U.S. Adult Cigarette Smoking Rate Hits Record Low of 9% in 2025

U.S. adult cigarette smoking fell to a record low of 9% in 2025, according to preliminary data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One in 11 adults reported being current smokers.

The survey included responses from more than 24,200 adults. CDC officials defined current cigarette smoking as having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and now smoking every day or some days. The same definition was used in prior years.

The percentage of current adult smokers first fell below 10% in 2024. The 2025 figure of 9% marks the second consecutive year under that threshold.

The rate has declined gradually for decades. According to the New York Post report on the CDC data, factors contributing to the decline include cigarette taxes, tobacco product price hikes, smoking bans, public education campaigns and changes in the social acceptability of smoking in public.

Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease and stroke and has long been considered the leading cause of preventable death.

Yolonda Richardson, president and chief executive of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, called the continued decline “a monumental public health achievement that has saved millions of lives and billions in healthcare costs.”