Fans of breaking news statistics! One thing is evident from a recent Forbes Advisor research that evaluated hundreds of data points to ascertain the prevalence of vaping devices state by state.
There is a clear gap in the US when it involves e-cigarette use, from the neon-lit streets of the country's largest cities to the serene plains of the rolling South.
Comparing statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Forbes discovered that just 5.8% of individuals vape, compared to 11.5 percent of those who still smoke conventional tobacco.
It goes without saying that this hasn't stopped a vibrant and varied vape culture from thriving in the majority of the 50 states, with the findings of this most recent Forbes survey serving as unquestionable evidence.
Prior to presenting the top ten states in the US where individuals regularly use vaping devices, we have gathered some fascinating talking points about the country's vape usage and demographics.
Gender-specific data: According to the CDC, males are more likely than women to smoke cigarettes, and this trend is still evident when it comes to e-cigarette use (11.6 percent for men vs 10.3 percent for women).
By age: Young folks, notably those between their years of 18 and 24, are the ones that use e-cigarettes the most, with use drastically declining for those 45 and older.
According to race and ethnicity, 3.2 percent of White people and 3.3 percent of Hispanic and Latino adults were found to be vapers, respectively. Asian adults and Black/African American adults came in first and second, with 2.9 and 2.4 percent, respectively.
This research confirms that the only restriction on e-cigarette use, independent of demographics, is the legal age requirement. But what about the states collectively? When examining the daily routines of a whole community, how do similar vaping patterns compare on a much broader scale?
Here is the official Forbes top ten list of US states with the highest e-cigarette use rates, along with a few interesting side information.
- Tennessee
5.7% of people in the population vape every day. Regardless of how often they vape, Tennessee has the highest overall number of vapers. The least is in Maryland.
- Kentucky
This place has 6% of the population vape every day. Kentucky shares the top rank in this statistic with Oklahoma as the state with the highest proportion of adults who vape daily.
- Oklahoma
Six percent of Oklahomans smoke every day. With 22.5 percent of Gen Z users, Oklahoma has the highest rate of everyday e-cigarette users.
- Idaho
Here 4.8% of people vape every day. Idaho tied North Dakota for the largest rise in vaping use between 2016 and 2022, with a 5.4% increase in the proportion of adult vapers.
- Arkansas
5.8% of the state's population vapes every day. The South is home to seven of the 10 states ranked highest on this list: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
- Alabama
The state has 4.7% of everyday vapers. When it comes to the proportion of people who vape on some but not all days, Alabama came in top place with 5.7%, compared to the study's average of 4%.
- The state of Louisiana
5.3% of people in the population vape every day
The proportion of adults in Louisiana who presently use e-cigarettes rose by 4.4 percentage points between 2016 and 2022.
- West Virginia
4.6% of people in the population vape every day
In comparison to other states in the top ten, West Virginia has far lower daily vaping rates, with just one in twenty individuals reporting occasional vaping.
- Dakota
5.3% of people in the population vape every day
Regardless of how often they vape, North Dakota has the highest percentage of Gen Z vapers overall.
- Hawaii
4.2% of the population vapes every day. Finally, but just as importantly, the number of e-cigarette users in the Aloha State is rising faster than the average for the Forbes research.
