In this article, we are going to discuss the 5 states with the most expensive cigarettes in the US. If you want to check out our detailed analysis of the tobacco market in America, the effect of taxes on smoking, and the rise of smokeless tobacco, head to 16 States With the Most Expensive Cigarettes in the US.
5. Massachusetts
Average Retail Price per Pack: $9.75
The Bay State collects $3.51 per pack as cigarette tax, the majority of which goes towards the state’s general fund and the remaining to the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund, which is used to pay for subsidized health insurance and Medicaid rate increases for those in the state.
In 2021, the picturesque Boston suburb of Brookline became the first town in the U.S. to pass an ordinance that tied the right to buy tobacco not to age, but to birth date. As a result, anyone born after Jan. 1, 2000 will never be able to legally buy tobacco or vaping products in Brookline.
4. Rhode Island
Average Retail Price per Pack: $9.87
The nation’s smallest state has one of the highest tax rates on cigarettes in the U.S., levying $4.25 in taxes on every pack sold. Around 13.5% of the adults in Rhode Island are smokers and smoking costs the state over $639 million annually. Despite receiving over $205 million from tobacco taxes, Rhode Island only funds tobacco control efforts at 13% of the recommended level by the CDC.
3. Connecticut
Average Retail Price per Pack: $10.04
The adult smoking rate in Connecticut was estimated to be at 11.8% in 2020, with around 4,300 of the state’s adults dying each year as a result of their own smoking. In 2022, the Connecticut House allocated $12 million for the state Tobacco Control and Health Trust Fund to finance critical tobacco prevention and cessation efforts.
Philip Morris International – one of the largest tobacco companies in the world – moved its U.S. headquarters from New York to Connecticut in 2022, bringing over 200 jobs to the Constitution State.
2. District of Columbia
Average Retail Price per Pack: $10.42
In 2018, the District of Columbia Council voted 10 to 2 to increase the tax collected on cigarettes from $2.5 per pack to $4.5, making the nation’s capital one of the most expensive places to be a smoker. The District projected higher cigarette taxes would bring in $12 million over the next four years.
While the high tax rate was hailed as a way to discourage smoking, it also encouraged the black market and sent customers outside the city, as smokers can now drive only a few miles away to buy cheaper cigarettes in Maryland or Virginia. A pack of cigarettes in Virginia goes for an average of $5.73.
1. New York
Average Retail Price per Pack: $10.53
The State of New York began charging $5.35 in cigarette tax per pack starting September 1st 2023 – a $1 increase that has made New York the state with the highest cigarette tax in America. The move was made to discourage smoking in young and less wealthy populations, both disproportionately impacted by tobacco use.
The Empire State currently spends roughly $35 million per year on anti-tobacco efforts. That might sound like a lot, but that amount pales when compared to the $1 billion the state receives in tobacco tax revenue.
The current price of a pack of Marlboro cigarettes in New York City is between $16-$17, and the Big Apple is counted among the Cities with the Most Expensive Cigarettes.
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