Cigarettes were widely popularized during the 18th and 19th centuries, with their relatively low cost and ease of usage, popularity spread like a wildfire and in 1950’s a cigarette pack cost only 25 cents. And by 1965, nearly 45% of the population in the USA was smoking.
Today, smoking is one of the worst addictions in the USA and in the world and is the main reason behind the spread of many non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart diseases.
In this article, we will be looking at the cigarette prices by US state.
Prices Of Cigarettes By US State
Top 10 States With The Most Expensive Cigarettes
These are the US States that have the highest federal excise taxes and other state taxes, which makes the average price of a cigarette pack more expensive.
- New York: $12.85
- Illinois: $11.50
- Massachusetts: $9.95
- Alaska: $9.79
- Vermont: $9.62
- Hawaii: $9.55
- Connecticut: $9.52
- Washington: $9.3
- Rhode Island: $8.95
- Wisconsin: $8.82
You can see that New York has taken lead in making cigarettes more expensive and New York City Mayor has recently said that the city council and the state as well will be increasing taxes on cigarette packs in the future too. Making them even more expensive.
Currently, New York taxes $4.35 per pack and a separate $1.50 per-pack-tax as well.
Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington have taxes above $3 per pack.
About 17 states increased the tax on cigarettes within the last few years, tax ranging between $1 and $2. Respectively in Nevada and Pennsylvania and finally in California.
Cigarette Taxes By US State
Top 10 States With The Highest Taxes On Cigarettes
The following are the top 10 states with the highest taxes on cigarettes.
- New York: $4.35
- Connecticut: $3.90
- Rhode Island: $3.75
- Massachusetts: $3.51
- Hawaii: $3.20
- Vermont: $3.08
- Minnesota: $3.07
- Washington: $3.025
- California: $2.87
- New Jersey: $2.70
Top 10 States With The Lowest Taxes On Cigarettes
And following are the top 10 states with the lowest taxes on cigarettes in the United States.
- Nebraska: 64¢
- Tennessee: 62¢
- Wyoming: 60¢
- Idaho: 57¢
- South Carolina: 57¢
- North Carolina: 45¢
- North Dakota: 44¢
- Georgia: 37¢
- Virginia: 30¢
- Missouri: 17¢
You can see that all these states have imposed a tax below $1 dollar and taxed are in cents. Therefore if you deduce the average price per cigarette cotton is much cheaper in these states, you are absolutely correct.
Top 10 States With The Cheapest Cigarette Prices
The following are the top 10 states with the least expensive average price on cigarettes.
- Missouri: $5.25
- Virginia: $5.25
- Tennessee: $5.30
- North Dakota: $5.33
- Kentucky: $5.40
- Wyoming: $5.41
- Idaho: $5.41
- West Virginia: $5.43
- Louisiana: $5.44
- North Carolina: $5.45
You can see most of the low taxed states in this top 10 list. Don’t worry, other few states missing in the top to cheapest average cigarette prices list have similar prices too, all of them being below $7.
So, if you are a heavy smoker, these are the ideal states you should go to.
New Trends In Smoking Cigarettes And The Future Of Its Prices
Policymakers are strict on smoking and look forward to increasing prices and taxes in the upcoming years as well, to discourage smoking.
However, smokers are in luck. The new technological improvements in recent years have made it possible to introduce new alternatives to cigarettes. Such as “E-Liquids” or “Vaporizers”, which are much healthier and comes in different flavors, so the smokers can enjoy “that feeling” of smoking in different flavors at a cheaper price. Yes, these vaporizers will be much cheaper as they won’t be taxed by tobacco tax rates and laws.
Questions And Answers
The Center for disease control and prevention states that the average cost of a carton of cigarettes is $6.28. but it could change and vary, depending on the brand.
Prices of cigarettes are going up in 2019, not by a significantly huge amount yet the authorities always try to increase excise taxes upon cigarettes to discourage the usage.
Missouri is the state that has the least excise taxes on cigarettes, which is $0.17, making the average price per pack to $5.25.
New York imposes the heaviest excise taxes on cigarettes, at $4.35 per pack, makes the average cost of a cigarettes pack nearly $13. The highest in the country.
It is possible to buy cigarettes online. You can purchase any brand you want from the website of a cigarette retailer and order online. You can pay using any e-money wallet like PayPal or through your credit or debit cards.
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