pts
15Maine15.6-0.9 pts
17Nevada15.5+1.3 pts
17South Carolina15.5-2.6 pts
19South Dakota15.3-2.5 pts
20Georgia15-0.8 pts
20North Dakota15-2.4 pts
22Vermont14.8+1.5 pts
23Iowa14.6-1.2 pts
24Montana14.4-2 pts
24North Carolina14.4-2.1 pts
24Pennsylvania14.4-1.4 pts
27Delaware13.4-1.7 pts
27Minnesota13.4-0.4 pts
27Nebraska13.4-0.5 pts
27New Mexico13.4-2.7 pts
31Idaho13.3-0.3 pts
31Wisconsin13.3-2.2 pts
33Arizona13.10 pts
33Texas13.1-0.1 pts
35Oregon12.4-1 pts
35Rhode Island12.4-1.1 pts
35Virginia12.4-1.2 pts
38New Hampshire12.3-1.6 pts
39Colorado12-0.4 pts
39Illinois12-0.7 pts
39New York120 pts
42Connecticut11.1-0.7 pts
43Washington10.8-0.7 pts
44New Jersey10.7-0.1 pts
45Massachusetts10.6-0.5 pts
46Hawaii10.1-1.5 pts
46Maryland10.1-0.8 pts
48District of Columbia9.5-1.8 pts
49California8.8-0.1 pts
50Utah7.2-1 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 2021 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.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank US states by adult smoking rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"adult_smoking_rate","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=adult_smoking_rate&level=region&within=United%20States&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which state has the highest adult smoking rate?

West Virginia, with 22% in 2021, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which state has the lowest adult smoking rate?

Utah, with 7.2% in 2021.

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 2021 and are not ranked.

US states: more rankings