Who smokes?

Who Smokes?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 46.2 million US adults were current smokers in 2001 (the most recent year for which numbers are available). This is 22.8% of all adults (25.2% of men, 20.7% of women) - nearly 1 in every 4 people.

When broken down by race/ethnicity, the numbers were as follows:

Whites - 24,0 %
African Americans - 22,3 %
Hispanics - 16,7 %
American Indians/Alaska Natives - 32,7 %
Asian Americans - 12,4 %


Alarmingly, the numbers were higher in younger age groups. Almost 27% of those 18 to 24 years old were current smokers.

Nationwide, 22.9% of high school students were current smokers in 2002. White and Hispanic students were among the highest in terms of cigarette use.