Tobacco use in Pennsylvania 2023

• In 2022, 14.9% of adults smoked. Nationally, adult smoking prevalence was 14.0%.¹
• In 2021, 4.2% of high school students in Pennsylvania smoked cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, smoking prevalence among high school students was 3.8%.²

• In 2022, 7.4% of adults in Pennsylvania used e-cigarettes.³ Nationally, adult e-cigarette use prevalence was 7.7%.¹
• In 2022, 4.8% of adults in Pennsylvania used smokeless tobacco every day or some days.¹ Nationally, adult smokeless tobacco use prevalence was 3.4%.¹
• In 2021, 19.2% of high school students in Pennsylvania used electronic vapor products on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the e-cigarette use prevalence among high school students was 18%.²
• In 2021, 3.4% of high school students in Pennsylvania used chewing tobacco, snuff or dip on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the smokeless tobacco use prevalence among high school students was 3.1%.²
• In 2021, 3.6% of high school students in Pennsylvania smoked cigars, cigarillos or little cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the cigar use prevalence among high school students was 2.5%.²

• Pennsylvania received $1.6 billion (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2023.⁴
• Of this, the state allocated $15.5 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2023, 11.1% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.⁴
• Smoking-caused health care costs: $7.41 billion per year.⁴
• Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $13.4 billion per year.⁵

Tobacco taxes

• Pennsylvania is ranked 15th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $2.60 per pack (enacted August 2016), compared to the national average of $1.93. (New York has the highest tax at $5.35 and Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents.)^6-8
• Little cigars weighing under four pounds per thousand are taxed at 13 cents per cigar.
• E-cigarettes are taxed at 40% of the purchase price charged to the retailer.
• Roll-your-own and smokeless tobacco are taxed at 55 cents per ounce on all fractional parts of an ounce.^6,7

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in government workplaces, private workplaces, schools, childcare facilities, retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.^6,7
• Smoking restrictions are required in restaurants and casinos/gaming establishments (tribal establishments are exempt).^6,7
• There are no smoking restrictions for bars.^6,7
• E-cigarettes are prohibited in schools, on school vehicles and on school property owned or leased or under the control of a school district.⁹

Licensing laws

• Retailers and wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell tobacco products.⁶
• Retailers and wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell e-cigarette products.⁹

Youth access laws

• In December 2019, the United States adopted a law raising the federal minimum age of sale of all tobacco products to 21, effective immediately.
• Only sales clerks are allowed access to tobacco products prior to sale, unless the tobacco products are located within the line of sight or under the control of a cashier or other employee and unless it is a retail stores which derives 75% or more of sales revenue from tobacco products.⁶

Local tobacco Laws

• Philadelphia restricts the number of tobacco retailers to one per 1,000 people in each planning district and prohibits new tobacco retailers within 500 feet of a school.¹⁰
• Philadelphia prohibits the sale of all flavored e-cigarettes and the sale of cartridges or pods containing more than 20 milligrams per millimeter of nicotine, except in adult-only stores.¹¹

• The CDC estimates 49.7% of daily adult smokers in Pennsylvania quit smoking for one or more days in 2019.³
• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all tobacco cessation medications.^7**
• Pennsylvania’s state quit line invests $1.57 per smoker, compared to the national median of $2.37.⁷
• Pennsylvania does not have a private insurance mandate provision for cessation.⁷

Updated June 2023

* The datasets for both adults and youth prevalence were used to make direct comparisons at the state and national levels. National prevalence reported here may differ from what is reported in our national-level fact sheets. The numbers here also reflect the most recent data available. Dates of available data may differ across state fact sheets.

**The seven recommended cessation medications are NRT gum, NRT patch, NRT nasal spray, NRT inhaler, NRT lozenge, Varenicline (Chantix) and Bupropion (Zyban).

Fiore MC, et al. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update. Clinical Practice Guideline. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service: May 2008.

1.         CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2022.

2.         CDC, Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System, 2021.

3.         CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System, 2021.

4.         Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Broken Promises to Our Children: a State-by-State Look at the 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 24 Years Later FY2023, 2023.

5.         Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Toll of Tobacco in the United States.

6.         American Lung Association, State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI).

7.         American Lung Association, State of Tobacco Control, 2023.

8.         Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings. https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/factsheets/0097.pdf. Accessed October 4th, 2023.

9.         Public Health Law Center. U.S. E-Cigarette Regulation: 50-State Review. http://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/resources/us-e-cigarette-regulations-50-state-review. Accessed October 4th, 2023.

10.       City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Regulation Relating to Tobacco Retailing. http://www.phila.gov/health/pdfs/TobaccoRetailingRegulation.pdf. Published 2016. Accessed October 4th, 2023.

11.       Truth Initiative, Local restrictions on flavored tobacco and e-cigarette products. https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/local-restrictions-flavored-tobacco-and-e-cigarette. Accessed October 4th, 2023.