Looking for cheap cigarettes near me? Here are cigarette prices by state for 2023 so you can learn how much a carton of cigarettes costs near you (USA).
Which states have the cheapest cigarettes? That's something we are going to answer today. Along with what states have the highest cigarette tax and how much are cigarettes in each state.
Cigarette Prices by State (2023)
State | Average Retail Price Per Pack (Taxes Included) | Cigarette Excise Tax Per Pack | State Sales Tax Per Pack | Total State Tax Per Pack | Ranking |
Alabama | $5.44 | $0.68 | $0.18 | $0.86 | 8 |
Alaska | $9.09 | $2.00 | $0.00 | $2.00 | 44 |
Arizona | $7.63 | $2.00 | $0.40 | $2.40 | 36 |
Arkansas | $6.13 | $1.15 | $0.37 | $1.52 | 17 |
California | $8.31 | $2.87 | $0.63 | $3.50 | 39 |
Colorado | $5.82 | $0.84 | $0.16 | $1.00 | 14 |
Connecticut | $10.00 | $4.35 | $0.60 | $4.95 | 49 |
D.C. | $9.87 | $4.50 | $0.48 | $4.98 | 47 |
Delaware | $6.68 | $2.10 | $0.00 | $2.10 | 28 |
Florida | $6.21 | $1.34 | $0.35 | $1.69 | 20 |
Georgia | $5.30 | $0.37 | $0.23 | $0.60 | 2 |
Hawaii | $9.52 | $3.20 | $0.37 | $3.57 | 46 |
Idaho | $5.61 | $0.57 | $0.32 | $0.89 | 12 |
Illinois | $8.79 | $2.98 | $0.52 | $3.50 | 42 |
Indiana | $5.75 | $1.00 | $0.38 | $1.37 | 13 |
Iowa | $6.35 | $1.36 | $0.36 | $1.72 | 21 |
Kansas | $6.44 | $1.29 | $0.39 | $1.68 | 24 |
Kentucky | $5.60 | $1.10 | $0.32 | $1.42 | 11 |
Louisiana | $5.83 | $1.08 | $0.25 | $1.33 | 15 |
Maine | $7.13 | $2.00 | $0.37 | $2.37 | 35 |
Maryland | $6.95 | $2.00 | $0.39 | $2.39 | 31 |
Massachusetts | $9.98 | $3.51 | $0.59 | $4.10 | 48 |
Michigan | $6.78 | $2.00 | $0.38 | $2.38 | 30 |
Minnesota | $9.41 | $3.04 | $0.61 | $3.65 | 45 |
Mississippi | $5.47 | $0.68 | $0.36 | $1.04 | 9 |
Missouri | $4.91 | $0.17 | $0.21 | $0.38 | 1 |
Montana | $6.46 | $1.70 | $0.00 | $1.70 | 25 |
Nebraska | $5.48 | $0.64 | $0.29 | $0.93 | 10 |
Nevada | $7.02 | $1.80 | $0.45 | $2.25 | 33 |
New Hampshire | $6.39 | $1.78 | $0.00 | $1.78 | 23 |
New Jersey | $7.85 | $2.70 | $0.49 | $3.19 | 38 |
New Mexico | $7.07 | $2.00 | $0.37 | $2.37 | 34 |
New York | $10.47 | $4.35 | $0.40 | $4.75 | 51 |
North Carolina | $5.32 | $0.45 | $0.34 | $0.79 | 3 |
North Dakota | $5.36 | $0.44 | $0.26 | $0.70 | 4 |
Ohio | $6.55 | $1.60 | $0.40 | $2.00 | 27 |
Oklahoma | $6.96 | $2.03 | $0.00 | $2.03 | 32 |
Oregon | $6.14 | $1.33 | $0.00 | $1.33 | 18 |
Pennsylvania | $8.51 | $2.60 | $0.48 | $3.08 | 40 |
Rhode Island | $10.15 | $4.25 | $0.66 | $4.91 | 50 |
South Carolina | $5.42 | $0.57 | $0.31 | $0.88 | 7 |
South Dakota | $6.50 | $1.53 | $0.28 | $1.81 | 26 |
Tennessee | $5.39 | $0.62 | $0.42 | $1.04 | 5 |
Texas | $6.37 | $1.41 | $0.37 | $1.78 | 22 |
Utah | $6.75 | $1.70 | $0.39 | $2.09 | 29 |
Vermont | $8.85 | $3.08 | $0.50 | $3.58 | 43 |
Virginia | $5.86 | $0.60 | $0.29 | $0.89 | 16 |
Washington | $8.58 | $3.03 | $0.52 | $3.55 | 41 |
West Virginia | $6.14 | $1.20 | $0.35 | $1.55 | 19 |
Wisconsin | $7.72 | $2.52 | $0.37 | $2.89 | 37 |
Wyoming | $5.40 | $0.60 | $0.21 | $0.81 | 6 |
Which States Have the Cheapest Cigarettes?
The states with the cheapest cigarette prices include: Virginia ($5.86), Georgia ($5.30), North Carolina ($5.32), Kentucky ($5.60), Tennessee ($5.39), and Missouri ($4.91).
Which State Has the Highest Cigarette Tax?
The highest state-local tax rate for cigarettes is $.066 in Rhode Island. The cheapest state-local tax rate for cigarettes is $0.00 in Delaware.
How Much Are Cigarettes in Each State?
Read the article on Whippio.com to learn about how much are cigarettes in each state.
Economic Trends in Tobacco
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/economics/econ_facts/index.htm
Tobacco-Related Spending
In 2018, tobacco companies spent $9.06 billion marketing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in the United States. This amount translates to about $25 million each day, or more than $1 million every hour.1
- Cigarette advertising and promotional expenses totaled approximately $8.4 billion in 2018—a decrease from 2017. In 2018, about 73.3% (about $6.16 billion) of this was spent on price discounts paid to cigarette retailers to reduce the cost of cigarettes to consumers—an increase from 2017.1
- Manufacturers spent a total of $658.5 million on smokeless tobacco advertising and promotion during 2018—a decrease from 2017.2
- A number of electronic products, such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), electronic cigars (e-cigars), and electronic pipes (e-pipes), are being introduced in the marketplace. However, current information on spending for marketing and promotion of these products is currently not available.
- From 2012 through 2016, e-cigarette unit sales in the United States generally increased as product prices decreased. Nationally, the average monthly e-cigarette sales rate as summed across all product types sold increased by 132% during this timeframe (i.e., from 667 units per 100,000 people in 2012 to 1,547 units per 100,000 people in 2016).
- Despite overall sales growth, e-cigarettes sales fluctuated across time by product type. Specifically, during 2012-2016, sales of rechargeables, prefilled cartridges, and e-liquids grew relatively steadily over time. However, sales for disposables increased sharply in late 2012, peaked in 2013, and later decreased in sales from 2014 to 2016.3
Tobacco Production in the United States
Although U.S. tobacco production has decreased significantly since the 1980s (from nearly 180,000 tobacco-growing farms to about 10,000 in 2012), the United States continues to be a leading producer of tobacco leaves.4
- The United States is the fourth largest tobacco-producing country in the world, following China, India, and Brazil.5
- Farms in the United States harvested more than 533 million pounds of tobacco in 2018.6
- In 2018, two states–North Carolina and Kentucky–accounted for more than 70% of total tobacco cultivation.6
Tobacco Sales
Cigarette Sales
- During 2017, about 249 billion cigarettes were sold in the United States—a 3.5% decrease from the 258 billion sold in 2016.7
- Four companies—Philip Morris USA, Reynolds American Inc., ITG Brands, and Liggett—accounted for about 92% of U.S. cigarette sales.
- Imports, primarily from Canada and South Korea, accounted for approximately 8.3% of U.S. cigarette inventories in 2016 and 7.9% in 2017.
- By state, the average retail price of a pack of 20 cigarettes (full-priced brands), including federal and state excise taxes, ranged from $4.62 in Missouri to a high of $10.67 in New York, as of November 2017.8
- On average, federal and state excise taxes account for 44.3% of the retail price of cigarettes.8
Other Tobacco Product Sales
- During 2012–2016, total U.S cigar unit sales grew by 29%, which was largely driven by increasing sales of cigarillos.9
- The total amount of smokeless tobacco sold by manufacturers to wholesalers and retailers in the United States was about 128.41 million pounds in 2018, a decrease from 130.91 million pounds sold in 2017.2
- During June 2018–June 2019, three companies—Altria Group Inc., British American Tobacco and Swedish Match—accounted for nearly 98% of U.S. dollar sales of smokeless tobacco, with combined sales of more than $6 billion.10
Economic Costs Associated With Smoking
Cost of Smoking-Related Illness
- Smoking-related illness in the United States costs more than $300 billion each year, including:11,12
- Nearly $170 billion for direct medical care for adults
- More than $156 billion in lost productivity, including $5.6 billion in lost productivity due to secondhand smoke exposure
Effects of Increased Prices
Increasing the price of tobacco products is the single most effective way to reduce consumption.13
- A 10% increase in price has been estimated to reduce overall cigarette consumption by 3–5%.13
- Research on cigarette consumption suggests that:
- both youth and young adults are two to three times more likely to respond to increases in price than adults13
- lower income populations are more likely to increase quit attempts or smoke fewer cigarettes in response to price increases, although desire to quit and successful cessation may not be consistent across all racial/ethnic groups.14
References
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Cigarette Report for 2018 pdf icon[PDF-281 KB]. Washington: Federal Trade Commission, 2019 [accessed 2020 Apr 16].
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Federal Trade Smokeless Tobacco Report for 2018 [PDF-578 KB]. Washington: Federal Trade Commission, 2019 [accessed 2020 Apr 16].
- Wang TW, Coats EM, Gammon DG, Loomis BR, Kuiper NM, Rogers T, et al. National and State-Specific Unit Sales and Prices for Electronic Cigarettes, United States, 2012–2016. Preventing Chronic Disease 2018;15:170555 [accessed 2019 Apr 9].
- U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2012 Census of Agriculture: United States Summary and State Data, Volume 1, Part 51[PDF–34 MB]. Washington: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2014 [accessed 2017 Nov 6].
- Eriksen M, Mackay J, Schluger N, et al. The Tobacco Atlas. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; New York: World Lung Foundation [accessed 2017 Nov 6].
- U.S. Department of Agriculture. Crop Production 2018 in 2015 Summary [PDF–1.98 MB]. Washington: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2019 [accessed 2019 Apr 9].
- Maxwell JC. The Maxwell Report: Year End & Fourth Quarter 2017 Cigarette Industry. Richmond, VA: John C. Maxwell, Jr., 2018 [cited 2018 Apr 4].
- Orzechowski and Walker. The Tax Burden on Tobacco, Volume 52. Arlington (VA): Orzechowski and Walker, 2017 [cited 2019 Apr 9].
- Gammon DG, Rogers T, Coats EM et al. National and State Patterns of Concept–Flavoured Cigar Sales, USA, 2012-2016. Tobacco Control 2019; 28(4):394-400 [cited 2019 Jul 3].
- Wells Fargo LLC (June 25, 2019) Equity Research/Tobacco. Nielsen ‘All Channel’ Data Through June 15, 2019 [cited 2019 Jul 3].
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014 [accessed 2017 Nov 6].
- Xu X, Bishop EE, Kennedy SM, Simpson SA, Pechacek TF. Annual Healthcare Spending Attributable to Cigarette Smoking: An Update. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2014;48(3):326–33 [accessed 2017 Nov 6].
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2012 [accessed 2017 Nov 6].
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General [PDF-9.82 MB]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020 [accessed 2020 Apr 16].
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FAQ
Q: How are cigarette prices determined?
A: Cigarette prices are determined by a combination of factors, including taxes, manufacturing costs, and competition in the market. In many countries, taxes make up a significant portion of the price of cigarettes. In the United States, for example, federal and state taxes can add more than $3 to the price of a pack of cigarettes. Additionally, tobacco companies may charge different prices for their products based on the costs of producing and marketing them, as well as the demand for the product in different regions.
Q: Why are cigarette prices so high?
A: One of the main reasons cigarette prices are high is due to taxes. Many governments impose high taxes on cigarettes in an effort to discourage smoking and raise revenue. Additionally, the cost of producing cigarettes, including the cost of raw materials, manufacturing, and marketing, also contributes to the high price.
Q: Are there any differences in cigarette prices between different brands?
A: Yes, there are often differences in prices between different brands of cigarettes. Some premium cigarette brands, for example, may be more expensive than basic or generic brands. Additionally, different cigarette manufacturers may charge different prices for their products, depending on the cost of production, marketing expenses, and demand for the product.
Q: Do cigarette prices vary depending on where you buy them?
A: Yes, cigarette prices can vary depending on where you buy them. For example, cigarettes may be more expensive in certain states or municipalities due to higher taxes or other regulations. Prices may also vary between different types of retail outlets, such as convenience stores, supermarkets, and tobacco shops. In general, buying cigarettes online tends to be cheaper than buying them in physical store due to lower overhead.
Q: Are there any discounts available for cigarette prices?
A: Some tobacco companies may offer discounts or special promotions on their products from time to time. Additionally, certain retailers may offer special deals or discounts on cigarettes to customers who purchase them in bulk. Discounts can also vary based on region, and some states have specials or deals available. it would be best to check with your local retailers for such deals.
Q: Are there any alternatives to cigarettes that are less expensive?
A: Yes, there are several alternatives to cigarettes that may be less expensive in the long run. These include smokeless tobacco products, such as chew or snuff, as well as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) or vaporizers, which use liquid nicotine instead of tobacco. While the initial cost of an e-cigarette or vaporizer device may be higher than a pack of cigarettes, the cost of the liquid nicotine refills is usually cheaper in the long run. Additionally, using these alternatives can also be helpful in quitting smoking as well.
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