The following statistics include the latest data available on tobacco and vapor product use rates in Washington, including its health and economic burden.
Quick Facts About Tobacco Use in Washington State
- Adult smoking rate: 13.5 percent (2017)
- Adult e-cigarette (vapor product) use rate: 4.2 percent (2017)
- Youth smoking rate (10th grade): 5 percent (2018)
- Youth e-cigarette (vapor product) use rate (10th grade): 21.2 percent (2018)
- Youth overall tobacco use rate (cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, hookah, e-cigarettes; 10th grade): 22.6 percent (2018)
- Health burden of tobacco:
- 1 in 5 deaths are caused by cigarettes, including secondhand smoke.
- 6 of the 10 leading causes of death are caused by tobacco.
- 8,300 residents die from smoking each year.
- 27.4 percent of cancer deaths are caused by smoking.
- 1,800 youth start smoking daily each year.
- 104,000 youth alive today will die prematurely from smoking.
- Economic toll of tobacco:
- $2.8 billion in state health care costs are caused by smoking annually.
- $2.2 billion is lost by employers each year from lost productivity.
- $720 per household is the state and federal tax burden from smoking-caused government expenditures.
Fact Sheets and Additional Data
- Surgeon General's 2014 Report: The Health Consequences of Smoking — 50 Years of Progress
- Chronic Disease Profiles
- Stop the Sale of Tobacco to Minors
- Washington State Plan for Healthy Communities
Youth Survey Data
Adult Survey Data