Smoking Prevalence


As noted above at one time most men smoked (60%) and 40% of women were smokers. By the time of the surgeon general's report that smoking caused cancer, in 1964, the numbers had already started to decline (52% men and 34% women.) Since then rates have continued to decline. Since 1965 men have been cutting back faster than women (0.9% per year vs. 0.3%) Currently in Florida young women smoke more than young men (30% vs. 26%.) The most recent national states from 2003 showed that 24% men and 19% women still smoke see data. The rates vary from the highest state Kentucky (30.8%) to the lowest in Utah (13.7%) Florida is about average at 23.6% (26% men and 21.4% women.) More data is available from the MMWR and CDC. Men have cut back more significantly than women (go here and here) and educated more than uneducated (go here)