Fact Sheet

Tobacco use: Pennsylvania 2026

Topic

Smoking by Region

Subtopic

State Facts

Cigarette use: Pennsylvania 2026*

In 2024, 11.7% of adults smoked. Nationally, the adult cigarette smoking prevalence was 11.6%.
In 2018-2019, 43.4% of adults who smoked in Pennsylvania smoked menthol cigarettes. Nationally, 32.3% of adult smokers used menthol cigarettes during this period.
In 2023, 3.7% of high school students in Pennsylvania smoked cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the cigarette smoking prevalence among high school students was 3.5%.

Other tobacco use: Pennsylvania*

In 2024, 6.0% of adults in Pennsylvania used e-cigarettes. Nationally, the adult e-cigarette use prevalence was 7.7%.
In 2024, 3.2% of adults in Pennsylvania used smokeless tobacco every day or some days. Nationally, the adult smokeless tobacco use prevalence was 3.4%.
In 2023, 16.0% 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 16.8%.
In 2023, 2.5% 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 2.3%.
In 2023, 5.0% 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 4.5%.

Economics of tobacco use and tobacco control

Pennsylvania received $1.3 billion (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2026.
Of this, the state allocated $17.9 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2026, 12.8% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's annual spending target.
Smoking-caused health care costs: $7.41 billion per year.
Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $13.4 billion per year.

Pennsylvania tobacco laws

Tobacco taxes

Pennsylvania is ranked 17th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $2.60 per pack (enacted August 2016), compared to the national average of $2.05. (New York has the highest tax at $5.35 and Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents.)
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, including fractional parts of an ounce.

Clean indoor air ordinances

Smoking is prohibited in government workplaces, private workplaces, schools, childcare facilities, and retail stores.
Smoking restrictions are required in restaurants and casinos/gaming establishments (tribal establishments are exempt).
There are no smoking restrictions for bars.
E-cigarettes are prohibited in schools, on school vehicles, and on school property owned, leased, or controlled by a school district. Use and possession of e-cigarettes is also prohibited within surface and underground areas of coal mines.
E-cigarettes are not included in the state's indoor air laws but are included in the state's definition of tobacco products.

Licensing laws

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

Youth access laws

In December 2019, the United States adopted a law raising the federal minimum age of sale for all tobacco products to 21, effective immediately.
A person may not display or offer for sale tobacco products in any manner that allows anyone other than the retailer or an employee to physically handle tobacco products before purchase, unless the products are located within the line of sight or under the control of a cashier or other employee during business hours, or unless the store derives 75% or more of its sales revenue from tobacco products.

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 K-12 school.
Philadelphia prohibits the sale of all flavored e-cigarettes and the sale of cartridges or pods containing more than 20 milligrams per milliliter of nicotine, except in adult-only stores.

Quitting statistics and benefits

The CDC estimates that 49.7% of daily adult smokers in Pennsylvania quit smoking for one or more days in 2019.
In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all tobacco cessation medications.
Pennsylvania's state quitline invests $1.42 per smoker, compared to the national median of $2.62.
Pennsylvania does not have a private insurance mandate provision for cessation.

Notes and references (March 2026)

* The datasets for both adult 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 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: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service; May 2008.

CDC. (2024). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
CDC. (2024). State Menthol Fact Sheets.
CDC. (2023). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2026). Broken Promises to Our Children: A State-by-State Look at the 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 24 Years Later.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2024). The Toll of Tobacco in the United States.
American Lung Association. (2026). State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI).
American Lung Association. (2026). State of Tobacco Control.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (June 14, 2024). State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings. https://assets.tobaccofreekids.org/factsheets/0097.pdf
Public Health Law Center. (June 15, 2024). U.S. E-Cigarette Regulations: 50 State Review. https://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/resources/us-e-cigarette-regulations-50-state-review
FDA. (2024). Tobacco 21. https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/retail-sales-tobacco-products/tobacco-21
City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health. (2019). Clean Indoor Air Laws and Regulations: Regulation Relating to Tobacco Retailing. City of Philadelphia. https://www.phila.gov/documents/clean-indoor-air-laws/
Truth Initiative. (June 30, 2024). Local Restrictions on Flavored Tobacco and E-Cigarette Products. https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/local-restrictions-flavored-tobacco-and-e-cigarette
CDC. (2024). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System.