Tobacco use in Texas 2018

Cigarette use: Texas*

• In 2016, 14.3 percent of adults smoked. Nationally, the rate was 17.1 percent.¹
• In 2017, 7.4 percent of high school students smoked on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 8.8 percent.²

Other tobacco product use: Texas

• In 2015, 2.4 percent of adults used e-cigarettes, 1.9 percent used smokeless tobacco and 2.1 percent smoked cigars.³
• In 2017, 10.3 percent of high school students used e-cigarettes, 5.4 percent used smokeless tobacco and 7.0 percent smoked cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rates were 13.2 percent, 5.5 percent and 8.0 percent, respectively.²

Economics of tobacco use and tobacco control

• Texas received $1.9082 billion (estimated) in tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2018.⁴
• Of this, the state allocated $4.5 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2018, just 1.7 percent of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.⁴
• Smoking-caused health care costs: $8.85 billion per year⁴
• Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $8.22 billion per year⁵

Texas tobacco laws

Tobacco taxes

• Texas is ranked 28th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $1.41 per pack (enacted January 2007), compared to the national average of $1.73. (Connecticut and New York have the highest tax at $4.35 and Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents.)⁶ ⁷ ⁸
• Cigars are taxed 1 cent per 10 or fraction of 10 for those weighing less than three pounds per thousand. Cigars weighing more than three pounds per thousand are taxed at $7.50-$15 per thousand depending on their factory list price and whether they contain a substantial amount of non-tobacco ingredients. All other tobacco products are taxed at $1.22 per ounce.⁶ ⁷

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in childcare facilities, retail stores & recreational/cultural facilities.⁶ ⁷
• Smoking restrictions are required in schools and recreational/cultural facilities.⁶ ⁷
• There are no smoking restrictions for government workplaces, private workplaces, restaurants, bars, casinos/gaming establishments and retail stores.⁶ ⁷
  • Many municipalities in Texas have established local 100 percent smoke-free laws, often including bars.

Youth access laws

• The minimum age of sale for tobacco products in Texas is 18.⁷
• Minors are prohibited from buying alternative nicotine products, including e-cigarettes.⁶
• Establishments are required to post signs stating that sales to minors are prohibited.⁶

Local Tobacco Laws

• San Antonio has banned the sale of tobacco products to those under age 21.⁹

Quitting statistics and benefits

• The CDC estimates that 51.9 percent of daily adult smokers in Texas quit smoking for one or more days in 2016.¹⁰
• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all quit medications.⁷**
• Texas’s state quit line invests 63 cents per smoker, compared to the national average of $2.10.⁷
• Texas does not have a private insurance mandate provision for quitting tobacco.⁷

Notes and references

Updated June 2018

* National and state-level prevalence numbers reflect the most recent data available. This 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, 2016.
2. CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2017.
3. CDC, State-Specific Prevalence of Tobacco Product Use Among Adults - United States, 2014-2015, MMWR.
4. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Broken Promises to Our Children: a State-by-State Look at the 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 19 Years Later FY2018, 2017.
5. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Toll of Tobacco in the United States, 2018.
6. American Lung Association, SLATI State Reports, 2017.
7. American Lung Association, State of Tobacco Control, 2018.
8. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings, 2018.
9. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. States and Localities that have Raised the Minimum Legal Sales Age for Tobacco Products to 21. 2018; 
10. CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System, 2016.