Smokeless Tobacco Use in the United States

This fact sheet provides the latest data and information on how many people use smokeless and other tobacco products and what is being done to protect the public's health from the harmful effects of smokeless tobacco use.

Adult Smokeless Tobacco Use (National)

As shown in the graph below, smokeless tobacco use among females has remained low throughout the years. Among males, use decreased during 1986-2000 but has been increasing since then.¹

Percentage of Adults Who Were Current Smokeless Tobacco Users in 2014²

• Adults aged 18 years and older: more than 3 in every 100 (3.4%)
• Men: nearly 7 in every 100 (6.7%)
• Women: fewer than 1 in every 100 (0.3%)
• Non-Hispanic African Americans: more than 1 in every 100 (1.2%)
• Non-Hispanic American Indians/Alaska Natives: more than 7 in every 100 (7.1%)
• Non-Hispanic Asians: fewer than 1 in every 100 (0.6%)
• Hispanics: fewer than 1 in every 100 (0.9%)
• Non-Hispanic Whites: nearly 5 in every 100 (4.6%)

NOTE:
In the list above, "current smokeless tobacco use" means using chewing tobacco or snuff on 1 or more of the 30 days before participation in a survey about this topic. Dissolvable tobacco, dip, and U.S. snus were not measured. Survey was conducted among persons aged 18 and older.

Adult Smokeless Tobacco Use (State-Specific)

• In 2014, current smokeless tobacco use was highest in:³
  • Wyoming: nearly 9 in every 100 people (8.8%)
  • West Virginia: nearly 9 in every 100 people (8.5%)
  • Montana: nearly 8 in every 100 people (7.6%)
  • Mississippi: more than 7 in every 100 people (7.5%)
• In 2014, current smokeless tobacco use was lowest in:³
  • Delaware, Hawaii and Massachusetts: more than 1 in every 100 people (1.5%)
  • California: more than 1 in every 100 people (1.6%)
  • Connecticut and Maryland: nearly 2 in every 100 people (1.8%)

NOTE:

• In the list above, "current smokeless tobacco" means using chewing tobacco, snuff, or snus every day or some days at the time of the survey.
• In the District of Columbia nearly 2 in every 100 people used smokeless tobacco some days at the time of the survey; however, estimates are not available for those who used smokeless tobacco every day at the time of the survey.

Youth Smokeless Tobacco Use

High School Students in 20154	Current Use of Smokeless Tobacco
Overall	6.0%
Males	10.0%
Females	1.8%
White non-Hispanic	7.8%
Black non-Hispanic	1.9%
Hispanic	3.1%

NOTE:
In the table above—

• Percentages represent approximately how many people in every 100 people use smokeless tobacco products. For example, 7.8% represents more than 7 in every 100 people.
• "Current use of smokeless tobacco use" means using chewing tobacco, snuff, dip, snus, or dissolvable tobacco on 1 or more of the 30 days before participation in a survey about this topic.

 

Multiple Product Use

According to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:¹

• About 1 in every 100 youth aged 12–17 years (1.1%) and nearly 4 in every 100 young adults aged 18–25 years (3.9%) were current users of smokeless tobacco and at least one other tobacco product.
• About 1 in every 100 adults aged 26 years or older (1.2%) were current users of smokeless tobacco and at least one other tobacco product.

Measures to Protect the Public's Health

References

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014 [accessed 2016 Jul 18].
2. Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2015, Rockville, MD [accessed 2016 Jul 18].
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System: Prevalence and Trends Data. [accessed 2016 Jul 18].
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students—United States, 2011-2015. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2016;65(14):361–7 [accessed 2016 Jul 18].
5. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Tobacco Control Act. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2015 [accessed 2016 Jul 18].