- California ranks high for cost of cigarettes, with smokers spending $3,208.54 per year.
- New York residents pay the highest price for cigarettes at $14.55 per pack, with annual costs for the typical smoker reaching $3,986.70.
- Taxes make up a significant portion of cigarette costs, with California residents paying $3.76 in taxes on each pack.
A new study by nicotine innovators, snus.online, has revealed that New York is the most expensive state for cigarette smokers, with costs approaching $4,000 per year.
This was determined by taking the average cost of one 20-pack of cigarettes in each state and adjusting this based on the average consumption of 15 cigarettes per day.
The data show that smokers in New York pay $14.55 for each pack of cigarettes, resulting in an annual expense of $3,986.70. Maryland ranks second with a yearly cost of $3,882.58, followed by Rhode Island at $3,679.82.
State taxes are a large portion of these costs. New York imposes the highest taxes at $5.91 per pack, including a $5.35 excise tax and 4% sales tax. Maryland applies $5.80 in total taxes, while Rhode Island collects $5.38 in taxes on each pack.
Connecticut ranks fourth with smokers paying $3,627.76 annually for cigarettes. Massachusetts completes the top five with yearly costs of $3,435.96.
Alaska, despite having no sales tax on cigarettes, still ranks sixth in annual costs at $3,389.38.
Hawaii and Washington tie for seventh place with identical average prices of $12.13 per pack, resulting in annual costs of $3,323.62 for smokers in both states.
Minnesota smokers pay slightly less at $3,315.40 annually and Illinois smokers pay $3,285.26 per year.