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In 2024, youth tobacco usage hit an incredible all-time low in the United States, marking a big victory in the fight against teenage cigarette smoking. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported a 20% drop in the number of middle and high school students using at least one tobacco product. In fact, this number fell from 2.8 million last year to just 2.25 million this year—the lowest since the survey began in 1999.
Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, director of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, called it “an extraordinary milestone for public health.” Still, she made it clear that the work is far from over.
The decline of youth tobacco usage is mainly due to fewer teens vaping, with the e-cigarette rate falling to under 6%, down from 7.7% last year. E-cigarettes remain the most popular tobacco product among teens, followed by nicotine pouches. However, even those products have seen declines.
Looking back 25 years, almost 30% of high schoolers smoked. This year, that number dropped to a staggering low of just 1.7%, though the small change from last year isn’t statistically significant. The rate for middle schoolers also dropped to its lowest point ever.
These encouraging trends come from a CDC survey involving nearly 30,000 students from 283 schools. Public health officials point to several factors for the decline, including price hikes on tobacco, educational campaigns, stricter age limits, and tougher enforcement on retailers.
Among high schoolers, the use of any tobacco product fell from nearly 13% to 10%, and e-cigarette use dropped under 8%. While middle schoolers aren’t vaping or smoking as much, their rates saw no significant change.
Despite the positive news, some concerning trends remain. Tobacco use increased among American Indian or Alaska Native students, and nicotine pouch use rose among non-Hispanic white students.
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