To gauge the true per-person cost of smoking in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, WalletHub analysts calculated the potential monetary losses — including the cumulative cost of a cigarette pack per day over several decades, healthcare expenditures, income losses and other costs — related to smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.
Based on the calculations, the analysts suggest the financial cost of smoking in the U.S. is roughly $1.6 million per smoker over a lifetime. The states with the highest lifetime smoking costs per smoker include:
1. New York — $2.45 million
2. Massachusetts — $2.27 million
3. Alaska — $2.24 million
4. Hawaii — $2.19 million
5. Connecticut — $2.14 million
6. Rhode Island — $2.09 million
7. Minnesota — $1.97 million
8. Washington — $1.95 million
9. New Jersey — $1.95 million
10. District of Columbia — $1.95 million
The following 10 areas have the lowest lifetime smoking costs per smoker.
1. Louisiana — $1.23 million
2. Kentucky — $1.24 million
3. Missouri — $1.25 million
4. West Virginia — $1.26 million
5. North Carolina — $1.26 million
6. Georgia — $1.27 million
7. Tennessee — $1.28 million
8. South Carolina — $1.29 million
9. Mississippi — $1.3 million
10. Alabama — $1.31 million
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