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title: Number of Smokers Hits New Low in U.S.
description: For the first time since rates have been measured, fewer than 40 million Americans are smoking
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author: Sarah Begley
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article:published_time: 2016-12-06T21:44:55.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T02:10:34.381Z
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og:title: The Number of Smokers in the U.S. Just Hit a New Low
og:description: Fewer than 40 million Americans smoke
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# The Number of Smokers in the U.S. Just Hit a New Low

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by 

[Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/)


## Sarah Begley


Dec 6, 2016 9:44 PM UTC

by 

[Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/)


## Sarah Begley


Dec 6, 2016 9:44 PM UTC

The number of [Americans who smoke cigarettes](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/05/health/cigarette-smoking-united-states.html) has hit a new low, dipping below 40 million for the first time since record-keeping began five decades ago.

A CDC report found that the number of [smokers](http://time.com/4590517/smoking-death-lung-cancer/) dropped from 45.1 million in 2005 to 36.5 million in 2015, constituting 15% of Americans.

Rates decreased more sharply among men (from 24% to 16%) than among women (from 17% to 14%), according to the New York _Times_. Twenty-five to 64-year-olds were more likely to [smoke](http://time.com/4461440/ramen-high-demand-us-prisons-cigarettes/) than those who were older or younger. Non-Hispanic blacks and whites were more likely to smoke than Hispanics. Those living below the poverty line were nearly twice as likely to smoke as others.

\[[_NYT_](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/05/health/cigarette-smoking-united-states.html)\]

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