Though the risks associated with smoking and tobacco use are well established and widely understood, 42.4 million American adults — or 16.6% of the adult population — smoke every day or most days and have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.
In Minnesota, the smoking rate is lower than it is nationwide. An estimated 15.5% of the 18 and older population in Minnesota are smokers, the 18th lowest smoking rate among states.
States where large shares of the population smoke often have below average health outcomes, and vice versa — and in at least one key measure, that pattern holds in Minnesota. Average life expectancy at birth in the state is 80.9 years, compared to 79.2 years nationwide.
All data used in this story is from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program’s 2021 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps report.
Rank | State | Adults who smoke (%) | Avg. life expectancy at birth (years) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | West Virginia | 26.9 | 74.8 |
2 | Kentucky | 24.1 | 75.6 |
3 | Arkansas | 23.7 | 76.1 |
4 | Indiana | 21.7 | 77.1 |
5 | Ohio | 21.4 | 77.0 |
6 | Louisiana | 21.1 | 76.1 |
7 | Mississippi | 21.0 | 74.9 |
8 | Tennessee | 20.8 | 76.0 |
9 | South Dakota | 20.2 | 78.9 |
10 | Missouri | 20.1 | 77.3 |
11 | Michigan | 20.1 | 78.1 |
12 | Alabama | 20.0 | 75.6 |
13 | Oklahoma | 19.9 | 76.1 |
14 | North Dakota | 19.7 | 79.7 |
15 | Maine | 19.4 | 78.7 |
16 | Wyoming | 19.2 | 78.9 |
17 | Montana | 18.9 | 78.9 |
18 | South Carolina | 18.7 | 77.1 |
19 | Alaska | 18.5 | 79.0 |
20 | Pennsylvania | 17.9 | 78.5 |
21 | North Carolina | 17.9 | 78.1 |
22 | Kansas | 17.9 | 78.5 |
23 | Iowa | 17.4 | 79.4 |
24 | Delaware | 17.4 | 78.5 |
25 | Wisconsin | 17.2 | 79.5 |
26 | Nebraska | 16.6 | 79.6 |
27 | New Hampshire | 16.6 | 79.7 |
28 | Georgia | 16.3 | 77.9 |
29 | New Mexico | 15.9 | 78.0 |
30 | Illinois | 15.9 | 79.4 |
31 | Nevada | 15.7 | 78.7 |
32 | Oregon | 15.7 | 79.9 |
33 | Minnesota | 15.5 | 80.9 |
34 | Rhode Island | 15.2 | 79.8 |
35 | Virginia | 15.1 | 79.6 |
36 | Idaho | 15.0 | 79.4 |
37 | Florida | 14.9 | 80.2 |
38 | Colorado | 14.7 | 80.6 |
39 | Vermont | 14.7 | 79.8 |
40 | Arizona | 14.5 | 80.0 |
41 | Hawaii | 14.4 | 82.3 |
42 | Texas | 14.2 | 79.2 |
43 | Massachusetts | 13.7 | 80.6 |
44 | New Jersey | 13.2 | 80.5 |
45 | New York | 13.0 | 81.4 |
46 | Maryland | 12.6 | 79.2 |
47 | Connecticut | 12.5 | 80.9 |
48 | Washington | 12.1 | 80.4 |
49 | California | 11.5 | 81.7 |
50 | Utah | 9.1 | 80.1 |