Washington’s Tax On Cigarettes Compared To Its Neighbors

If you smoke, you might want to think twice about living in New York. In the Empire State, there's a hefty tax of $5.35 added to the price of a pack of cigarettes. On the other hand, if you prefer lower taxes, Missouri could be a better option, as the Show-Me State only imposes a tax of $0.17 per pack. Washington falls somewhere in between, with a tax of $3.03 per pack of cigarettes.

Which five states have the highest rates of residents who quit smoking?

5 - Vermont

4 - Rhode Island

3 - Maryland

2 - New York

1 - Connecticut

Who are the five unhealthiest states?

5th worst  - Nevada

4th worst  - Oklahoma

3rd worst  - Louisiana

2nd worst - West Virginia (Roughly one out of 5 residents smokes in West Virginia)

1st worst  - Tennessee

For the full ranking, click on this link from iSelect

Before we focus on Washington, here is the #1 country in the World for citizens who quit smoking

That country is Australia. 

Did you know that Australia imposes heavy taxes on cigarettes? As a result, the average cost of a pack of cigarettes is 48.37 Australian dollars, which is approximately $32.17 in US dollars. Interestingly, Australia experienced a 0.38% decline in the number of cigarette users over the past year. For more information on Australia and other countries with the highest smoking decline rates, click on this link from iSelect.

How do Washington’s neighbors compare in terms of cigarette tax?

Idaho is the neighbor with the lowest amount of tax per pack of cigarettes, with only .57 cents of tax per pack.

Montana adds a cigarette tax of  $1.70 per pack. 

Oregon charges a significant tax of $3.33 per pack of Winston or Pall Mall cigarettes. This amount is even higher than the $2.87 tax per pack charged by neighboring California.

How does Washington compare with the rest of America for overall cigarette usage?

A recent study shows Washington is in the top 10 of healthiest states in America.

Washington ranks #8 in the number of residents quitting cigarettes. 9% of Washington residents have a smoking habit. Another 7.2% are regular e-smokers. 

One reason Washington made it in the top ten of smokers who quit might be that our tax is just over $3 per pack. Not sure if that reasoning works completely since Oregon, which we mentioned earlier, taxes its residents a bit more per pack at $3.33, and Oregon ranks 15th in smokers quitting or abstaining.