Smoking

Smoking in Minnesota:

• by year
• by age
• by gender
• by race/ethnicity
• by household income

Smoking measures displayed on this page are for adults 18 years of age and older living in Minnesota households. Unless otherwise noted, differences described on this page are statistically significant. See About the smoking data for more information.

The proportion of Minnesotans that currently smoke cigarettes has decreased since 2011.

In 2021, about 13% of adults were current smokers and about 39% of adults had ever smoked, which includes current smokers and those that have quit.

About 7% of adults in the youngest age group (18 to 24 years) currently smoke. Adults from 25 to 64 years of age are the most likely to smoke – about 1 in 6 adults in this age group currently smoke. Adults in the oldest age group are least likely to smoke (8%) but are the most likely to have ever smoked (49%). More work is needed. Most smokers start in adolescence or early adulthood.

Men are slightly more likely to smoke than women: 14% of men are current smokers compared to 13% of women. The difference by gender is larger when including former smokers (43% of men have ever smoked, compared to 36% of women).

In Minnesota, adults that identify as American Indian or Alaskan Native are the most likely to smoke, followed by adults that identify as multiracial (two or more races). In 2021, this means a third (33%) of all American Indian Minnesotans smoked and about 21% of Minnesotans that identify as multiracial (two or more races). Asian Minnesotans were the least likely to smoke – only about 8%.

People with a higher household income are less likely to smoke. In 2021, about 8% of adults who lived in a household with an annual income of $100,000 or more were current smokers, compared to about 23% of adults who lived in a household with an annual income of less than $25,000.

Looking at income differences among adults that have ever smoked, it may be that income plays a role in quitting smoking – similar proportions of adults with annual household income of $25,000 or greater have ever smoked, indicating that higher household income might make it more likely for a smoker to quit smoking.

Related links

Secondhand smoke

Last updated August 2023. Updates are made when data become available.