Adult Tobacco Use in Illinois
Tobacco use continues to be the most preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the
United States and Illinois. The rate of adult smoking in Illinois is similar to the national rate, and
both rates are the lowest recorded rates in history. There are similar trends of tobacco use
across populations in Illinois and nationally.

Approximately 1,774,500 or 18% of Illinois adults smoke cigarettes. 1

In Illinois, smoking rates among men are higher than rates among women (15.8% vs.
12.4%).1

Men are more likely than women to use other tobacco products, including cigars and
smokeless tobacco. 1

Currently, tobacco use rates are highest among non-Hispanic whites (18.4%), followed by
Hispanics (13.1%) and non-Hispanic blacks (5.5%).1

As seen nationally, the adult smoking rate in Illinois varies by education level. 27% of adults
without a high school degree report smoking, compared to 9.1% of adults with a college
degree.1

Similarly, individuals in Illinois with lower income are more likely to smoke. 26% of adults
earning $15,000 or less smoke, compared to 11.7% of adults earning $50,000 or more.1

18,300 adults in Illinois die each year due to smoking-related diseases.2

In Illinois, it is estimated that tobacco use is directly responsible for $5.49 billion in
healthcare costs and $5.29 billion in productivity losses, including work lives shortened by
premature death, smoking-related work absences, and on the job performance declines.3

During the past 12 months, 57.5% of current smokers stopped smoking for one day or
longer because they were trying to quit smoking. 1
1
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/.
CDC, Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs—2014. Available at
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/stateandcommunity/best_practices/.
3
The Toll of Tobacco in Illinois. (2013). Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. Retrieved from
http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/facts_issues/toll_us/illinois (Data adapted from Xu, X et al., “Annual Healthcare Spending
Attributable to Cigarette Smoking: An Update,” Am J Prev Med, 2014)
2