Tennessee has the most vapers nationwide, study shows
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — While still less common than traditional cigarette smoking, the modern allure of vaping has created another habit that can be difficult for many people to kick.
According to a new Forbes study, 5.8% of adults in America say they smoke e-cigarettes — a trend that Tennesseans appear to be taking part in more so than people in any other state. Forbes’ study found that Tennessee has the highest rate of e-cigarette usage in the country.
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Despite their popularity, e-cigarettes — also commonly referred to as vapes — remain controversial, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noting that e-cigarettes are not safe for youth, young adults and pregnant women.
However, according to Forbes’ study, young adults ages 18 to 24 years old remain the most vulnerable to vaping, with that age group making up the largest subgroup of adult e-cigarette users in America at about 11%.
In order to determine which states had more or less vapers, researchers with Forbes analyzed metrics from the CDC across all 50 states, including the percentage of residents who vape every day and some days, as well as the change in e-cigarette usage over time.
The average percentage of American adults who said they vape every day was 3.8%. While in Tennessee, nearly 5.7% of adults admitted to vaping every day. The percentage of Tennesseans who vape some days was 5.1%, tying with Louisiana, compared to the study average of 4%.
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According to Forbes, seven of the top 10 states with the most vapers are located in the South, including Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Of those states, Tennessee saw one of the most sizeable increases in e-cigarette users between 2016 and 2022. Researchers found there was a 5.1 percentage point increase in the number of Tennesseans who currently use e-cigarettes during that time.
Kentucky trailed closely behind Tennessee as the state with the second most vapers in the nation, followed by Oklahoma, Idaho and Arkansas. While the top five states with the fewest vapers were Maryland, Illinois, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Delaware.
Other studies also show Tennessee has a large number of people who still smoke traditional cigarettes. According to America’s Health Ranking’s, CDC data puts Tennessee as the state with the third highest percentage of smokers in the nation.
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About 18% of those in the 18 to 44 age group reported to consistently smoking cigarettes, representing nearly 411,300 people.
The potential benefits of non-pregnant adult smokers using e-cigarettes as a cigarette substitute are still uncertain, and according to the CDC, additional research is needed to better understand the long-term health effects. However, many people are trying to kick the habit.
Studies show that up to 83% of current e-cigarette users in America have tried to quit vaping at least once, citing health concerns as the top reason for quitting. In recent years, many states have enacted laws creating regulations for where vapes are sold and who can use them.
Tennessee ranks fairly high among the states with the most youth access or retail restrictions on e-cigarettes. However, while more than half of states, including Kentucky, have implemented taxes on e-cigarettes, Tennessee has not.
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Tennessee is also one of only 13 states that don’t require a license to sell e-cigarettes.
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