Tobacco use: New York 2026

Cigarette use: New York* 

• In 2024, 9.9% of adults in New York smoked. Nationally, the adult cigarette smoking prevalence was 11.6%. 
• In 2018-2019, 35.6% of adults who smoked in New York smoked menthol cigarettes. Nationally, 32.3% of adult smokers used menthol cigarettes during this period. 
• In 2023, 1.7% of high school students in New York smoked cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among high school students was 3.5%. 

Other tobacco product use: New York* 

• In 2024, 6.3% of adults in New York used e-cigarettes. Nationally, the adult e-cigarette use prevalence was 8.0%. 
• In 2024, 1.7% of adults in New York used smokeless tobacco everyday or some days. Nationally, the adult smokeless tobacco use prevalence was 3.4%. 
• In 2023, 13.5% of high school students in New York 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 16.8%. 
• In 2023, 3.1% of high school students in New York 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 2.3%. 
• In 2023, 5.5% of high school students in New York 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 4.5%. 

Economics of tobacco use and tobacco control 

• New York received $1.5 billion (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2026.  
• Of this, the state allocated $43.5 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2026, 21.4% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.  
• Smoking-caused health care costs: $12.07 billion per year.  
• Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $18.2 billion per year. 

New York tobacco laws 

Tobacco taxes 

• New York is ranked 1st in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $5.35 per pack (enacted September 2023), compared to the national average of $2.05. (Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents.)  
• Little cigars weighing less than four pounds per thousand are taxed at 26.75 cents per cigar. Snuff is taxed at $2.00 per ounce and a proportionate rate on fractional parts of an ounce, provided that cans or packages of snuff with a net weight less than one ounce are taxed at the equivalent rate of cans or packages weighing one ounce. Vapor products are taxed at 20% of the retail price. All other tobacco products are taxed at 75% of the wholesale price.   

Clean indoor air ordinances 

• Smoking is prohibited in all government workplaces, private workplaces, schools, childcare facilities, restaurants, bars (allowed in cigar bars and allows for an economic hardship waiver), casinos/gaming establishments (tribal establishments exempt), and retail stores.  
• E-cigarettes are included in the state’s clean indoor air laws but not in the state’s definition of tobacco products. 

Flavor restrictions 

• The sale of all flavored e-cigarettes is prohibited, except e-cigarettes that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as part of a premarket review.  

Licensing laws 

• Retailers and wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell tobacco products.  
• A license is required to sell e-cigarettes.  
• The sale of tobacco products, including vapor products, is prohibited in pharmacies in Albany County, Erie County, New York City, and Rockland County.  

Point of sale laws 

• Retailers are prohibited from redeeming coupons or other discounting measures for tobacco products. 

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. 
• Establishments are required to post signs stating that sales to people under 21 are prohibited and will be penalized.  
• In stores where admission is not restricted to individuals 21 and older, tobacco products for sale must be stored behind the counter or in a locked container. Self-service displays of e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine are also prohibited except in tobacco businesses and locations restricted to people 21 or older.  
• People under 21 are prohibited from buying e-cigarettes, vapor products, or liquid nicotine. 
• Retailers are prohibited from engaging in discount sales (e.g. coupons, multipack discounts) of vapor products (with some exceptions). 
• Advertisements for electronic cigarettes and vapor products intended to be used for the consumption of nicotine are prohibited from display in store fronts, exterior windows and doors of stores within 1,500 feet of a school (in New York City, this provision applies to stores within 500 feet of a school). 

Local tobacco laws 

• New York City: 
• Prohibits the sale of all flavored e-cigarettes.  
• Prohibits the sale of flavored tobacco products with a characterizing flavor other than menthol, mint or wintergreen, except in certain “tobacco bars.”  
• Prohibits the use of all tobacco products at all ticketed sporting events, including at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium.  
• Requires that cigarettes and little cigars not be sold at retail for less than $13 per 20-pack, including sales tax.  
• Requires cigars that cost less than $8 individually be sold in packs of four or more.  
• Requires little cigars be sold in packs of 20 or more.  
• Manheim prohibits the sale of all flavored tobacco products.  
• Yonkers prohibits the sale of flavored e-cigarettes.  
• Hempstead and Nassau County prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes within 1,000 feet of a school, playground or park. Lowville prohibits smoke shops and tobacco stores from being located within 1500 feet from a school, or other similar places where children regularly gather.
• Washington County prohibits smoking tobacco or cannabis products on county property. 

Quitting statistics and benefits 

• The CDC estimates 46.8% of daily adult smokers in New York quit smoking for one or more days in 2019. 
• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all tobacco cessation medications.** 
• New York’s state quit line invests $3.05 per smoker, compared with the national median of $2.62.  
• New York has a private insurance mandate provision for quitting tobacco. 

Notes and references 

* 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. 

Updated March 2026. 

1. CDC. (2024). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. 

2. CDC. (2024). State Menthol Fact Sheets. 

3. CDC. (2023). High School Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System. 

4. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2026). Broken Promises to Our Children: A State-by-State Look at the 1998 Tobacco Settlement 27 Years Later. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/what-we-do/us/statereport 

5. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2024). The Toll of Tobacco in the United States. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. 

6. American Lung Association. (2024). State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI). 

7. American Lung Association. (2026). State of Tobacco Control. https://www.lung.org/research/sotc 

8. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2024). State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings. https://assets.tobaccofreekids.org/factsheets/0097.pdf 

9. Public Health Law Center. (2024, June 15). U.S. E-Cigarette Regulations: 50 State Review. https://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/resources/us-e-cigarette-regulations-50-state-review 

10. Truth Initiative. (2024, June 30). Local restrictions on flavored tobacco and e-cigarette products. https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/local-restrictions-flavored-tobacco-and-e-cigarette 

11. American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation. (2024). Municipalities with Tobacco-Free Pharmacy Laws. https://no-smoke.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/pharmacies.pdf 

12. New York State Department of Health. (2024). New York State Tobacco Control Laws. https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/tobacco_control/current_policies.htm 

13. FDA. (2024). Tobacco 21. https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/retail-sales-tobacco-products/tobacco-21 

14. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (2024). Smoke-Free Air Laws. https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/tobacco_control/current_policies.htm 

15. Knock Tobacco Out of the Park. (2024). https://tobaccofreebaseball.org/ 

16. A Local Law to Amend the Administrative Code of the City of New York, in Relation to the Regulation of Retail Dealers of Tobacco Products and of Electronic Cigarettes, the Establishment of Price Floors and Minimum Package Sizes for Tobacco Products and Shisha, and the Establishment of a Tax on Tobacco Products Other than Cigarettes, Int 1544-2017, New York City Council (2017). https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3013584&GUID=2CF281E1-5407-4AB5-8340-E16098EF7F85&FullText=1 

17. CDC. (2024). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System.