For the first time in recorded history, fewer than 10% of American adults smoke cigarettes, a milestone that public health officials have chased for decades.

A new study published in NEJM Evidence found that 9.9% of U.S. adults reported smoking cigarettes in 2024, down from 10.8% in 2023. The research analyzed responses from more than 32,600 adults who participated in the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative household survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The drop marks the first time the adult smoking rate has fallen to a single-digit figure in the United States. The study was led by Israel Agaku, Ph.D., an Atlanta-based public health researcher and professor.

Despite the historic low, about 25.2 million adults still smoke cigarettes. And smoking is far from the only concern: nearly 47.7 million adults,about 18.8% of the population, use at least one tobacco product, including cigarettes, cigars, or e-cigarettes.

The decline in cigarette use also helped push down the overall rate of combustible tobacco use from 13.5% in 2023 to 12.6% in 2024. However, e-cigarette and cigar use did not change significantly over that same period.

If the current rate of decline continues, the researchers say the U.S. could meet or even exceed the federal government's Healthy People 2030 goal of cutting the adult smoking rate to 6.1%.

"If this decline continues, the target might be met or exceeded by 2030," the researchers wrote.

The study found that tobacco use is not evenly spread across the population. Men reported significantly higher tobacco use than women, with just over 24% of men using at least one tobacco product, compared with nearly 14% of women.

Tobacco use was also higher among people working in agriculture, construction, and manufacturing. The highest rates were reported among people with a General Educational Development (GED) certificate, at 42.8%, as well as rural residents, low-income individuals, and people with disabilities.

Young adults showed a clear shift in habits: nearly 15% of adults ages 18 to 24 reported using e-cigarettes, compared with just 3.4% who smoked cigarettes.

The CDC stresses that no tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, is safe. Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S. and is responsible for about one in three cancer deaths.

The researchers noted that sustained public health measures such as smoke-free laws, tobacco taxes, and access to quitting support remain essential to driving further reductions in tobacco use.

Ross Kaminsky on the News with Jeana Gondek