The cigarette smoking rate among U.S. adults fell to 9% in 2025, marking another record low, according to preliminary findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this week.

The data, based on survey responses from more than 24,200 adults, shows that approximately 1 in 11 adults identified as current smokers. The CDC defines current cigarette smoking as having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in one's lifetime and currently smoking either daily or on some days.

This represents a continued decline from the mid-1960s, when 42% of U.S. adults were smokers. The smoking rate dropped below 10% for the first time in 2024, before falling further to 9% in 2025. The decades-long decline has been attributed to cigarette taxes, tobacco product price increases, smoking bans, public education campaigns, and changing social attitudes toward smoking in public.

Cigarette smoking remains a major risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke, and is considered the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

The survey also found that electronic cigarette use among adults has remained relatively stable at about 7% in 2025, after experiencing gradual increases in previous years.

Yolonda Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, called the continued decline "a monumental public health achievement that has saved millions of lives and billions in healthcare costs." However, Richardson noted that current smoking-prevention efforts have been affected by cuts to CDC programs, including the elimination of the Office on Smoking and Health and the "Tips from Former Smokers" advertising campaign.