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The percentage of American adults who smoke cigarettes has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded, according to a new study.
About 9.9% of American adults reported smoking cigarettes in 2024, down from 10.8% in 2023, according to an analysis of National Health Interview Survey data published Tuesday in the journal NEJM Evidence.
The findings mark the first time that smoking rates among US adults have fallen into the single digits, a milestone that public health officials have been tracking for decades. The decline suggests the US may be moving closer to the Healthy People 2030 goal – a national public health target – to reduce smoking among adults to 6.1%.
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“If this reduction continues, the target may be reached or exceeded by 2030,” the researchers, led by Israel Agaku, Ph.D., a researcher and professor of public health based in Atlanta, wrote in the paper.
The percentage of US adults who smoke cigarettes will drop to 9.9% by 2024, the lowest rate ever recorded, according to a new study. (Stock)
But the milestone does not mean that tobacco use has disappeared. About 25.2 million adults still smoke cigarettes — the most widely used tobacco product in the United States — while about 47.7 million adults, or 18.8% of the population, use at least one tobacco product, including cigarettes, cigars or cigarettes, according to researchers.
The study analyzed responses from more than 29,500 adults in 2023 and 32,600 adults in 2024 who participated in the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative household survey and the most recent national data available on adult tobacco use.
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The decline in smoking has helped reduce the use of combustible tobacco, including cigarettes and cigars. About 12.6% of adults use vaping by 2024, down from 13.5% last year, according to the study.
The use of other tobacco products such as e-cigarettes remained unchanged. (Stock)
However, the prevalence of other tobacco products – including cigarettes and cigars – did not change significantly between 2023 and 2024, according to the study.
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“The lack of change in tobacco and e-cigarette use requires strong implementation of comprehensive tobacco control policies that address all products,” the researchers wrote.
The study also found that tobacco use was not evenly distributed across the population.
Tobacco use was higher among certain occupational groups, including adults working in agriculture, construction and manufacturing. (Stock)
Men reported significantly higher tobacco use than women, with just over 24% of men using at least one tobacco product compared to nearly 14% of women, according to the survey.
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Tobacco use was also high among certain population groups and workers, especially older people in industries such as agriculture, construction and manufacturing.
The highest tobacco use was reported among people with a General Education Development Certificate at 42.8%, as well as rural residents, low-income people and people with disabilities.
Young adults were more likely to use cigarettes than traditional tobacco. About 15% of adults ages 18 to 24 reported using cigarettes, compared to 3.4% who smoked cigarettes, according to the survey.
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Some experts note that the findings indicate a change in nicotine use rather than the disappearance of addiction.
Young adults are more likely to use e-cigarettes than traditional cigarettes, according to the study. (Stock)
John Puls, a psychiatrist and addiction specialist who runs Full Life Comprehensive Care in Boca Raton, Florida, said the tendency to quit smoking but continue to use cigarettes and e-cigarettes reflects what he sees in patients.
“Most of my patients use cigarettes and various vape products,” Puls, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “They are easy to conceal, can be used almost anywhere and deliver a very strong nicotine dose.”
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Cigarette smoking, on the other hand, is “more socially unacceptable than ever,” he added. “I work with many patients who are addicted to nicotine, and most have never smoked cigarettes.”
Public health officials stress that no tobacco product is considered safe. (Stock)
Puls said this pattern is more common among teenagers and young adults and is about the fact that cigarettes usually deliver about 1 to 2 milligrams of nicotine, while some vape products can have 20 to 60 milligrams.
“There is also a perception that electronic cigarettes are a safer form of smoking, contributing to the decline of cigarette smoking,” Puls added.
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Health officials stress that no tobacco product is safe, including e-cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the US and is responsible for one in three cancer deaths, the agency said.
Public health officials say cessation support, smoke-free laws and tobacco taxes are important tools to reduce smoking rates. (Stock)
Overall, ongoing public health measures — including smoke-free laws, tobacco taxes and access to cessation support — remain important to reducing tobacco use, the researchers note.
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The study had several limitations, including changes in how smokeless tobacco was defined over the years of the study, reliance on self-reported data and less reliable estimates in some subgroups.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Agaku for comment.
