1. Where can I find data on tobacco prices, sales, and consumption?
Over the past 20 years, tobacco consumption has decreased in most high-income countries, including the United States, but it continues to increase in developing countries. Worldwide, about 1.3 billion adults currently use tobacco. In 2006 approximately 371 billion cigarettes were consumed in the United States. Below are some helpful data sources.
Data on average cost per pack, state and federal tax per pack and cigarette consumption (pack sales per capita and daily cigarette consumption) are available by using the State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System, which is available on the CDC Web site.
The University of California, San Diego, also offers data on the per capita sales of tobacco on the Social Services & Humanities Library Web site. The data presented on this site are a composite of monthly sales data and population data from the United States Census Bureau.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) prepares an annual report to Congress on cigarette sales, advertising, and promotion activities. The report for 2006, which was issued in 2009, is now available online.
The FTC also prepares periodic reports on smokeless tobacco product sales, advertising, and promotion activities. The report for 2006, which was issued in 2009, is available online.
The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Economic Research Service produces the Tobacco Yearbook and other publications on tobacco production, consumption, and sales.
Resources:
CDC,Federal Trade Commission,Federal Trade Commission & U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
CDC Smoking & Tobacco Use Web Site: State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System
Title: Economic Facts About U.S. Tobacco Use and Tobacco Production
Cigarette Report for 2006
Smokeless Tobacco Report for 2006
Tobacco Yearbook
Tobacco Outlook
2. How much is spent on tobacco products in the United States?
In 2006, total United States expenditures on tobacco were estimated to be $90.7 billion, of which $83.7 billion were spent on cigarettes.
State-specific data on the price of cigarettes (per pack), state and federal taxes per pack, and average cigarette consumption (pack sales per adult) can be obtained from the State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System on the Smoking & Tobacco Use Web site.
Resources:
United States Department of Agriculture
Economic Research Service Briefing Rooms
Table 21: Expenditures for Tobacco Products and Disposable Personal Income, 1989-2006
CDC Smoking & Tobacco Use Web Site: State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System
3.What are the economic costs of smoking?
The latest reports from CDC show that progress has been made in reducing the number of Americans who smoke and the number of Americans who die prematurely due to cigarette smoking, exposure to secondhand smoke, and smoking-related fires. However, these reports also show that the financial burden imposed on individuals and society as a result of smoking continues to climb. Tobacco use costs the United States approximately $193 billion annually. This figure includes about $97 billion from loss of productivity due to premature death and $96 billion in smoking-related health care costs.
Resources:
CDC
Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs--2007
CDC Smoking & Tobacco Use Web Site: Economics
Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Productivity Losses --- United States, 2000--2004
4. Where can I find information on state tobacco revenue and tobacco control spending?
In fiscal year 2009, total funding for state tobacco use prevention and cessation programs is $718.1 million. No state is funding these programs at the level recommended by CDC; 41 states and the District of Columbia are funding tobacco prevention programs at less than half the CDC recommended minimum. Overall, states are spending less than 20% of the $3.7 billion minimum that CDC has recommended, which is less than 3% of the $24.6 billion in tobacco-generated revenue the states will collect this year from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes.
Information on state revenue from tobacco sales, tobacco settlement funds, federal funding, and others sources and state spending are available in the State Highlights Reports, which can be accessed by using the State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System. The report series called A Broken Promise to Our Children also provides pertinent data and information.
Resources:
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association
A Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement Ten Years Later
CDC Smoking & Tobacco Use Web Site: State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System